Grilled Shaun SuisHam & Cheese



Stiller Snacks Mini Camp Day 2! We're going to caramelize some onions and make a sandwich! But first, let's talk kickers. A few of the Steelers' kickers (past and present) hold special places in my heart.



One of my favorite moments during any game at Three Rivers in the late 1990's ('95-'98, to be exact) was when Norm Johnson would emerge from the sideline for a field goal attempt. The Jumbotron would play a clip from "Cheers" of Norm sitting down at the bar and greeting the gang with a resigned "Hey, everybody." The entire stadium would erupt in a resounding "NORM!!!" As a kid, I found this to be hilarious. I'm not sure why I thought this was so stinking funny, but something about 59,000 people screaming "NORM!!!" in unison really cracked me up. As a result, I was pretty fond of the guy - so much so, that I found a two-page poster of Johnson in the Post-Gazette and hung it on my bedroom wall. That newspaper poster still hangs in my childhood bedroom.



 Thanks $Bill & Kathy for leaving it intact. 

Now let's jump ahead about four years...


Ohhhhhh dear. Jeff Reed. We've had some good times and some bad. You sure liked to party. Filling the kicker position from 2002-2010, Reed had a long, successful run with the franchise until things started to get weird. Some advice that might have come in handy in 2010: when you aren't performing well on the field (i.e. blowing 26-yard attempts), and there are a multitude of photos of your drunken, bleached-bonde mug scattered across the internet, not to mention multiple citations for public intoxication, disorderly conduct and criminal mischief, you WILL get canned midseason - Super Bowl ring or not.



Ouch. 

Onto the guy who took Reed's job and is currently on the roster.


Shaun Suisham! What a fine young man. Squeaky clean in comparison to his predecessor, though that couldn't have been difficult to accomplish. He's pretty cute too - you know what I'm talking about, camera guy in the background. Suisham has had some ups and downs during his tenure as a Steeler thus far, but being a placekicker in the NFL is a tough gig. You don't have four downs to get the job done, but merely one shot to kick it between the uprights. Adam Sandler sums it up here pretty well while sounding suspiciously like Springsteen (Jerome Bettis "sax solo" cameo!):


"LONESOME KICKER" on Vimeo.

The point is, Suishy, I'm rooting for ya. I'm sure ALL of Steeler Nation is rooting for ya - but if you blow crucial points this coming season, you're gonna get grilled.



Grilled Shaun SuisHam & Cheese
Stiller Nation Snacks N'at original

For the caramelized onions (how-to courtesy of seriouseats.com):
1 half yellow onion, sliced
1 tsp sugar
a pinch of baking soda
a few tbsp water

For the sandwich
butter
2 slices sourdough
Sweet Hot Mister Mustard (or dijon)
honey ham, thinly sliced 
1/4 block sharp cheddar, sliced
1/4 block horseradish cheddar, sliced
caramelized onions

Heat sugar in a dry skillet over medium heat. Once it has caramelized, turn flame to medium-low and add onions. Toss onions to coat them in the caramelized sugar. Add a pinch of baking soda and continue to watch, cook and toss onions over medium-low to medium heat for about 25 minutes. When you notice little bits threatening to burn and sticking to the bottom of the pan, deglaze with a few tablespoons of water. After about 25 minutes, the onions will have shrunken significantly and should be an even, deep brown color. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Liberally butter one side of each bread slice. Spread your mustard of choice on the other side of one slice. Assemble the cheese, ham, onions, and more cheese on the bread. Cook the sandwich in grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes per side until the cheese has melted. 

Serve with an ice cold Iron City Lager!

2 Responses so far.

  1. Anonymous says:

    Priceless Lonesome Kicker video! Old Three Rivers as the back drop, the Bus, Slash and Greg Lloyd, plus the classic block numbers jerseys. Vintage stuff!

  2. Anonymous says:

    and also brief glimpses of Justin Strelzyk, RIP, and Craig Wolfley.

Leave a Reply

"Stiller Nation Snacks N'at" is not affiliated with nor endorsed by the National Football League or the Pittsburgh Steelers. Logo design by Courtney Brown Makes Prints. All Rights Reserved, Stiller Nation Snacks N'at © 2013