The horseshoe is an

open-faced sandwich An open sandwich, also known as an open-face/open-faced sandwich, bread baser, bread platter or tartine, consists of a slice of bread or toast with one or more food items on top. History During the start of the middle ages, thin slabs of coars ...

originating in

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...

, United States. It consists of thick-sliced toasted bread (often

Texas toast Texas toast is a toasted bread that is typically made from sliced bread that has been sliced at double the usual thickness of packaged bread. Texas toast is prepared by spreading butter on both sides of the bread and broiling or grilling it until ...

), a

hamburger A hamburger, or simply burger, is a food consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically Ground beef, beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. Hamburgers are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles ...

patty or other choice of meat,

French fries French fries (North American English), chips (British English), finger chips ( Indian English), french-fried potatoes, or simply fries, are '' batonnet'' or ''allumette''-cut deep-fried potatoes of disputed origin from Belgium and France. Th ...

, and

cheese sauce Cheese sauce is a sauce made with cheese or processed cheese as a primary ingredient. Sometimes dried cheese or cheese powder is used. Several varieties exist and it has many various culinary uses. Mass-produced commercial cheese sauces are also ...

. While hamburger has become the most common meat on a horseshoe, the original meat was ham. The "horseshoe" name has been variously attributed to the

horseshoe A horseshoe is a fabricated product designed to protect a horse hoof from wear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface (ground side) of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall that is anatomically akin to the human toen ...

-like shape of a slice of bone-in ham, or to the horseshoe-like arrangement of potato wedges around the ham. It is not uncommon to substitute other meat for the hamburger, such as chicken or ham, or use more than one type of meat. The fries may also be substituted with

tater tots Tater tots are grated potatoes formed into small cylinders and deep-fried, often served as a side dish. The name "tater tot" is a registered trademark of the American frozen food company Ore-Ida, but is often used as a generic term. "Tater" is s ...

waffle fries French fries (North American English), chips (British English), finger chips (Indian English), french-fried potatoes, or simply fries, are '' batonnet'' or ''allumette''-cut deep-fried potatoes of disputed origin from Belgium and France. The ...

, or other forms of fried potatoes. Though cheese sauces vary by chef, it is generally derived from

Welsh rarebit Welsh rarebit or Welsh rabbit ( or ) is a dish consisting of a hot Cheese sauce, cheese-based sauce served over slices of Toast (food), toasted bread. The original 18th-century name of the dish was the jocular "Welsh rabbit", which was later fo ...

. Common ingredients include eggs, stale beer, butter, sharp cheddar cheese, Worcestershire sauce, flour, dry mustard, paprika, salt and pepper, and a dash of cayenne pepper. A smaller portion, with one slice of bread and one serving of meat, is called a pony shoe. A breakfast horseshoe is also available. The hamburger and french fries are replaced with sausage or bacon, eggs, and

hash browns Hash browns, also spelled hashed browns, are a popular American and British breakfast food, consisting of finely chopped potatoes that have been fried until browned. Hash browns first started appearing on breakfast menus in New York City in t ...

. The cheese sauce can also be substituted with milk

gravy Gravy is a sauce often made from the juices of meats that run naturally during cooking and often thickened with wheat flour or corn starch for added texture. The gravy may be further coloured and flavoured with gravy salt (a simple mix of salt an ...

. Ross' Restaurant in

Bettendorf, Iowa Bettendorf is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States. It is the 15th largest city of Iowa and the third-largest city in the "Quad Cities". It is part of the Davenport– Moline– Rock Island, IA- IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. The popu ...

is known for a similar dish called the Magic Mountain. Instead of a hamburger

patty A patty or burger (in British English) is a flattened, usually round, serving of ground meat and/or legumes, grains, vegetables, or meat alternatives. Patties are found in multiple cuisines throughout the world. In British and American Eng ...

, the sandwich contains steamed loose-meat. It has been enjoyed by politicians and celebrities including

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

and

Bette Midler Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Be ...

. The horseshoe was invented at the Leland Hotel in Springfield, but its inventorship has been the subject of controversy. The sandwich was created in 1928 by Leland Hotel chef Joe Schweska. His kitchen assistants included Tony Wables and Steve Tomko, who has also sometimes been credited as the inventor of the horseshoe and who served the horseshoe in his own restaurants later on. The Leland, located on the corner of Sixth and Capitol (now an office building), was one of Springfield's leading hotels. It was built in 1867 and has housed hundreds of prominent Americans. The structure is five stories high and contained 235 rooms. Chef Tomko also took his horseshoe recipe to the Red Coach Inn after leaving the Leland Hotel. In the 2015 Thomas' Breakfast Battle, hosted by Thomas' Breads, Mike Murphy won a $25,000 prize for his breakfast horseshoe. The contest featured chefs from throughout the country combining local flavor with Thomas'

English muffin An English muffin is a small, round and flat yeast-leavened (sometimes sourdough) bread which is commonly round and tall. It is generally sliced horizontally and served toasted.David, Elizabeth (1977). ''English Bread and Yeast Cookery''. Lond ...

s. Murphy's winning horseshoe included eggs, bacon, cheese sauce, sausage gravy and hash browns on top of the English muffin. He prepared the dish on an episode of Fox & Friends to promote the contest.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Horseshoe Fast food American sandwiches Cuisine of Illinois Springfield, Illinois Cheese sandwiches Beef sandwiches Open-faced sandwiches Hot sandwiches

See also

References

Works cited