Raise your hand if you have heard of a horseshoe! Not the kind that goes on a horse, but the kind you eat!
I am becoming more and more aware that a horseshoe is a central IL dish! I get funny looks when I talk about a horseshoe to those not from around here.
Well friends, if that is you… let me introduce you to a horseshoe.
A thick slice of texas toast on the bottom of the plate
Then topped with a pile of hot French Fries
A hamburger patty on top of all of that
Then the entire thing is drizzled in a fantastic cheese sauce.
The horseshoe originated in Springfield, IL in 1928 and here is how:
“The actual idea for the Horseshoe Sandwich came from Elizabeth Schweska, Chef Joe Schweska’s wife. Chef Schweska came home one day and remarked to his wife that he needed a new lunch item for the Leland Hotel’s restaurant menu. She had seen a recipe using a Welsh Rarebit Sauce and suggested the possibility of an open-faced sandwich using this sauce. Joe Schweska liked the idea and developed his own sauce and… sandwich creation, ‘The Horseshoe.’”
“The first Horseshoe was originally made from ham cut from the bone in the shape of a horseshoe. The first potato (the nails) were wedges of potato (not the frozen French fries used today)…. the sauce was poured over the meat and bread and the potato was on top instead of sauce being poured over the whole works. Originally, it was a potato cut in eight wedges.” – http://illinoistimes.com/article-9620-what-happened-to-horseshoes-.html
Overtime the horseshoe has changed and now it has been adapted to even a breakfast horseshoe. My friend, Jenn made this for her family and said I had to try it!
If you aren’t from around here and have never tried a horseshoe (or can’t buy one at a local restaurant), I suggest trying to make one on your own! All you need to do is follow the simple recipe of toast on the bottom, fries on top, a meat (some use beef, pork, chicken- even just plain ole lunch meat) and all of it is topped with a cheese sauce. Here is a link (scroll to bottom of article) to the original cheese sauce recipe used in 1928, I have not tried it yet but I am guessing it is amazing!
Now,on to our breakfast horseshoe!
Step 1: Brown 1/2 lb sausage. Once it is browned, drain the sausage on a plate lined with paper towel.
Step 2: Make the gravy (we are using sausage gravy instead of cheese sauce). Using the grease that is in the pan from the sausage plus 2 TB butter. Next, make a slurry in a separate bowl. Mix 2 TB cornstarch with a little bit of milk (maybe 1/4 cup?) with a whisk. Make sure there are no lumps. Add this slurry to the pan with the grease and butter. It will bubble up, but keep whisking it until it is all incorporated.
Step 3: Now you are going to SLOWLY add your milk. You want to add 2 cups of milk total, but only add a small stream of milk at a time and then whisk. Add more milk, whisk. Add more, whisk. Keep doing this until all milk has been added. If you feel like your gravy is to thick for your liking, add more milk. If it is not thick enough, add more cornstarch slurry. Whisk until begins to boil- cook and stir for 1 minute. . Once it is the consistency you like, add your browned ground sausage back to the gravy.
Step 4: Bake your biscuits or use toast. I used Gluten free toast and my family had biscuits.
Step 5: Make hashbrowns. I Grated potato and fried… I do not recommend this. The hashbrowns were gummy and took forever. Later I learned that I was supposed to of squeezed as much of the water out as possible before frying. I should of looked up a recipe, but really I thought it was just as simple as grating and frying! Next time, I will just buy the frozen hashbrowns!
Step 6: Once everything else is done, scramble your eggs. Wait to do this at the end because eggs will get cold quickly.
Step 6: Now it’s time to layer your horseshoe. Bread on the bottom (biscuit or gluten free toast), hashbrowns next, then eggs, gravy and top with some shredded sharp cheddar.
Dive in and fall in love!
- 1/2 lb sausage
- 2 TB cornstarch
- 2 cups milk (2% or whole)
- frozen or fresh hashbrowns
- 8 eggs
- gluten free toast or biscuits (2 per person)
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Brown the 1/2 lb sausage in a large skillet.
- Drain the sausage on a paper towel lined plate.
- Add 2 TB butter to the leftover sausage grease in the pan. Stir until melted.
- In a separate bowl, whisk 2 TB cornstarch with 1/4 cup milk.
- Add this cornstarch slurry back to the sausage pan and whisk until combined and there are no lumps.
- Turn heat to medium low and slowly add a little of the 2 cups of milk at a time and whisk until incorporated and there are no lumps. Add a small stream of milk, whisk, add milk, whisk. etc.
- Once your gravy is to the consistency that you like (add more milk for thinner and more cornstarch slurry to thicken) add back your browned sausage, stir and keep warm.
- Make your frozen hashbrowns.
- Bake your biscuits or toast your toast.
- Scramble 8 eggs and cook.
- Layer it all together. Bread on the bottom, then hashbrowns, eggs, gravy and shredded cheddar cheese.
- Dive in!
Mary silveus says
I am a Springfield IL native this is not even close….. horseshoes do not have biscuits….nor would they ever have shredded cheese….the thing that makes a horseshoe sandwich unique the reason for cookoffs Is the cheese sauce.. … It is complex and the most important part of the dish…although your sandwich looks great…it is NOT a horseshoe. And the potatoes would go in the top.sausage gravy on half and cheese sauce on the other half…
Alisha Hughes says
Oh, Okay. Thanks. Alisha here. Sarah posted this one a while back. She doesn’t actually do this blog anymore and I am not real familiar with the “horseshoe” recipe concept. I appreciate your insight. I think you are right about the cheese sauce. 🙂
Mary silveus says
Google breakfast horseshoe and look at the images…..
Alisha Hughes says
??