Mustard Tasting at Home

Last night was the NFC Championship playoff game between the SF 49ers and the NY Giants. I'm a HUGE 49ers fan, so nothing was going to tear me away from the TV. But dinnertime rolled around and my hubby was hungry so, what to do?

I was perplexed.

Whatever it would be, it must be simple and easy to prepare during time-outs and commercials. So, I defrosted a Costco hamsteak and prepared some veggies. But that's kind of boring, so I turned dinner into a "Mustard Taste Testing." With all the varieties we have in the house, which goes best with hamsteak?

Here are the contenders:

#1 - Albertson's basic yellow mustard

#2 - Beaver Sweet Hot Mustard

#3 - Beaver Honey Mustard

#4 - Good ole Great Value (Wal-Mart) brown mustard

#5 - Chicago Fire Mustard

I sauteed (ok, I fried) the hamsteak in some extra virgin olive oil and garlic. I cooked it low and slow so I wouldn't miss a minute of the game.... or the fumbles... or the incomplete passes.....  and paired it with green beans seasoned with butter and lemon pepper.

So how did each of the mustards rate? The Albertson's Yellow Mustard is best served with a hot dog. Or mixed with mayo and seasonings for deviled eggs. The sweet and hot tells it like it is; first you taste the sweet, then the heat. But the cool part was that the heat doesn't keep on burning. It actually is a temporary sensation and your taste buds are still intact. Very nice! The honey mustard was equally good. Nice and sweet and has that tartness I like in a mustard. The brown is our go-to mustard for most things. I like to add it to my rice based quiche crust or with au gratin potatoes. It adds flavor without being overpowering. Finally, the Chicago Fire. Yep, it's hot. Spicy and hot. It's perfect for when you have a cold, all stopped up and need to breathe because this sure does clear out the sinuses. I would not prefer it for ham, but I'm sure I can find many uses for this.

The winner: the honey mustard from Beaverton Foods. Perfectly paired with ham. In fact, once my husband tasted it, everything else was untouched. Thumbs up, honey mustard.