WITH MOST AMERICANS living near the outside edges of the country, short shrift is sometimes given to those who inhabit the middle of it. “Flyover country,” it’s called, as the coasters jet between meetings in New York and Los Angeles. The term probably isn’t meant to be as dismissive as it can sound, but the fact is that while the machers are flying over, they’re also overlooking something important.
That’s the land that’s growing much of the food they’re going to be eating out on those coastal edges. The people of the Heartland are the ones raising our beef. They are growing our wheat and potatoes. And in fields that stretch seemingly forever in every direction, they are growing the corn and soybeans that find their way into almost everything we eat, for better or worse. These are the fruited plains we sing about. This is where you find the amber waves of grain.
And all of that happens in the shadow of our purple mountains’ majesty. As the Great Plains fuel our bodies, the Rocky Mountains have served to fuel our sense of adventure. Along the way, you can forage plenty of accompaniments for the trout in the clear streams.
There are plenty of opportunities for big-city refinery in population centers such as St. Louis and Denver, but plenty of enviable escapades are available outside the crowds as well. A hike through the trails on the side of a mountain in Aspen, or past the gurgling earth at Yellowstone. The South Dakota dance hall that celebrates the impact of corn on the region by being constructed of the grain.
As we plan to meander through these states, we find that chefs are doing great things in every corner of the country, and we’ll take the opportunity to seek out meals from such talents as Clayton Chapman in Omaha, Sean Wilson in Des Moines, Gerard Craft in St. Louis, Alex Seidel in Denver, and Kelly Liken in Vail.
Find a festival or fair and you’ll find yourself at the intersection of history and innovation. Sure they celebrate the old ways of agriculture. But the St. Louis World’s Fair of 1904 gets credit for being the place that the ice cream cone was invented. The ice cream cone! In Iowa each August at the State Fair, they figure out a new way to spear food on a stick and drop it in hot oil. And they’ve turned butter into an artistic medium.
On the surface, it may seem like a disparate, far-flung collection of states. It ranges from the swamps of Arkansas to the glacier-carved valleys of Idaho, from the Mississippi River to the Western Slope of the Rockies.
But put together, the Heartland is where America still exists in its ideal notion. And as a gastro-tourist, I always find big portions, big hearts, big laughs, and a few funny cracks about my shoes.
Roadside treasures through this part of the country include the intensely LOCAL FAST-FOOD STOPS at places like Runza in Nebraska and Maid-Rite in Iowa. I want RIBS in Kansas City, and once we get to Colorado and Wyoming, the play is to grab some trail mix and get off the road to see the glorious mountains up close!
SERVES 2, OR 1 HUNGRY COWBOY
Alternately known as a Western Omelet, this dish probably originated as a sandwich for workers on the Transcontinental Railroad. And Denver was probably not the origin of its namesake omelet. It was probably a destination, the place the crews were working toward. Either way, it’s a diner staple around the country now.
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon hot sauce
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ small onion, finely chopped
½ small red bell pepper, finely chopped
6 ounces ham steak, diced
¾ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 green onions, green parts only, thinly sliced, for garnish
In a bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, and pepper until the eggs are well beaten.
Heat the oil in a 12- to 14-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and sauté until the onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the ham and cook just until it warms through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Lower the heat to medium and add the egg mixture to the pan. Let the egg cook for about 1 minute, then use a spatula to push the cooked curds to the middle of the pan. Let the egg cook another minute, then scatter the sautéed vegetables and ham over the egg. Add ½ cup of the cheese. Use the spatula to fold the omelet in half and sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top. Cover and cook until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Transfer the omelet to a plate and garnish with green onion slices.