Did you know…if you take a can of cream of bacon soup and a can of cream of potato soup and put it together with real bacon bits, leftover chicken, some frozen mixed vegetables in a crock pot, along with one can of milk and one can of water, and heat it all on low for one hour and then on high for one hour (give or take a few minutes), that it tastes REALLY, really good? I didn’t, until I decided to make it on the 2nd, lol!
I have a full-sized Crock-Pot from the 1970s (faux-wood finish on the outside), and I decided to put the whole thing in the fridge instead of dirtying a storage container, lol! And it was better the 2nd day, as these things usually are. But we went to Meijer earlier this evening and they were out of cream of bacon, so I got cream of chicken, as well as some uncooked bacon to cook up and crumble into the mixture. I add no salt; with all they put in the soup, I don’t need to.
When Owamni opened in 2021, chef Sean Sherman and his nonprofit NATIFS (North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems) were “shooting high for what’s possible for what we do with modern Indigenous foods,” he said. They didn’t just hit the high mark, they shot for the stars and won a James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in America.
So when it came time to open a new concept, the celebrity chef decided to come back down to earth, harnessing smoke and fire to showcase traditional barbecue techniques and ingredients at the forthcoming ŠHOTÁ Indigenous BBQ.
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NATIFS has acquired the historic Seward Co-Op Creamery building at 2601 E. Franklin Av. in Minneapolis, and will open NATIFS Wóyute Thipi (which means “food building”). The multiuse building will become home to NATIFS’ headquarters, house a commissary kitchen to supply Minnesota schools and hospitals with Indigenous foods, offer a co-working space, and become the site of the 80-seat counter-service restaurant.
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In addition to this local expansion, NATIFS is working with farther-flung communities to open similar institutions that promote Indigenous food systems. They’re currently working with Montana State University to open a restaurant concept in that state, and are aiming to build future “support centers” in cities like Anchorage, Seattle, Portland, Albuquerque and more.
“We’re seeing restaurants as a benefit for the nonprofit because it creates the jobs, it moves the food products and it gives people the experience and attracts the attention of the work that we do,” Sherman said.
Look for ŠHOTÁ Indigenous BBQ to open in mid-2025; more information at natifs.org.
I feel like I’m taking crazy pills y’all! I am making smashed potatoes and I swear that there was a recipe that had them fried, but I can only find them oven baked (once parboiled and smashed)… Maybe I’m thinking of a different kind of fried potato recipe?
I showed this to people at a party back in 2005. I haven’t seen it since then because I couldn’t remember what it was titled or even what the subject was.
Interesting that there are still 20-year-old videos still on YouTube.
As long as they’re tasty! My complaint when I made them was they were a bit on the greasy side, but that might be in part because I was using butter and olive oil and a lower temp. If making them in the oven makes them crispy and tasty, that might just be the better way to do it. One less pan at the very least.
