And so, in honour of the forthcoming Father’s Day (19th June), we’ve put together some of the best dude food recipes we could find. Don’t get him a card, kids, just point him in the direction of these mouth-watering recipes, or better yet, get mum to make them.
The Insanity Burger
Jamie Oliver
This sumptuous burger from the ultimate culinary “dude” Jamie Oliver will have your father frothing at the mouth. Whether he’s eating it or making it, Jamie’s recipe ticks all the boxes, combining size, spice (there’s a secret dash of Tabasco in there), juiciness, carbs and grease in abundance. And what Dad isn’t going to enjoy eating something called an “Insanity Burger”?
Jerk Chicken
The Rum Kitchen
London’s Notting Hill Carnival is all about the music, the Red Stripe and, of course, the pit stops at various Caribbean stalls, where revellers can get their twerk on with a spicy traditional Jerk Chicken. This authentic recipe from one of London’s best Jamaican restaurants, The Rum Kitchen is the perfect dish for Dads to show off their culinary skills to fellow menfolk (or their wife – sometimes they like dude food too, you know).
Sweet and Smoky Oven Spare Ribs
Smitten Kitchen via Harold McGee
Could these sweet and smoky oven-cooked spare ribs be better than those cooked on an outdoor grill? Cooked for just shy of six hours, Del Perelman of Smitten Kitchen reckons these are “everything people standing over grills for hours hope them to be: falling-off-the-bone tender, with deeply caramelized crusty edges.” Sounds like dude food, looks like dude food. We think Dad will like them.
Meatball Sandwich
David Lebovitz
Remember that scene in the ultimate dude movie, Point Break? When Angelo Pappas (Gary Busey) asks Johnny (Keanu Reeves) to get him two meatball sandwiches? With David Lebovitz’s recipe for the ultimate meatball sandwich to hand, we suggest you do the same. Put simply, one is never going to be enough.
Doughnut French Toast
Nigella Lawson
Trust Nigella to come up with this. Doughnut French Toast has to be one of the most sinful things we’ve ever heard of, and for Dads with a sweet tooth, it has got to be a Father’s Day winner. Serve it up as a proper, artery-clogging breakfast, or whizz up strawberries, lemon and sugar to make a sauce and show everyone what happens when a dude (or Nigella) makes pudding.
By Emily Jenkinson
Updated June 2022
