I'm Bobby Flay. Each week, one brave chef will try to take me down
-in my house. This is my show. -Today it is.
-Tomorrow, who knows? -Trash talking.
This culinary battle is going to shake down in two rounds.
Round one, to get to me,
two contenders have to go through each other using an ingredient of my choice.
It's do or die, Bobby.
Two people that know me well will decide
who's got the skills to beat me.
Yeah!
Round two, I go head-to-head with the winning contender.
Let's go!
It's their turn to surprise me with their signature dish.
-What? -Oh!
Don't try this at home.
[Sunny] I know you did it, Bobby!
-Bottom line... -You're gonna run out of time!
Everyone's out to beat me.
All right. Let's do this.
I need all of you to invest in my win tonight,
because the Sharks are circling.
[woman] Three, two, one.
Please welcome Chef Michael Symon,
and from Shark Tank, Investor Robert Herjavec.
Yes.
-I'm betting it all. -Yes, all in.
All in.
-Thank you so much for being here. -Thank you for having me.
You must get pitched constantly, right?
Yeah, people come up with crazy ideas.
-Yeah. -You should pitch him.
He... Bobby, you know, other than being a chef,
he has a lot of, like, little side businesses.
-Well... -He's got, like,
-cat food lines. -I'm in the cat food company.
I do.
Tell me, why would I buy your cat food?
Well, first of all, our approach is, number one, um...
I've been feeding, I've been helping people.
-Gosh, you're doing such a great job. -Like, I'm...
Switch seats with me real quick.
Just switch seats.
-I'm going to show you how this works. -[all laughing]
I have had cats my entire life.
-Okay. -I am one of the greatest chefs in America.
-I'm Bobby Flay. -Wow.
I wanted to use my skill as a chef to create a cat food.
Hang on.
Sorry, Bobby. That was a much better pitch.
-I'm in. -There you go.
-[all clapping] -[laughs]
[Bobby] All right, let's bring out some chefs.
This contender has gone viral.
-Her four million followers have crowned her -Wow.
the potato queen.
From Birmingham, England, Poppy O'Toole.
[all cheering]
That's some entrance.
Bobby, our next contender, moved across the pond
six years ago.
Here to say cheerio to you, Bobby Flay,
it's Chef Joel Childs.
-[all cheering] -Whoo!
[exclaims] Come on! I'm coming for you.
Poppy, Joel, welcome.
Here's the way it's going to work.
I'm going to give you an ingredient of my choice,
and you must make that ingredient the star of your dish.
Poppy, I know you're hoping for a potato.
My fingers are crossed for just a potato.
But I wouldn't do that to Joel, because that would be unfair.
Let's see what we got here.
That ingredient is...
fresh cod.
-Ooh. Okay. -Ooh.
-Nice. -How do you feel about this?
-Yeah, confident. -Yeah.
-Really good. -He's got it.
I think we should be all right, but I'm worried
we will go both for fish and chips.
Or maybe you'll go in a different direction.
I'm going to try.
All right, guys, 20 minutes on the clock.
We got to impress this shark with this fish.
-[bell dings] -[all cheering]
Cod is a very meaty white fish.
Probably the most popular fish
when it comes to fish and chips.
Oh, look at Poppy. She's going right to the potatoes.
Poppy, what are you making?
A spiced cod with potatoes and spinach
and maybe a bit of pickled carrot.
Wow!
I'm making a bit of a play on fish and chips.
I've been inspired by Indian cuisine.
I'm gonna mix a nice little marinade to coat that cod.
What have I got in already?
Some onion granules, some garlic granules, curry powder.
Then I've got a pan on hot for these potatoes, bit of butter.
I can't risk serving less than perfect potatoes
in this competition.
♪ Watch me do what I do ♪
I've been a chef for ten years,
but when the pandemic hit, I was out of a job,
so I decided to cook my favorite food, potatoes.
Four million followers later, me and my tater tots
are taking over everywhere. [laughs]
♪ One, two, three ♪
But when you're a content creator, a lot of the time
you're getting told that you're mediocre.
