Horseshoe sandwich

The horseshoe sandwich originated in Springfield, Illinois. This open-faced sandwich begins with thick-sliced toasted sourdough bread, and a couple of hamburger patties or ham. The meat is topped with french fries and smothered with a "secret" cheese sauce. With its many variations, it is a local favorite not often found outside Central Illinois. It also sometimes known as the freedom sandwich.

History

The horseshoe sandwich was first made by Joe Schweska and Steve Tomko at the Leland Hotel in 1928 [http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Sandwiches/HorseshoeSandwich.htm] . Steve Tomko then took the recipe to Wayne's Red Coach Inn, where it was served until the restaurant closed in 2006. The recipe lives on at the Godfathers Pizza which opened in the spot of the old Red Coach. There you may still get an original Red Coach recipe horseshoe and other select items from the Red Coach menu.

The reason for the sandwich's inception may have been as a tribute to the many horsemen that frequented one of these hotels, or might possibly have been the end result of some leftover cheese sauce that ended up on an often ordered chopped steak sandwich. The original Horseshoe was served on a sizzling metal platter that represented the anvil, the shape of the ham that was originally one of its ingredients which serves as the shoe with the fries representing the nails.

However, because there is little concrete evidence of the true origin of the sandwich, all of this is speculation. Many heated debates arise among locals over who can truly claim the artery-clogging invention.

The Irish pub, D'Arcys Pint, has given the horseshoe sandwich national exposure on several American television programs with its white-cheddar cheese sauce. Many other restaurants in town -- and several surrounding Central Illinois towns -- serve the dish, including Springfield restaurants Jungle Jim's Cafe, the Steak n Shake chain of diners and Sgt Pepper's Cafe. More recently, the horseshoe has been featured on Al Roker's "Roker on the Road" and Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" on the Food Network.

The most common ingredients

For the sandwich:
* 2 slices of toasted bread
* 2 hamburger patties
* 1 large mound of french fries (shoestring variety)

For the Welsh rarebit sauce:
* 2 tablespoons salted butter
* 1/2 cup beer
* 2 egg yolks
* 3 cups grated Old English or other sharp white cheddar cheese
* 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
* salt

Ingredients from www.cooking.com, provided by the Leland Hotel.

Variations

Most often, the horseshoe is served with hamburger patties. However, many restaurants will also dish up the sandwich with a breaded pork tenderloin, breaded chicken fingers, ham, turkey, or chicken (fried, grilled, or buffalo-basted). Other variations include tomatoes, sautéed vegetables, fish, shrimp, corned beef, or crawfish. Commonly, the "secret" cheese sauce used is Welsh rarebit, but most restaurants do not specify the type of sauce. They simply take pride in their own original recipe.

Another variation on this is the Mexican Horseshoe, which employs tortillas instead of toast, and is topped with seasoned ground beef, guacamole, tomatoes, black olives, jalapeño peppers and french fries. This version is only known to exist at Verda Mae's Kitchen in Waverly, Illinois.

In some eateries, you'll find a breakfast shoe with toast or an English muffin, bacon, eggs, and homefries or hash browns, with the option of white sausage gravy (as in biscuits and gravy) as opposed to the traditional cheese sauce. There is also a smaller version of the sandwich called the ponyshoe, which is only one piece of Texas toast with a single hamburger patty or serving of meat.

The Hickory River Smokehouse, a Texas style BBQ restaurant originated in Urbana, Illinois, offers a 'Que Shoe. It is made with a slice of Texas toast, pulled pork, choice of sauce, fries, and cheese sauce. The pulled pork can be substituted with any other BBQ, such as beef brisket, smoked turkey, smoked ham, smoked polish sausage and smoked pork loin.

Recipes

* http://www.cooking.com/recipes/static/recipe5384.htm
* http://www.recipegoldmine.com/sandwichHL/sandwich161.html
* http://www.recipezaar.com/113469

ee also

* Poutine The Canadian comfort food of Fries with cheese curds and gravy