Tailgating Lore for 2023: Potato Soup from Mexico and Steak from Milano

If there's one thing subscribers to Inside the Red Raiders love to talk about almost as much as Texas Tech football, it's grub and the consumption thereof. And, being something of a chow-hound myself, that suits me just fine.

Now, given the confluence of those two topics, and the rapid approach of what promises to be an exciting football season, it seems logical to do some work on the matter of tailgating, which is practically a sport unto itself. Toward that end, here is one of a series of articles containing recipes from my own personal repertoire I think would be perfect for tailgating festivities. Some are simple, some are ambitious, but I have tested them all thoroughly and can confirm that they are entirely delicious. So, polish up your cooking rig--whatever it may be--and make with the knives, forks and tongs. It's football season and time to tailgate in West Texas.

TATE RANDLE'S TATER-AND-CHIPOTLE SOUP

Soup up a chilly November tailgate with this savory and robust concoction. And nota bene! This soup is loaded with garlic, so you might want to drag a 55-gallon drum of Listerine along behind your pickup. That said, roasting the garlic mellows it immensely. This soup would be inedible if you used raw garlic.

1 1/2 heads garlic

1 1/2 T. olive oil

1 1/2 T. butter

1 1/2 small white onions, chopped

1 1/2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

4 1/2 cups chicken stock

2 chipotles, chopped

3/4 t. Sazon Goya seasoning or Worcestershire

1/2 t. salt

chopped cilantro to taste

STEAK GREMOLATA ALLA AMENDOLA

Gremolata is a simple Italian relish that, it just so happens, goes well with steak. And incidentally, when Italians do steak, they tend to like it with plenty of olive oil. This recipe models that predilection.

1/4 cup minced flat-leaf parsley

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 t. lemon zest

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

2 steaks of your choice