I'm here to prove everybody wrong tonight.
I'm the potato queen, and tonight, Bobby,
I'm ready to reign supreme.
Joel, what are you gonna make?
I think I'm gonna steam the cod, kind of get away
from the fish and chips.
[Michael] Sounds fun.
[Joel] I love to combine British and American food,
so I'm making steamed cod
with a ponzu apple mango pomegranate salsa.
[Michael] He's tying off his cod so it cooks very evenly.
-Smart. -Wow.
I seasoned my cod just with a little bit of salt and pepper
because I am wanting the salsa to be the main flavor profile.
So he is steaming it in a bamboo steamer.
-Mm-hmm. Bamboo steamer? -Yeah.
I'm already impressed.
♪ Game time ♪
I worked in various kitchens throughout the British Isles.
But in 2017, I moved out to Washington State.
I'm the executive chef of 1611,
a high-end steak restaurant.
When people think about British food, they think it's bland.
But if I can come in and use it to beat Bobby Flay,
that would be a huge triumph.
15 minutes and 30 seconds, guys.
[all cheering]
Hello, chef.
So how are you going to cook the fish?
Pan-roast it with a lot of delicious butter in the pan.
We've got some spices in here to go with the fish.
[Michael] I like that.
When I think of England and London, I think of Indian food
equally as much as I think of fish and chips.
-Exactly. -I like it.
I'm ready to eat some delicious food.
So, ponzu.
-Yeah. -Okay.
Get a little bit of a saltiness,
-acidity, and everything. -Love it.
For my salsa, chop up shallots,
red pepper, mango, lime juice,
lemon juice, soy ponzu, a Granny Smith apple,
and a pomegranate.
Joel seems super comfortable. I mean, like, a lot of finesse.
I feel like Joel is too calm.
-No such thing. -[all laughing]
Pickle.
Poppy's running around a little bit more.
I think her dish, if she can get everything done,
-it's gonna be big on flavor. -Panicking.
So I'm making a quick pickled carrot
with some vinegar and the sugar.
That will just add a lovely bit of crunch and flavor.
-How you doing, Chef? -I'm good.
-How are you doing? -Uh...
Seven minutes, guys.
-[all cheering] -How are you going?
-Pretty good. -Yeah?
Yeah.
-Why are you so calm? -I don't know.
-This is my world, I guess. -Yeah?
That looks incredible.
-Thank you. -Incredible.
Keep going.
-Hello, Poppy. -Hello.
I do love potatoes.
How do you feel about beating Joel?
I really like Joel, so I'll be quite sad.
I hope you do really well.
-I hope you do well, too. -You guys are so British.
Four minutes left.
I am fully running out of time.
Cod's going in the pan, and then I'm going to start basting.
Fish is cooked really well, so pick up the cod
and place it on top of the salsa.
-Joel's starting to plate. -Come on, Poppy.
You don't want that long ride back to Birmingham
not finishing the dish.
-30 seconds. -A little bit of the potato and spinach at the bottom,
and that beautiful cod and the pickled carrots.
I garnish it with a bit of grated lemon zest and walnut.
-[Bobby] ...seven... -I'm just going to garnish
with a little bit of micro herb.
-...four, three, two, one. -[bell dings]
[all cheering]
-Good job, chef. -Thank you.
I'm definitely feeling relaxed,
but I'm also feeling nervous.
And just the respect that I have for Poppy's dish,
it's anyone's game.
-Good job, chef. -Thank you.
I can't believe I've done it. And I'm quite proud of myself.
Secretly, I think I've won it.
All right, you guys, so Bobby likes to think of himself as a top lad,
but we are hoping that one of you two
could make mincemeat out of him.
[all laughing]
Terrible.
Chef Poppy, tell us what you made.
So you've got a spiced cod with some sauteed potatoes
and some pickled carrots on top.
First off, the cod's perfectly cooked.
Yes.
