This week we’re diving into the world of school lunches. The most infamous, of course: Sloppy Joes. We couldn’t do this episode without honoring the king themself, The Manwich. Although, we did come up with a few other versions that won’t be featured in our next lunch-lady nightmare.

Ingredients

Manwich Ingredients

• 1 Manwich can 

• 1 lb ground beef 

• 1 package hamburger buns

Potato Buns Ingredient:

• 361 g all-purpose flour 

• 43 g potato flour 

• 28 g nonfat dry milk powder

• 25 g granulated sugar 

• 8 g kosher salt 

• 2 tsp instant yeast

• 5 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened and divided

• 227 g water (85°F-100°F)

• As needed, neutral oil or nonstick spray

Babish Sloppy Joe Ingredients: 

• 1 tsp water 

• 1/2 tsp baking soda 

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 1 pound ground beef (85%)

• *Optional: 2 slices thick-cut bacon, finely minced 

• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped 

• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped 

• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped 

• 2 cloves garlic, minced 

• 1 Tbsp chili powder

• 2 Tbsp tomato paste

• 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

• 1 cup tomato sauce

• 1/4 cup ketchup

• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1/2 tsp mustard powder 

• 1 tsp chicken bouillon 

• 1.5 Tablespoons brown sugar

• To taste kosher salt 

• To taste freshly ground black pepper

• 6 buns, sliced in half 

• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Confit Tomatoes Ingredients: 

• 6 oz cherry tomatoes (on the vine, preferably) 

• 5 garlic cloves, peeled

• 3 sprigs rosemary 

• 1 bay leaf

• As needed olive oil

Sauce Ingredient:

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil 

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 

• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped

• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped

• 1/2 cup onion, chopped

• 3 Tbsp tomato paste 

• 1 cup homemade beef stock 

• 2 Tbsp ketchup 

• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar 

• 2 Tbsp brown sugar, packed 

• 1 tsp chili powder

• 1 tsp paprika 

• 1/2 tsp mustard powder 

• 1 tsp kosher salt

Burger Bun Crostini Ingredients:

• 1 homemade potato bun 

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

Beef Tartare Ingredients: 

• 3 ounces filet mignon (preferably dry-aged)

• 1 confit garlic clove, chopped

• 2 Tbsp reserved vegetable mixture  

• 2 tsp reserved sauce 

• 1/4 tsp kosher salt 

• 1/4 tsp freshly ground Pepper 

• As needed confit tomatoes 

• As needed crostini

Method

Manwich Method:

1. Read the back of the Manwich can. 

2. Enjoy.

Potato Buns:

Serves: 4-6

Recipe Credit: King Arthur Flour

Link: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/hamburger-potato-buns-recipe

Potato Buns Method: 

1. Add the flour, potato flour, milk powder, sugar, salt, yeast, 4 tablespoons butter, and water to a mixing bowl. 

2. Combine them on low speed using a dough hook attachment. Once homogenous, increase the speed to medium and mix for another 5-7 minutes. 

3. Grease a separate large mixing bowl with neutral oil and place the dough in the bowl. Cover and allow to rest at room temperature for 1 hour. 

4. Once the dough has risen, lightly grease your work surface with more neutral oil. Turn the dough out of the bowl and divide it into 6 equal portions.

5. Shape each portion into a taut ball. Place each ball on a medium parchment-lined baking sheet. Make sure each ball is spaced about 1 inch away from each other.

6. Lightly flatten each ball and cover it with plastic wrap. Allow to rest at room temperature for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until puffed and the buns are slightly touching.

7. Bake the buns at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes. 

8. Once golden brown and baked through (190-195°F in the center), remove the buns from the oven and brush with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. 

9. Allow cooling slightly before serving.

Babish Sloppy Joe Method:

1. Combine water, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and whisk to combine.

2. Add baking soda mixture to the ground beef and mix gently with your hands. 

3. In a large saucepan, cook minced bacon until browned and the fat has rendered out. 

4. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon bits, leaving the rendered fat in the pan. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat. 

   1. *If omitting, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. 

5. Add the peppers and onion to the pan. Cook until very tender and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

6. Push all of the vegetables to the sides of the pan. Add the beef to the center and cook until browned on all sides. Stir periodically to break up any large chunks of beef.  

7. Once the beef is cooked, add the garlic cloves, chili powder, and tomato paste. Let cook for 1 minute or until the mixture is no longer soupy.

8. Add flour and stir to combine. Cook for 30 more seconds. 

9. Add tomato sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, paprika, mustard powder, brown sugar, chicken bouillon, and the reserved bacon bits. 

10. Taste for seasoning, then adds salt and pepper as needed. 

11. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring periodically to avoid scorching. 

12. Meanwhile, toast the sliced buns in a medium pan with 1 tablespoon of butter. 

13. Fill each bun generously with the sloppy Joe filling.

Deconstructed Sloppy Joe

Serves: 1

Confit Tomatoes Method:

1. Place cherry tomatoes in a small baking vessel.

2. Add garlic, rosemary, and bay leaf.

3. Add enough olive oil to submerge the tomatoes. 

4. Bake at 275°F for 1.5 hours, until all of the tomatoes are softened and slightly burst.

5. Remove the garlic cloves and tomatoes from the oil and place on a cooling rack. Take care not to detach the tomatoes from the vine. 

Sauce Method: 

1. Add vegetable oil and flour to a large saucepan and whisk to combine.

2. Heat the roux (flour + vegetable) over low heat. Stir constantly and cook for 20-40 minutes, until it’s the color of dark chocolate. 

3. Add the peppers and onion, cook for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

4. Add tomato paste and stir to combine. 

5. Add the beef stock in 3 additions, stirring in-between each addition to make sure the liquid is fully incorporated. 

6. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. 

7. Strain the sauce with a fine-mesh sieve and reserve both the sauce and the vegetable mixture separately.

Burger Bun Crostini Method:

1. Place the potato bun in the freezer for a minimum of 4 hours. 

2. Once fully frozen, slice 2mm thick slices of the bun using a deli slicer. 

3. Place the thinly sliced bun pieces on a small rimmed baking sheet, without parchment. 

4. Gently brush the slices with a thin coating of olive oil. Then, brush the bottom of another small rimmed baking sheet. 

5. Place the oiled baking sheet on top of the bun slices.

6. Bake at 375 °F with convection for 10 minutes. 

7. Once crisp, remove the sheet trays from the oven. Allow the crostinis to cool with the sheet tray still placed on top to avoid curling.

Beef Tartare Method:

1. Finely chop beef, pieces should be smaller than a pea. (Tip: using a very sharp knife will make this step much easier.)

2. Mix the remaining ingredients together with the chopped beef. Make sure not to over mix the tartare. 

3. Place a 2.5-inch diameter ring mold over the serving plate of your choice. Fill the ring mold with beef tartare and gently remove the ring.

4. Garnish the tartare with confit tomatoes and crostini.