Garlic Sriracha Almonds

Sriracha Garlic Almonds

This recipe is inspired by one of our favorite pubs in San Diego, True North Tavern in North Park. We were won over on the first visit when they had Dogfish Head 90 min IPA on tap and super crispy tater tots to munch. We made regular return trips, and while the Dogfish Head turned out not to be a regular offering, they always have a great beer selection and the crunchy munchies were worth the trip. At some point along the way, these delectable Sriracha-garlic chicken wings appeared on the menu, and were readily consumed on a regular basis.

Then...along came Baby S, putting a serious damper on our forays to this 21-and-over establishment. Damper, as in I haven't been there once in the year since she was born (B.S., indeed). I'm pretty sure C. sneaks in periodically to get a fix, but he knows better than to flaunt it.

So there I was, getting ready to make some spiced almonds for the holidays, and I thought - you know what someone should really put on almonds? That Sriracha-crack sauce. And you know what would go really well with spicy-garlic-crack-almonds? Beer.  And we all know that the holidays could use more beer.
And so these Holiday-Garlic-Crack-Sriracha-Beer-Nuts were born. You're welcome.

Ingredients

2 T Sriracha chili sauce
1 t olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 t salt
1 t brown sugar
generous dash of cayenne

2 c almonds
salt & pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
Mix the Sriracha, olive oil, garlic, 1/4 t salt, brown sugar, and cayenne in a small bowl. Add the almonds and mix thoroughly to coat the almonds.
Spread the almonds in a single layer on the sheet pan, and sprinkle with additional salt & pepper to taste.
Roast for about 20 minutes, stirring once after 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely, then chow down.