I love the pickled carrots on top.
That curried brown butter in there is really delightful.
But cod is a richer fish,
and then the butter base, like that little hit of acid,
I think would have just really elevated it.
First of all, Poppy, I love the spice on the fish.
And of course, the potatoes are incredible.
But you didn't give me enough potatoes.
You are the potato queen, and you went cheap
-on the potatoes. -[all laughing]
Joel, tell us what you made.
I poached the cod, and it has an apple,
pomegranate, mango, yuzu, ponzu, salsa.
Once again, the cod is cooked perfect,
but the fish could use a touch more seasoning.
Okay.
Joel, the sauce, the different tastes just work so well together,
and I find it amplifies the cod.
But I do agree with Michael,
maybe a little more spice to it.
Okay.
This is going to be a really hard decision
because these are probably the two
best 20-minute dishes that I've had since
-I've been on the show. -Wow.
Thank you.
I am shaking in my boots.
Oh, I don't know.
I don't know what's going to happen.
The chef moving forward to beat Bobby is...
is Chef Poppy.
-[all cheering] -Good job.
[Joel] I'm definitely disappointed, but the fact
that Poppy and I were able to put out two of the best dishes in the first round
is just really humbling.
Poppy, your dish was just a little more craveable,
and I think you're gonna bring the flavor against
the flavor king.
-You're in trouble, Bobby. -I'm ready.
[laughs]
All right, Potato Queen, what is your signature dish?
My signature dish is...
-bangers and mash. -Oh.
-[all laughing] -I love!
Well done, well done. Bangers and mash.
Sausage and potatoes.
I love bangers and mash.
All right so we have three experts
that are going to do a blind taste test.
45 minutes on the clock and your time starts now!
[all cheering]
Bangers and mash, basically,
is sausage with whipped potato.
Is it always pork sausage?
That is a good question.
Poppy, traditional bangers and mash,
-always a pork sausage, correct? -Yes.
Why did you choose this dish to beat Bobby?
First of all, mashed potatoes.
I know that my mash is delicious.
And I thought bangers would be just a really good,
fun thing to make and see Bobby sweat over some sausages.
-[all laughing] -[laughs mockingly]
Beating Bobby Flay with my bangers and mash
will prove that I am the ultimate potato
and now sausage queen. [laughs]
So, my version of bangers and mash is an apple
and pork sausage, honey mustard mash,
and a rich and sticky onion gravy.
I'm not going traditional with this dish.
I'm making bangers and mash with harissa sauce,
shallot, and date mostarda.
So, more Mediterranean flavors.
Bobby, why do some potatoes have skins,
some don't have skins?
I'm making a couple of different versions.
I'm gonna make classic mashed potatoes,
and I'm gonna make some crispy potatoes
with the skin on, because that actually is going to make it crispier.
[Robert] Look at Poppy go.
Wow, that's a lot of onion.
In Britain, this is traditionally served with,
like, an onion gravy.
Next, I've got to make gravy.
So I'll grab the onions, a little bit of butter,
a little bit of oil, a little bit of sherry vinegar,
and then beef stock.
Poppy, what are you cutting up there?
Dates. Dates.
With bangers and mash? He's going exotic, Michael.
Now I'm going to start on my date mostarda.
It's a bunch of shallots, red wine vinegar, some honey,
dates, and then I'm going to add whole grain mustard.
This is going to bring some sweet and sour flavor
for the sausages.
All right, you guys, 35:30 left.
[all clapping and cheering]
It's time to get started on the sausages.
Pork shoulder, and I've got smoked bacon.
You're looking for about, what, 30% fat?
Yes, I go for a nice, healthy 30%.
And then you've got apple.
-I love that. -Apple and pork.
-Pork and apple. -Wow.
-Delicious. -It's a match made in heaven.
I'm adding apple juice, because I really want to have a bit of sweetness.
And then I am going for very traditional seasoning.
Cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, garlic,
and then straight into the grinder.
It's hard work for your arms, really.
