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“Keep Austin Weird” Spam Casserole

Spam is alive and well here in Austin, Texas. (And oddly enough we do mean Austin, Texas, and not Austin, Minnesota, which happens to be the home of the Hormel product!) Since 1976, local Austinites have been celebrating this forgotten potted pork at the annual Spamarama Festival. The festival offers attendees a variety of options, such as the Spamalypics, the Spam Jam for local musicians, and our favorite competition, the Spam Cook-off ! Here is a casserole dedicated to the beauty of Spam. We love you!

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 6 servings

Ingredients

2 pounds russet potatoes, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
1/2 cup sliced onion
1 (12-ounce) can Spam
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of celery soup
1 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
Paprika

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 350°F.

    Step 2

    Put the potatoes in a saucepan with 2 cups of water and the salt. Cover the pan and set it over high heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 to 8 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

    Step 3

    Lightly coat a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Put half of the potatoes in the bottom of the pan and cover with onion. Cut the Spam into 14 slices and layer 9 slices over the onion. Top with the remaining potatoes.

    Step 4

    Combine the soup, milk, and green pepper, and pour over the casserole. Sprinkle with paprika and top the dish with the remaining 5 slices of Spam. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

From The Casserole Queens Cookbook by Crystal Cook & Sandy Pollock. Copyright © 2011 by Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock; Food photographs copyright © 2011 by Ben Fink. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers. Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock, the Casserole Queens, have been delivering casseroles in Austin, Texas, since 2006; they also teach cooking classes at Whole Foods stores in the area. They have been featured on Food Network's Throwdown! with Bobby Flay and Bobby Flay Radio on Sirius XM, as well as on television news and radio talk shows.
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