Raise your hand if you have heard of a horseshoe!   Not the kind that goes on a horse, but the kind you eat!

I am becoming more and more aware that a horseshoe is a central IL dish! I get funny looks when I talk about a horseshoe to those not from around here.

Well friends, if that is you… let me introduce you to a horseshoe.

A thick slice of texas toast on the bottom of the plate

Then topped with a pile of hot French Fries

A hamburger patty on top of all of that

Then the entire thing is drizzled in a fantastic cheese sauce.

The horseshoe originated in Springfield, IL in 1928 and here is how:

“The actual idea for the Horseshoe Sandwich came from Elizabeth Schweska, Chef Joe Schweska’s wife. Chef Schweska came home one day and remarked to his wife that he needed a new lunch item for the Leland Hotel’s restaurant menu. She had seen a recipe using a Welsh Rarebit Sauce and suggested the possibility of an open-faced sandwich using this sauce. Joe Schweska liked the idea and developed his own sauce and… sandwich creation, ‘The Horseshoe.’”

“The first Horseshoe was originally made from ham cut from the bone in the shape of a horseshoe. The first potato (the nails) were wedges of potato (not the frozen French fries used today)…. the sauce was poured over the meat and bread and the potato was on top instead of sauce being poured over the whole works. Originally, it was a potato cut in eight wedges.” – http://illinoistimes.com/article-9620-what-happened-to-horseshoes-.html

Overtime the horseshoe has changed and now it has been adapted to even a breakfast horseshoe. My friend, Jenn made this for her family and said I had to try it!

If you aren’t from around here and have never tried a horseshoe (or can’t buy one at a local restaurant), I suggest trying to make one on your own! All you need to do is follow the simple recipe of toast on the bottom, fries on top, a meat (some use beef, pork, chicken- even just plain ole lunch meat) and all of it is topped with a cheese sauce. Here is a link (scroll to bottom of article) to the original cheese sauce recipe used in 1928, I have not tried it yet but I am guessing it is amazing!

Now,on to our breakfast horseshoe!

Step 1: Brown 1/2 lb sausage. Once it is browned, drain the sausage on a plate lined with paper towel.

Step 2: Make the gravy (we are using sausage gravy instead of cheese sauce). Using the grease that is in the pan from the sausage plus 2 TB butter. Next, make a slurry in a separate bowl. Mix 2 TB cornstarch with a little bit of milk (maybe 1/4 cup?) with a whisk. Make sure there are no lumps. Add this slurry to the pan with the grease and butter. It will bubble up, but keep whisking it until it is all incorporated.

Step 3: Now you are going to SLOWLY add your milk.  You want to add 2 cups of milk total, but only add a small stream of milk at a time and then whisk. Add more milk, whisk. Add more, whisk. Keep doing this until all milk has been added. If you feel like your gravy is to thick for your liking, add more milk. If it is not thick enough, add more cornstarch slurry. Whisk until begins to boil- cook and stir for 1 minute. . Once it is the consistency you like, add your browned ground sausage back to the gravy.

Step 4: Bake your biscuits or use toast. I used Gluten free toast and my family had biscuits.

Step 5: Make hashbrowns. I Grated potato and fried… I do not recommend this. The hashbrowns were gummy and took forever. Later I learned that I was supposed to of squeezed as much of the water out as possible before frying. I should of looked up a recipe, but really I thought it was just as simple as grating and frying! Next time, I will just buy the frozen hashbrowns!

Step 6: Once everything else is done, scramble your eggs. Wait to do this at the end because eggs will get cold quickly.

Step 6: Now it’s time to layer your horseshoe. Bread on the bottom (biscuit or gluten free toast), hashbrowns next, then eggs, gravy and top with some shredded sharp cheddar.

Dive in and fall in love!