It is that kind of like... You gotta push it
and push it and push it.
[Bobby] Now I'm gonna work on my sausages.
So I start with ground pork, ground chorizo,
and put some Calabrian chilies in there as well.
You're gonna take this thing Italian if it kills you, aren't you?
A little bit. I'm gonna do some Mediterranean stuff.
-I'm gonna make a harissa vinaigrette. -Huh.
Doesn't seem very bangers and mash to me.
Are you using lamb casings or pork casings?
Caul fat.
What do you call it when you wrap a sausage in caul fat?
Uh, crépinette.
Correct.
You're making an Italian sauce,
a Moroccan sauce, crépinette.
Exactly.
This is about as close to bangers and mash
as chicken pot pie would be.
[all laughing]
Michael Symon can keep his opinions to himself.
Poppy, you hear the nonsense that's going on over here?
Michael, get out of here.
[all laughing]
-27 minutes. -♪ This is go time too ♪
Sausage casings on. And now I've got to start
feeding meat back through the machine.
I make sure that the sausages are filled
to the correct fullness.
Poppy seems to be making a more traditional
bangers and mash.
He's going exotic.
Poppy's making link sausages, very admirable.
But for 45 minutes, I'm not going to do that.
I'm going to make something else called a crépinette,
which is wrapped with caul fat.
-Why isn't he making a sausage? -He is.
What he's doing, in a competition
it's actually very smart.
So he doesn't have to mess with the casing process.
So he's basically making a hamburger.
-Wrapped in caul fat. -Yeah.
Coming up on 21 minutes.
[all clapping and cheering]
-They do look like hamburgers. I have to say. -They do.
So, I like the cat food thing.
-Yeah. -You have another pitch for me.
How about a new sausage company called Crépinettes?
-Bobby's Crépinettes. -I love that, actually.
That's an interesting idea.
All right, let me check in with Poppy.
Okay.
-So you're the potato queen. -Yeah.
-Like, if you were starting a business... -Okay, yeah.
...what would you pitch me?
Okay, so I want to sell to you today the idea of instant
roast potatoes in a bag, a little bit of seasoning.
You shake it all together, and you have
delicious roast potatoes.
I'm sorry, Bobby Flay.
I'm out. Poppy, I'm in.
I love it.
-[all cheering] -Whoo!
15 minutes to go.
So I'm also going to make a harissa sauce.
This is going to add like a little spice,
have Dijon mustard, some honey, and some olive oil.
I think Poppy is going to be a little bit more pressed for time
because of the process she's going through to make the sausage.
Oh, she's sweating.
I need to get something in the oven quickly.
It's going to be fine. It's all going to be fine.
My mashed potatoes put through a ricer,
and then I add butter, heavy cream,
then salt and pepper. That's it.
Oh, she's put the butter in the food mill
with the potatoes, so as she rices them through,
they're mixing with the butter.
I grab a good heaped spoon of whole grain mustard,
and that's just going to add spice and flavor.
Nine minutes left.
-Nine minutes. -[all cheering]
-Go, Poppy! -Sausages are in the oven.
Check them. They are gray.
Poppy, you can completely ignore us.
We just have to taste those potatoes.
So they're going straight under the salamander.
We need that golden, crunchy exterior.
Oh!
Shut the door!
I just need to hug you for those potatoes.
Okay, continue.
Mama Luke.
Hi, Bobby.
What's up?
Bobby, her potatoes were incredible.
-I have to say. -Yeah.
-Her potatoes made me want to hug her. -They good?
They're really good.
Really?
-Those were really good. -Really good.
[gasps]
[all laughing]
[laughter continues]
Six minutes left. It's getting really tight.
[Bobby] My crispy potatoes, throw them in the fryer.
And then I got to start cooking the sausages.
He's behind. He's going to be plating to the very end.
I just got them started a little bit too late.
I don't know whether they're going to get cooked or not cooked.
We'll see.
I know that I want to add a little bit more sweetness
to this dish.
