020817 White Castle Crowns Culinary Champ

Columbus, OH - The winner of the 2002 Crave Time Cook-Off has been crowned. Dennis Dahlin of Bolingbrook, Ill., won the annual White Castle recipe contest with his creative concoction, Castle Balls. The recipe features meatballs made with ten White Castle hamburgers and topped with a delicious sauce.

Dahlin's recipe beat out the more than 300 recipes entered in this year's contest, some from as far away as California. The recipes are judged based upon the best use of 10 White Castle hamburgers, originality and taste. Dahlin will receive a sack of 10 White Castle hamburgers every week for a year.

Dahlin won with the following recipe:

Castle Balls

10 White Castle hamburgers

1 medium onion

2 lbs. ground beef

2 eggs

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground pepper

1/2 tbsp. onion powder

For the sauce:

2 10.75-oz. cans cream of mushroom soup

5 packets White Castle Dusseldorf mustard

2 tbsp. ketchup

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Meatballs: Chop onion in a food processor until fine. Saute on medium heat until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Drain using a strainer. Chop all 10 burgers in a food processor until fine. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground burgers and sauteed onion with the remaining meatball ingredients, mixing well with your hands. Let mixture set covered in refrigerator for 30 to 60 minutes. Spray baking dish or cookie sheet with a light coating of vegetable spray. Shape the meat mixture into balls by rolling a small amount into your hands until smooth. Meatballs should be slightly smaller than a golf ball. Bake meatballs in a 350-degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes, turning them over half way through the cooking time. Meatballs should be browned on both sides. Remove the balls from the pan and strain.

Sauce: Sauce may be prepared while meatballs are cooking. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan and heat on stove at medium heat, until thoroughly heated. Pour over all the cooked meatballs. Serve immediately, or refrigerate the sauce-covered meatballs overnight and heat the following day in a slow cooker.

Arlene Hlad of Burbank, Ill., came in second with her recipe, Cool Castle Taco Salad. Third place was earned by White Castle Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms entered by Debbie Lyons of Valparaiso, Ind. Finishing out the top ten recipes are: Chateau Blanche French Onion Soup by Marie Gowan of North Vernon, Ind.; E-Z Slyder Meat Loaf by Michael Zapf of Countryside, Ill.; Schenck Stuffed Chicken Bordelaise by Marrita Schenck of St. Louis, Mo.; The Queen's Breakfast Casserole by Nicole DiSalvo of Nashville, Tenn.; White Castle Chile & Cheese Ole by Zita Wilensky of North Miami, Fla.; White Castle Lasagna by Valorie Doten of Forest Lake, Minn.; and White Castle O-Layered Casserole by Renate Siskind of Long Beach, Calif.

These recipes will appear in a booklet distributed free in White Castle restaurants in time for the holidays. The booklet also will feature the famed White Castle Turkey Stuffing Recipe.

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