Like most Canadians, chef Dwight Smith is excited to watch the Toronto Blue Jays head into the World Series, and he’s gearing up to host some viewing parties. The CBC Life contributor and star content creator is known for his incredible comfort food, and he’s got some stellar game-day recipes, too. He’s a “massive Blue Jays fan,” so we called him to get his advice for putting together the best World Series watch-party menu — one worthy of the big games ahead.
Getting ready for guests
“First of all, yes,” Smith said, “I am a watch party guy.”
He loves hanging out with friends and family to watch a Raptors or Blue Jays game, but most of all, he loves being close to his kitchen. He does all the prep beforehand, keeps things warm on the stove or in the oven, and floats between cooking and hosting once things get going.
“You don’t want to have everything ready 30 minutes before they get there,” Smith said, but he does recommend having things prepped to a stage where you don’t have to step away from the party for too long. “If somebody hits a home run, you want to be there for that.”
When throwing a watch party for a crowd, Smith recommends putting out large platters. “I always think about things that reheat or stay warm really well,” he said, “so that you don’t have to babysit anything while you’re trying to entertain.”
Major-league must-haves
Smith has three must-make recipes for a game-day viewing party at home. The first is nachos. “I think every baseball watch party needs a platter of nachos. They’re super versatile. They’re probably one of the easiest party snacks to make,” he said. He suggests making one or more big trays and freestyling the toppings to suit your guests. Keep vegetarians happy with bell peppers, red onions, diced tomatoes and jalapeños, or add ingredients such as ground beef or chicken breast for meat lovers. And of course, load up on cheese and serve with your favourite salsa.
His next favourite dish is sliders. “I think a lot of people get intimidated when they think about making sliders for themselves,” Smith said, “but it’s actually really easy to make them at home.” He has a foolproof recipe for meatball sliders that uses King’s Hawaiian sweet rolls and an easy meatball mix. You can have the pot of meatballs fully cooked and warm on the stove, then assemble everything when people arrive. Another time-saving tip is to slice the slab of 12 rolls horizontally, keeping the upper and lower halves together, and serving the sliders as a pull-apart dish.
Smith uses the same rolls to make Philly cheesesteak sliders, which are a little more involved.
Finally, Smith said, people love a good chicken wing during a game. He finds it challenging to deep fry the wings while entertaining. “It’s much better and more convenient to bake the wings,” he said. He recommends tossing them in jerk seasoning with a little bit of salt and pepper, then baking them for about 30 minutes, until they’re fully cooked and still quite juicy. “Then you can toss them in whatever barbecue sauce you like, and you have yourself a nice platter of wings,” said Smith. “Wings are such a staple when you’re having these kinds of watch parties.”
More all-star recipes
We’ve got more of Smith’s grand-slam menu selections below, all approved for game time. “The chili cornbread, specifically, is a huge win, in my opinion,” Smith said. For feeding a crowd, he suggests making it in a large nine-by-six-inch baking pan and letting it bake for about 45 minutes. “Once it’s finished baking, you turn the oven down to about 200 [degrees Celsius], and you just leave it in there. So by the time the guests arrive, you’ve got this steaming, beautiful chili cornbread casserole.”
Cornbread chili pot pies
(Photography by Owais Rafique Marketing Inc.; styling by Matthew Chin)
Trinidadian macaroni pie
(Styling: Matthew Chin; Photo: Owais Rafique Marketing Inc.)
Cornbread chili pot pies
(Photography by Owais Rafique Marketing Inc.; styling by Matthew Chin)
Festival
(Photography by Owais Rafique Marketing Inc.; styling by Matthew Chin)
Rice and peas
(Photography by Owais Rafique Marketing Inc.; styling by Matthew Chin)
Fried fish tacos
(Photography by Owais Rafique Marketing Inc.)
Fried plantain chips with guacamole
(Photography by Owais Rafique Marketing Inc.)
Dining and Cooking