So in the pan, I've got some honey,
whole grain mustard to make a honey mustard glaze.
Three minutes left.
[all clapping and cheering]
Go, go, go.
[Bobby] My crispy potatoes, I season them with salt.
My sausages, definitely worried that they're not gonna
get cooked through in time, so I put them into the fryer.
♪ Here we go! ♪
I've got my delicious mustard mash.
We've got a honey mustard glaze.
Look how good that sausage looks.
There is a nice bit of caramelization on the sausages.
I put some of the mashed potatoes down,
some of the crispy potatoes, rosemary and parmigiano
on top, then the harissa sauce.
Okay, a minute 30.
-Poppy, get it on the plate. -Come on, Poppy!
I want to get three sausages per portion,
and I have not got enough sausages.
Oh, no!
I don't know why I'm doing this, but in pure blind panic,
I cut all the sausages in half.
What's she doing? What's she doing?
No, no, no.
I don't know what she's doing.
She should have just left them whole.
-40 seconds left. -Come on, Poppy!
Come on.
This is not what I wanted to happen.
Now she's topping it with the gravy.
Saved with the gravy.
I put down the sausages. They're nice and crusty.
Then the date and shallot will start up.
-[all] ...six, five, four, three, two, one. -[Poppy] No. Oh, no!
-[all cheering] -Wow!
I think I took some risks in terms of, like,
flavors and stuff like that, but I think the plate looks good.
My big question is, did the sausages get cooked?
I am feeling hot, disorientated,
worried about my half sausages that I've left on the plate.
I don't know why I did that.
All right, tonight's challenge was bangers and mash.
And now we would like to introduce you to your judges.
First up, chef owner of Jones Wood Foundry,
Jason Hicks.
Chef, TV host, and recipe developer, Elena Besser.
-And Chef Paul Liebrandt. -[all clapping]
Judges, please start with the first bangers and mash in front of you.
It's very good.
The potatoes are the highlight of the dish for me.
Mustard seeds give it a little pop.
The banger itself is nice and mild.
This is absolutely delicious.
The potatoes are creamy, and the onion gravy
is beautifully done.
However, I wanted a little bit more of a crust on the outside
of the bangers here.
It certainly looks like a bangers and mash.
The potatoes are very nice, light.
Onion gravy, for my preference,
could be a little more oniony.
The banger itself, I wouldn't personally have cut it in half.
The whole sausage, you have that texture that's just
very integral to the part of being a "banger."
Thank you, judges. You can switch plates.
I love this dish. Sausage is juicy.
You've got that crispy exterior.
I don't think we need this harissa sauce here.
It's falling a little bit flat for me.
The potatoes, there's lots of fun little texture,
but the banger itself is a little bit too spicy
for me in a traditional sense of a bangers and mash.
Although it doesn't look like a traditional bangers and mash,
the depth of flavor is very delicious.
I do very much enjoy... the mostarda with the potato
is very satisfying.
All right, judges.
It seems like you have a tough call on this one.
So let's take a vote.
I am ecstatic.
Everyone loves the potatoes.
And if everyone loves the potatoes, then I am happy.
I think I might be okay.
But again, it's Bobby Flay, isn't it?
Tonight's decision was not unanimous.
And the winner is...
Bobby Flay.
[all cheering]
Very much enjoyed your dish.
Honestly, the sausage was the contributing factor.
I think we should have Poppy back.
-What do you think? -Yeah.
-Yes, sir. It's official. We got a rematch? -Definitely.
If she wants to come.
-[all cheering] -Thank you.
I wanted to come into this competition
and prove that as a social media content creator...
Ta-ra!
I could hang with the big dogs.
-Toodles. -And I think I have.
He did invite me back.
-[laughs] -I thought we had him.
Yeah. I didn't even think you were going to get it on the plate.
Bobby may have won, took down the queen,
-but look what we got. -Look at the gifts.
[all laughing]
Well, my bangers and mash were a royal smash.
[all cheering]