This Garbage Plate recipe is an authentic homemade version of the Nick Tahou's Garbage Plate that you'll find in Rochester, NY. Complete with meat hot sauce, fries, mac salad, and cheeseburgers or hot dogs, this is an easy, classic dish that's fun for casual entertaining!
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love the Garbage Plate, a Rochester Specialty:
- Ingredient Information And Substitutions
- How to Make My Garbage Plate Recipe
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Tips For Making a Nick Tahou Garbage Plate
- What To Serve With a Rochester Garbage Plate
- Other Picnic or Game Day Recipes To Try
- Garbage Plate Recipe
Why You'll Love the Garbage Plate, a Rochester Specialty:
As I mentioned in my Meat Hot Sauce post, we have a local specialty in these parts called a Garbage Plate. Now, bear with me here and don't get scared off by the name. I know it sounds crazy and I'm sure once I fully describe this, it'll sound even crazier, but trust me on this.
The magic all began at a local dirty spoon called Nick Tahou's a long time ago. Since then, most establishments around here that aren't among the higher end have their own variation of it. But a Nick Tahou Plate is widely regarded as the original Garbage Plate in Rochester. And since I'm a born and raised Rochesterian, it's only right hat I share this recipe with you!
Basic Garbage Plates are comprised of a few elements. A choice of home fries or french fries and a choice of macaroni salad or baked beans create the first layer on the plate (or often styrofoam to-go box). These are topped with some sort of main dish item, most often hot dogs, cheeseburgers, or a combination of the two.
A generous ladle full of Meat Hot Sauce is then poured over the entire plate along with a drizzle of mustard and a sprinkling of chopped raw onions (this Holy Trinity is known as "everything," so if you go in and order a cheeseburger plate with everything, you'll receive something resembling the photos in this post). A plate is served with a couple of slices of day-old Italian bread and a couple of pats of butter — to sop it all up, of course.
Now everyone around here has their own way that they like to dress their plate. My personal order has always been a ½ cheeseburger plate (yes, this is a thing- I don't love food waste, the ½-size option i just the right size for me!) with home fries extra crispy, mac salad, everything no onions and then I top it with Frank's Red Hot sauce and plenty of ketchup- and I do NOT skip out on the bread.
Is it indulgent? Yes, in the best way possible. Here are a few more reasons to love this savory masterpiece:
- Authentic, regional upstate NY specialty
- Extremely hearty and satisfying
- The ultimate drunk food / hangover cure for my 21+ readers
- You definitely won't walk away from the table hungry!
- Fun to serve as a picnic buffet
Ingredient Information And Substitutions
- French Fries: I love my Oven Fries for Garbage Plates. You can also use Home Fries instead if you want- make sure they're nice and crispy!
- Macaroni Salad: I usually go for prepared macaroni salad from the deli counter, or I use my Tuna Macaroni Salad but leave out the tuna. You can also substitute canned baked beans for this.
- Grilled Cheeseburgers: Nothing fancy here, just some ground beef patties grilled to perfection with American cheese.
- Meat Hot Sauce: This is a must! Make it with my Meat Hot Sauce recipe and then freeze any extras for hot dogs. PS- I'm told that the linked recipe is was passed down from the original owner to my Uncle- I can't confirm the legitimacy of this but it does taste almost identical to the sauce at Tahou's.
- Toppings: Typically people got with "everything" aka yellow mustard, freshly chopped onions and the aforementioned meat hot sauce. I also like to add ketchup, and Frank's Red Hot.
- Bread: Day-old Italian bread is your best bet — it's substantial enough to sop up all of that extra goodness. Feel free to slather it in salted butter first.
How to Make My Garbage Plate Recipe
Step 1: Cook your fries and burgers.
Bake your fries per package directions and grill your burger to your liking- make sure you melt the cheese on it!
Step 2: Add the bottom layer.
Line your plate with a hearty serving of fries and mac salad.
Step 3: Add the meat.
Next, add the cheeseburgers and drizzle some mustard on top.
Step 4: Top with Meat Hot Sauce and onions.
Ladle a generous helping of meat sauce on top, then add the chopped raw onions.
Cut up the cheeseburgers into bite-size pieces and mix everything together with the ketchup and hot sauce. Dive in!
