Snackin’ With Sarah Sellers: ‘Idol’ Aspen Night Viewing Nosh

Diehard "American Idol" viewers will remember Sarah Sellers as the geek-chic food blogger who made it to Hollywood Week last year. (Watch her Season 10 audition here.) Sarah has since continued her food-blogging, and has been cooking up scrumptious snack suggestions for any "Idol" viewing party and posting them here exclusively in Reality Rocks. And she's back this season to get your mouth watering every Wednesday and Thursday night.

For last Wednesday's "Idol" premiere, Sarah went with a Southern theme in honor of the Savannah auditions, serving up grits cakes with crab dip; for last Thursday's auditions in Pittsburgh, she combined two of that city's signature dishes, pierogies and kielbasa; and for this past Sunday's bonus San Diego episode, she whipped up California-style pesto pizza. And tonight, for the auditions in Aspen, she has a Colorado-inspired recipe in mind.

"When I think about Colorado, I think of sustainability, healthy choices, and great bison," says Sarah. "Bison is a very lean and healthy meat that you can find pretty much everywhere now, and it's fairly inexpensive." So if you're not a vegetarian, give this one a try!

Bison Sliders with Roasted Red Pepper Aioli

Ingredients

▪ 1 lb ground bison (substitute with lean ground sirloin if you can't find bison)
▪ 1 shallot, diced
▪ 1 tbsp Worcestershire
▪ 1 tbsp Montreal steak seasoning
▪ 1 egg
▪ 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
▪ 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
▪ 2-3 pieces roasted red peppers, jarred
▪ 2 large garlic cloves
▪ 1/4 tsp kosher salt
▪ 6 whole grain rolls, sliced
▪ 1 cup spinach arugula mix (lettuce will work too)
▪ 4 slices pepper jack cheese
▪ 1 tomato, sliced

In a large bowl mix together the first five ingredients until well combined. Form into 6-7 small patties. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat. Cook the patties for three to four minutes, then flip. Once the meat is almost cooked, top with the cheese to melt. Remove from the pan.

While the meat is cooking, mix the next five ingredients, through the kosher salt, in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.

Slice the rolls in half and smooth the bottom half with the aioli. Top with the spinach mix, meat, and then the tomato.

Bon appetit!

Check out Sarah's food and music blogs at http://sarahsmusicalkitchen.com

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Related links:

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