Go Inside Some of BravoCon 2022’s Most Golden Moments

BravoCon 2022 took place from October 14 to October 16 at the Javits Center in New York City, and in addition to a bit of drama throughout the weekend, there were also so many golden moments at panels, Bravopalooza events, and more. 

At the “Bravo’s Most Golden Moments Power Hour” panel, presented by Lay’s, Teresa Giudice, Karen Huger, Dorinda Medley, and Jill Zarin came together to look back at some of their most iconic Housewives moments. During the panel, Teresa shared an exciting update on what’s to come in the new season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, and Dorinda revealed how “excited” she was about creating a Lay’s recipe for the weekend (more on that below).

The next day, Vicki Gunvalson, Margaret Josephs, Kyle Richards, and Shereé Whitfield took the stage for their own “Golden Moments Power Hour,” presented by Lay’s. In addition to looking back at her memorable past Housewives scenes, Kyle shared some big news about her daughter Farrah’s upcoming wedding. Some other iconic Housewives moments from across the franchise were shown in a package sponsored by Lay’s at WWHL Presents: Andy’s Legends Ball. 

The weekend also included multiple “Bravopalooza: Lay’s Golden Hour” events, during which guests were encouraged to savor every moment with some of their favorite Bravolebs while enjoying bites and drinks. There was even a sparkling gold backdrop to ensure fans could get the perfect photo.  

Photo: Bryan Bedder/Bravo

Food and drinks were a big part of the weekend, and Lay’s took it to a new level by teaming up with Kyle, Dorinda, and Melissa Gorga to create bites based on some of their most legendary moments. 

“I have been selected to be a Real Housewife of Lay’s, because I stay golden even when the drama gets heavy,” Kyle shared on the October 9 episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen ahead of the event. “You know that I want to lift the mood, I love to do the splits, and that inspired my Party Splits chip creation, which pairs nicely with a split margarita.”  

Photo: Evan Angelastro/Bravo

Throughout the weekend, Kyle, Dorinda, and Melissa’s exclusive Lay’s recipes were available for attendees to try. Below, find a step-by-step guide to creating all three at home: 

Photo: Evan Angelastro/Bravo

Photo: Stephanie Diani/Bravo

Ingredients (per serving):

• 2 Lay’s Kettle Cooked Potato Chips 
• 1 slice (1/8 inch thick) Italian sausage link, grilled
• 1/8 teaspoon tomato paste 
• 1 teaspoon whipped ricotta (recipe follows)
• 1 dash onion powder
• 1 piece Gold Basil (recipe follows)

Ingredients for Whipped Ricotta:

• 1 3/4 cups ricotta cheese, made with whole milk
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 2/3 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated 

Directions for Whipped Ricotta:

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor. 
2. Blend to combine. 
3. Place in a squeeze bottle with a wide tip or in a piping bag.
4. Refrigerate until needed. 

Ingredients for Gold Basil:

• 1 dash edible gold dust/glitter
• 1 piece fresh basil 

Directions for Gold Basil:

1. Add edible gold to a shaker tin or dredge can. 
2. Lay moist paper towels on a tray. 
3. Place fresh basil on towels and sprinkle with gold dust. (Or add basil bunches to a container with a lid, add a small amount of edible gold dust to the container, fasten the lid, and shake to dust the basil leaves. Add more gold if desired, and pick as needed.)

Directions:

1. Sort Lay’s Kettle Cooked chips (the ideal chips are rounded and somewhat flat, but folded chips are OK as long as they are wide enough to layer, to be comfortably picked up to eat, and to be easily stacked.) 
2. Place the piece of grilled Italian sausage on top of the first Lay’s Kettle Cooked chip. 
3. Using a piping bag or squeeze bottle, place a small dollop of tomato paste on top of the sausage. (Add a dab of paste on the bottom chip if the sausage does not stick to the chip.)
4. Top with second Lay’s Kettle Cooked chip. 
5. Squeeze a small dollop of whipped ricotta cheese onto the center. 
6. Garnish with a gold basil leaf prior to serving.  
7. Serve immediately. 

