“CLEVELAND ROCKS, CLEVELAND ROCKS” -The Drew Carey Show
The MLB All Star Game has always been super fun to me! I remember growing up watching the likeness of Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa hit dingers during the Derby. Or Bobby Abreu setting the Derby record in 2005. Or the controversial 2002 Miller Park Marathon that was called after 11 innings in a tie.
This year, the All Star Game and Derby are in Cleveland, Ohio. When thinking about food culture, Cleveland isn’t a city that comes to the front of your mind…and that’s okay! It just means I had my work out ahead of me, trying to figure out what was to be made. After a few hours of research (and some previous knowledge based on another project), I found that Eastern European Cuisine it was!
Polish Boy Sandwich




We will start with the fact that this isn’t a Po Boy. This is a straight up, stick to your ribs, Midwestern sammich! In all honesty, when first reading about this sandwich, it sounded very heavy, but also perfect for the ballpark! After making this and eating it, there is definitely a great combo of flavors and textures!
The Stack:
–Bun: I bought a couple of different styles to try out, and wasn’t able to choose! The picture is a Pretzel Bun (because it was a better picture lol), but the Potato Bun held its own!
-Coleslaw: A perfect little hit of acid that is needed.
-Kielbasa: The exact amount of salt and fat to make this sandwich great.
-French Fries: That crisp to cover all of the soft textures in the sammie.
-SPECIAL SAUCE (Paprikash): The sandwich is usually paired with hot sauce or BBQ sauce. With such a strong Eastern European influence in the Cleveland area, I decided to make Paprikash. The sauce is usually made with chicken but it goes perfectly with this, too!
Coleslaw Paprikash Sauce Pan Fried French Fries The Double Polish Boy! (One Potato Bun and One Pretzel Bun)
Polish Boy Sandwich
Ingredients
For Coleslaw:
- 10 oz. Coleslaw Vegetable Mix
- 1/4 c. Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Onion Powder
- 1/4 tsp. Mustard Powder
- 1/4 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper
- 1 tsp. Sugar
- 1/4 tsp. Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1/4 c. Mayo
For Paprikash Sauce:
- 4 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
- 1/2 Red Onion (chopped)
- 2 tsp. Garlic (minced)
- 2 tbsp. All-purpose Flour
- 2 tbsp. Paprika
- 1 tbsp. Smoked Paprika
- 1/2 c. Chicken Stock
- 1/2 c. Sour Cream
- 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
- 1 tsp. Salt
For French Fries:
- 16 oz. French Fries
- 1/2 tsp. Paprika
- 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 2 c. Canola Oil
- Other Ingredients:
- 3 lbs. Kielbasa
- 8 Brat Buns (Potato Buns and/or Pretzel Buns)
Instructions
For Coleslaw:
- Place all ingredients into bowl. Mix until evenly incorporated.
- Place in fridge until needed.
For Paprikash Sauce:
- Place sauce pan on burner turned to medium.
- Add Butter. Once melted, place Red Onion and Garlic into pan.
- Once Red Onion become translucent, strain butter into bowl. Place Butter back into sauce pan.
- While stirring Butter, mix in Flour, Paprika, Smoked Paprika, Pepper, and Salt. Make sure all clumps are out.
- While continuing to stir, slow add Chicken Stock.
- Add Sour Cream to mixture and let simmer for another 10 minutes.
For French Fries:
- Place sauce pan or heavy bottom pan on burner turned to medium. Get oil to 350F.
- Once at 350F, place Fries into oil. Expect temperature drop. Temp with rebound.
- Pull Fries when starting to brown.
- Toss with Seasoning Blend.
For Polish Boy:
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Place Kielbasa on baking sheet.
- Once oven is preheated, place baking sheet into oven. Bake for 30-45 minutes.
- Pull Kielbasa. Cut Kielbasa into 3 equal sections. Cut, length ways, about 3/4 through sausage. Pull rest apart without breaking skin of sausage.
- Fry inside of sausage in pan.
- Warm bun. Place Coleslaw on Bun, followed by Kielbasa, then French Fries, and drizzle with Paprikash Sauce.
- Get the Napkins ready!
Notes
The Original Polish Boy is topped with Barbecue Sauce and/or Hot Sauce.
Try different buns such as a Potato Roll or Pretzel Roll.
Keep your Coleslaw on the more vinegar-y side. It helps keep the sandwich more balanced!
Try adding Cheese to make a little more creamy.
Whoever my football team (The Cardinals) play, we “eat the other teams mojo” .. basically we cook and eat cuisine from the opposing teams area (New Orleans Saints we do Cajun, Philadelphia Eagles we do Philly Cheesesteaks etc). So, for. Level and we made this polish boy sandwich and perogies. Pretty good!! The paprikash was delish, the coleslaw balanced the kielbasa. Highly recommend