Winner: Smoked Duck PB&J
Restaurant: Bayona, New Orleans
Sandwich Creators: Scott Freer & Susan Spicer
Inspiration: “The classic peanut butter and jelly.”
Key Ingredients: Smoked duck, peanut-cashew butter, pepper jelly, marinated red onion, whole-grain bread; served with apple-celery salad
Price: $15
Food Cost: $4
What the Judges Said: We’re not sure what it was about duck this time around, but we got a lot of creative entries for this protein. None were more inspirational than the smoked duck PB&J. We’re not even sure how Freer and Spicer could get to the point where they thought of pairing peanut butter and duck together, but damn if it doesn’t work. What takes the sandwich to another level entirely is the use of pepper jelly and marinated red onion. It’s a flavor bomb that is salty, creamy, spicy and sweet. Genius.
Honorable Mentions:
• Duck Reuben: Provenance, Newport Beach, CA
• Duck Bacon BLT: National Press Club, Washington DC
