Tour of Fifty States: South Dakota's Meal

As a lifelong fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie book series and the 1970s TV show, I was excited to have the meal from South Dakota.  Brandi, who is also a huge “Little House” fan, mentioned that South Dakota was one of the places that Laura and her husband lived.  J  She was even re-reading Farmer Boy this weekend.

My ancestors settled in Sioux City when they came over from Norway and for many years I had a great-aunt who lived in Rapid City.  I’ve always wanted to visit the area and we’re thinking about making next summer’s vacation trip to see Mount Rushmore…and we’re going to try to stop by DeSmet, SD along the way to see Laura’s home. 

Menu :  Chislic, Potato Skins , Berry Kuchen

Outcome:  Bill really liked the seasoning on the beef cubes.  We opted to serve the meat on each person’s plate instead of on a platter to be speared with toothpicks, South Dakota style, but it was still very, very good!  The Kuchen recipe for South Dakota was much different from the one for North Dakota, which was more like a cake.  This version came out like bars, with a more solid crust on the bottom.  The recipe called for blackberries, a fruit you would more likely find on the South Dakota prairie, but we had 5 gallon-sized bags of blueberries in the freezer – so a Blueberry Kuchen is what we had! 

Next up:  Bridget chose Wisconsin!  (Brandi also remembered that was where Laura Ingalls Wilder was born!)

Chislic (South Dakota Cubed Meat)

Chislic, named from the Russian “shashlik,” meaning simple “cubed meat,” has been a staple dish in Sioux Falls, S.D. since the 1870s. The preparation is simple: cubes of meat (beef, mutton or venison) are cooked in a deep fryer, seasoned with garlic and then served for consumption with toothpicks instead of cutlery.

Prep time:  5 min. Inactive time:  1 hr. Cook time:  10 min.

Ingredients

• 2 lb. boneless lamb leg, cut into 1-inch cubes (or beef)
• 3 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 ½ tsp. chili powder
• 1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• ½  tsp. ground black pepper
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Serving suggestions: garlic salt, hot sauce and saltine crackers

Special equipment: Toothpicks, for serving

Directions

1. Toss together the lamb cubes, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper in a bowl. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
2. Heat 2 inches of oil in a Dutch oven to 375 º F. Fry the marinated lamb cubes in batches to avoid overcrowding the oil. Cook to medium-rare, about 1 minute. The meat will have a dark brown crust and will be tender to the touch.
3. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate. Skewer the lamb cubes with toothpicks and serve with garlic salt, hot sauce and saltine crackers on the side. 

The Chislic beef marinating

Potato Skins

Prep time:  5 min.  Cook time:  1 hr., 43 min.

Ingredients

• 6 medium sized russet baking potatoes (total 3 pounds)
• Olive oil
• Canola oil
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• 6 strips of bacon
• 4 ounces grated cheddar cheese
• Sour cream, for garnish
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced, including the greens of the onions

Directions

1. Scrub the potatoes clean then rub with olive oil and bake in a 400°F oven for about an hour until the potatoes are cooked through and give a little when pressed.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon strips in a frying pan on medium low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Let cool. Crumble.
3. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let cool enough to handle. Cut in half horizontally. Use a spoon to carefully scoop out the insides, reserving the scooped potatoes for another use, leaving about 1/4 of an inch of potato on the skin.
4. Increase the heat of the oven to 450°F. Brush or rub canola oil all over the potato skins, outside and in. Sprinkle with salt. Place on a baking rack in a roasting pan (don't use a cookie sheet, it will warp, use a roasting pan or broiler pan that can take the heat). Cook for 10 minutes on one side, then flip the skins over and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle.
5. Arrange the potato skins skin-side down on the roasting pan or rack. Sprinkle the insides with freshly ground black pepper, cheddar cheese, and crumbled bacon. Return to the oven. Broil for an additional 2 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven. Use tongs to place skins on a serving plate. Add a dollop of sour cream to each skin, sprinkle with green onions.  Serve immediately. 
6. Makes 6 servings.

Our meal!

Berry Kuchen

In the spring of 2000 the state legislature passed a bill designating kuchen as South Dakota’s official dessert. Germans brought the recipe for the pie-sized pastry when they settled the area in the 1880s.

Prep time:  15 min. Cook time:  30-35 min.

Ingredients

Filling:

• 1 qt. blackberries
• 1/3 cup sugar
• ¼ cup flour

Dough:

• 2 cups sifted flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/3 cup butter, soft
• 3 eggs

Streusel:

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2/3 cup sifted flour
• 1/3 cup, up to 1/2 cup butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 º.
2. For filling, combine sugar and flour, pour over berries and let stand while making dough. For dough, sift together flour, sugar and baking powder. Add butter and eggs.
3. Work together lightly until it forms dough (Can use hands). Press dough against bottom and up sides of 9 x 13 inch pan.
4. For streusel, sift sugar, flour and cinnamon in bowl. Cut in butter until size of peas (can use hands to get good texture). Pour blackberries into dough and spoon streusel over top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. 

Blueberry Kuchen