How to Make a Garbage Plate

Last Updated: March 8, 2021 Tested

Started at Nick Tahou Hot's restaurant in Rochester, New York as a staple for drunk and hungover college kids. The garbage plate has exploded in popularity all over the world. Everyone wants to give it a shot even if you're not much into drinking, but not many want to make the drive for one dish. Start at step one to learn how to make this iconic dish from the comfort of home.

Ingredients

The Plate

1 1/2 cups cooked macaroni
1/4 cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons carrots chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 large chopped baked potato (or frozen home fries)
2 hamburger patties
2 slices of cheese
Mustard
Ketchup
Horseradish
Hot chili sauce (Special sauce is optional)
Bread
Chopped onion
Refried beans

The Special Sauce (Optional)

One chopped onion
One minced garlic clove
One tablespoon oil
1 lb ground beef
1 cup water
12 ounces tomato paste
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon pepper
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:
Assembling the Garbage Plate

1
Place the cooked macaroni noodles on a plate. Plain noodles are fine.
2
Mix the mayonnaise, seasoning, and carrots into the noodles.
3
Fry chopped potatoes until crispy. Or cook frozen home fries until crispy. Place these next to the macaroni.
4
Dump the refried beans on the plate. Anywhere you would like to them go is fine.
5
Cook the burgers. You can cook the burgers however you'd like as long as they're not raw. Place a single slice of cheese on each burger. Place these burgers on the plate, on top of the macaroni and fries.
6
Pour a mixture of mustard and horseradish over the burgers.
7
Top with minced onions.
8
Dump a lot of the chili hot sauce or the special sauce over the burgers. This is up to your preference. However much you would like can be used.
9
Pour a large amount of ketchup over everything. Again, this is up to your preference. Use as much as you are comfortable with.
10
(Optional) Mix well. You can eat it as is or mix into one giant messy situation.
11
Enjoy. Use buttered bread as a spoon. A very large metal one works just as well.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:
Making the Special Sauce (Optional)

1
Fry the meat, onion, and garlic in a pan. Ensure to stir every so often.
2
Add water and the tomato paste. Fry for a total of 10 minutes.
3
Add all of the other spices.
4
Fry for 30 minutes. Add water if it starts to get too dry. You can use this instead of the chili hot sauce mentioned above.