Ok, picture this on your tastebuds….. a crunchy, buttery cracker, stacked with creamy, cheesy, garlic, chive, bacon and jalapeño mashed potatoes, topped with juicy, tender, medium rare ribeye steak marinated in a spicy Bloody Mary-style sauce, and the fun doesn’t stop there! The finishing touches? Homemade oven roasted (or fried if you prefer), shallot onion rings, blue cheese crumbles, and this tiny but mighty little mountain of happiness is then drizzled with more of that spicy Bloody Mary marinade sauce! You’re gonna be smilin’ like you’re eatin’ a banana sideways when you make these Spicy Bloody Mary Steakhouse Stacks with Grilled Ribeye Steak! PERFECT for the upcoming holidays, New year’s Eve, and the Super Bowl!

I came up with this recipe, originally, for a contest that was being put on by Ritz crackers years ago. Didn’t win anything of course, but ended up with one HECK of a mind-blowing appetizer that was probably one of THE BEST appetizers I’ve ever tasted! So to me, that in itself is a WIN no matter what! Sorry that the photos are a little out of focus, they’re very old, but at least you get the whole idea! 🙂

These tasty bites of heaven really aren’t hard to make, and you can actually do the potatoes and the shallot onion rings the day before! So then you just grill the steak that has marinated in that spicy, heavenly marinade overnight, zap the dab of potatoes to give them a quick warmup, and assemble, 1 – 2 – 3 !!! So they’re actually pathetically easy!

But the taste? Like I said, oh my freaking god. These little babies have all the flavors, and then some!, of a top-notch steakhouse all piled onto a buttery-rich cracker that’s actually easier to eat than it may appear! On the left, you can see a small shot glass of whiskey, it is positioned behind the appetizer, so it was actually much taller than the appetizer itself to put the size into perspective for you. So this is easily eaten in just a mere two bites! For the guys? Ha! Probably an all-in-one-bite snack attack! As I do recall my hubby displaying that talented move, exactly. 😉

As I said, these babies would be a perfect appy for Sunday football, especially the Super Bowl coming up, a casual to fancy New Year’s Eve party, or a smash hit lunch to make out of about any leftover steak and potato dinner!

We absolutely flipped out over these Spicy Bloody Mary Steakhouse Stacks, and I’m sure you and your guests, (if you even want to share any!), will love them, too! Enjoy!!

Yield: 16 appetizers

Spicy Bloody Mary Steakhouse Stacks

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Ingredients

• 16 Ritz crackers
• 1 thick cut ribeye steak, 1 1/2" thick

For Bloody Mary Marinade:

• 1 cup Spicy Hot V8 vegetable juice
• 2 Tbl. beer, any kind
• 1 Tbl. Louisiana Hot Sauce
• 1/2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp. lemon or lime juice
• 1/2 - 1 tsp. cajun seasoning such a s Slap Ya Mama, as much or little as you like
• 1/4 tsp. celery seed

For Potatoes:

• 1 cup prepared mashed potatoes seasoned with salt, pepper and butter (homemade preferably)
• 1 Tbl. chive and onion flavored cream cheese
• 2 cloves roasted garlic, mashed (can sub fresh mashed and finely minced)
• 1 small mild jalapeño, cleaned out and finely chopped
• 2 strips crisp-cooked bacon, chopped or crumbled into small pieces

For Shallot Onion Rings:

• 2 large shallots, peel outside layer and slice crossways into 8 slices each
• 2 Tbl. melted butter
• 1/8 cup (2 Tbl.) flour
• 1 Tbl. italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/8 tsp. onion powder
• butter-flavoed cooking spray such as Crisco's

Garnish:

• blue cheese crumbles, to taste
• rest of Bloody Mary Marinade to drizzle

Instructions

For Steak Marinade:

In ziplock baggie, add marinade ingredients, squish around to mix well. Add ribeye steak, seal closed removing air, and refrigerate at least an hour, but overnight is best! Turn baggie over occasionally to fully marinate both sides.

For Potatoes:

Make up a small batch (1 cup) of mashed potatoes, homemade preferably, and season with salt, pepper and butter as you normally do. Stir in rest of potato ingredients and set aside. (*Can be made the day before and reheated when assembling the appetizers).

For Shallot Onion Rings:

Preheat oven to 375º. Line a baking sheet with foil. Spray with butter-flavored cooking spray. Slice shallots, separate rings a little, place in small bowl of melted butter. In medium bowl, mix rest of shallot onion ring ingredients. Toss buttered onions in flour mixture well to lightly coat. Place shallots onto baking sheet spreading out evenly. Lightly spray whole top, then evenly sprinkle any leftover flour mixture over them. Pop into the oven and bake for about 15 - 20 minutes or until nicely browning but not burning, and stirring, tossing at least twice during baking time, but 3 times is better. *Towards the end, you can pick out a few that have gotten too dark and pitch them. And when tossing and turning them, just overlap the ones that are less done on top of any ones that are getting too dark to prevent burning. (It’s easy, don’t worry!) Remove from oven and set aside. (*You can make these ahead of time, and you can even deep fry these in a pan of hot oil if you prefer. Then drain on paper towels and set aside).

To Cook Steaks:

Preheat grill to high. When hot, remove steak with tongs and place onto grill. Lower heat just a little. *Pour extra marinade into small metal, cast iron, or grill-proof pan. Sear and grill steak for 6 - 7 minutes, turn, and sear/grill other side for another 5 - 7 minutes for rare to medium-rare. While steaks are grilling, bring marinade just to a simmer, stirring as needed. Remove from heat and set aside. When cooled a little, pour into a small serving bowl for drizzling later. Remove steak from grill to rest for 5 minutes.

To Assemble:

Place 16 Ritz, or your favorite snack cracker, onto a serving platter. Zap potatoes to warm if needed, then place 1/2 Tbl. warm garlic and cheesy chive mashed potatoes with bacon onto each cracker. Thinly slice steaks against the grain, and place a few slices on top of creamy potatoes. Top each evenly with shallot onion rings and crumbled blue cheese. Drizzle each with extra Bloody Mary sauce and serve! Crack a beer and toast to your friends! Enjoy!