Frequently Asked Questions
There is plenty of debate as to how one should eat their plate. Growing up, I always went for the ½ cheeseburger plate with everything-no-onions and then piled on plenty of ketchup and Frank's Red Hot (both very important elements in my expert opinion). I would cut my burgers into bite-size pieces, mix everything together, and then proceed to eat the whole darn thing and sop up the juices with that glorious bread.
If burgers aren't your thing, you could totally add things like hot dogs, chicken fingers, or Italian sausage. I've even seen their menu includes the option for Grilled Cheese, Fish, and Eggs. I'm just a purist and love a good burger (or two in this case!). For the sides, my favorites are mac salad and home fries, but French fries and baked beans are also good substitutes for either of these. That said, in my opinion, there is no substitute for a good Meat Hot Sauce.
This is super easy to make and would be an excellent option for a backyard barbecue, Father's Day, Game Day, or any other casual entertaining you may do at home. You can even lay out all the toppings and let people build their own plates! Around here, some people even have "Plate Buffets" at their wedding as a late-night snack (Do this. Your friends will thank you!).
Tips For Making a Nick Tahou Garbage Plate
- Keep it simple: You can definitely pick up some store-bought mac salad and some frozen fries. Or if you're feeling like a total rock-star, you can make this with my Tuna Macaroni Salad (leave out the tuna) and my Oven Fries. Either way is totally fine.
- Make sure you don't forget the day-old Italian bread.
- Don't skip the meat hot sauce either. It's key!
- Set this up as a make-your-own Garbage Plate bar at your next party or game day celebration.
- Ingredients to prep ahead: You can make the meat hot sauce (this freezes well- I usually make a big batch and freeze in smaller portions to thaw all summer long for picnics!) and macaroni salad in advance. Cut the fries and freeze them (do this on a sheet tray and when you're ready to bake, pop them right into the oven), and chop the onions.
- Leftovers and storage: I'll be honest, reheated fries are not my thing and these are definitely best served right away. But if you do have leftovers, store each component separately and reheat separately for best results!
What To Serve With a Rochester Garbage Plate
This is a full meal on its own — the cheeseburger (or hot dog) serves as the main dish, and the mac salad, fries, and meat hot sauce as the sides. They're just all on the same plate!
A fresh side salad can help balance out the richness of your Rochester garbage plate... but this meal honestly isn't about getting in your veggies!
Other Picnic or Game Day Recipes To Try
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below ⬇️ and/or a review in the comment section further down. Check out my Amazon Store for all my favorite tools, including those used in this recipe. And follow @thelifejolie on Instagram and TikTok!
Garbage Plate Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Cooked French fries (or home fries) (or home fries)
- 1 ½ cups Macaroni salad (I went with prepared Mac Salad from my local deli counter)
- 2 grilled Cheeseburgers
- 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
- ½ cup Meat hot sauce
- ⅓ cup Fresh chopped onions
- 2 Tablespoons Ketchup
- 2 teaspoons Frank's Red Hot
- 2 slices Italian bread Day-old is best!
Instructions
- Begin by placing the fries and mac salad onto your plate.
- Next add the cheeseburgers (or hot dogs) on top.
- Drizzle some mustard onto this.
- Pour a generous ladle of meat hot sauce over the plate.
- Sprinkle with chopped raw onions.
- Cut up your burgers and mix everything together with plenty of ketchup and Frank's Red Hot and sop up the juices with the Italian bread.
Video
Notes
- Keep it simple: You can definitely pick up some store-bought mac salad and some frozen fries. Or if you're feeling like a total rock-star, you can make this with my Tuna Macaroni Salad (leave out the tuna) and my Oven Fries. Either way is totally fine.
- Make sure you don't forget the day-old Italian bread.
- Don't skip the meat hot sauce either. It's key!
- Set this up as a make-your-own Garbage Plate bar at your next party or game day celebration.
- Ingredients to prep ahead: You can make the meat hot sauce (this freezes well- I usually make a big batch and freeze in smaller portions to thaw all summer long for picnics!) and macaroni salad in advance. Cut the fries and freeze them (do this on a sheet tray and when you're ready to bake, pop them right into the oven), and chop the onions.
- Leftovers and storage: I'll be honest, reheated fries are not my thing and these are definitely best served right away. But if you do have leftovers, store each component separately and reheat separately for best results!
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