Photo: Bryan Bedder/Bravo

Photo: Stephanie Diani/Bravo

Ingredients (per serving):

• 1/2 tablespoon sweet potato & roasted red pepper mashed potatoes (recipe follows)
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic & herbs mashed potatoes (recipe follows)
• 1/8 teaspoon Lay’s French Onion Dip 
• 1/4 teaspoon cream cheese
• 1 Lay’s Wavy Potato Chips
• Edible gold glitter (for garnish) 

Ingredients for Sweet Potato & Roasted Red Pepper Mashed Potatoes:

• 1 1/2 cups instant mashed potatoes, (Idahoan brand, original flavor) 
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 1/4 cups canned sweet potato puree
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream 
• 2 egg yolks 
• 1 1/2 tablespoons jarred roasted red bell peppers — drained, minced, or pulsed in a food processor to create a puree
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika 

Directions for Sweet Potato & Roasted Red Pepper Mashed Potatoes:

1. Place instant mashed potatoes in the bowl of a stand mixer. 
2. In a saucepan on the stove or in a microwaveable container, heat butter and water until butter is completely melted and water begins to boil. 
3. Remove from heat. With the mixer on low speed, slowly and carefully pour the hot liquid into the bowl of the mixer to re-hydrate the potatoes. 
4. In a large bowl, combine the sweet potato puree, heavy cream, egg yolks, roasted red bell pepper puree, salt, cayenne, and smoked paprika. Whisk well to combine. 
5. With the mixer on low speed, add the sweet potato mixture into the instant mashed potatoes. Increase speed to medium and continue to mix until fully incorporated and smooth. 
6. Transfer the potato mixture to piping bags. To make the piping process easier, do not overfill the piping bags. This recipe can be made in advance and stored in the fridge until needed. 

Ingredients for Garlic & Herbs Mashed Potatoes:

• 2 cups instant mashed potatoes (Idahoan brand, original flavor) 
• 3/4 cup heavy cream 
• 2 egg yolks 
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 
• 2 teaspoons jarred roasted garlic base (Better Than Bouillon brand) 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 3/4 teaspoon Italian herbs 
• 1 1/2 cups water 

Directions for Garlic & Herbs Mashed Potatoes:

1. Place instant mashed potatoes in the bowl of a stand mixer. 
2. In a bowl, combine cream and eggs. Whisk well to combine. Set aside. 
3. In a saucepan, combine butter, roasted garlic base, salt, herbs, and water. Heat over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally until the butter is completely melted and water begins to boil. 
4. Remove from heat. With the mixer on low speed, slowly and carefully pour the hot liquid into the bowl of the mixer to rehydrate the potatoes. 
5. Once all the liquid is added, increase the mixer speed and mix to combine. The mixture will be very thick. 
6. Let cool slightly, then add the reserved cream/egg mixture. 
7. Continue mixing until fully combined and smooth. If the mixture is too thick to pipe, add small splashes of hot water until the mixture is loose enough to comfortably pipe. 
8. Transfer the potatoes to piping bags. To make the piping process easier, do not overfill the piping bags. This recipe can be made in advance and stored in the fridge until needed. 

Directions:

1. Prepare duchess potato rosettes:
   1. Preheat a convection oven to 375°F (low fan setting). 
   2. Prepare a large pastry bag with a large star-shaped tip (Ateco 825 tip or similar). 
   3. Snip the ends off the two prepared mashed potato flavors in piping bags and place both side by side inside the pastry bag with the star tip. (For best results, fill each piping bag with about the same amount of mashed potatoes and do not overfill so that they can easily be combined). 
   4. Applying even pressure, pipe small rosettes (about 1 rounded tablespoon) onto parchment-lined sheet trays. 
   5. Bake about 12 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned, rotating the trays halfway through. 
   6. Remove the trays from the oven and allow the rosettes to cool slightly. (Rosettes can be piped ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator the day before baking. They can also be baked from frozen. Please increase the bake time.) 
2. Prepare French onion cream cheese:
   1. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the room-temperature cream cheese until smooth on medium-low speed, about 4 minutes.
   2. Scrape down sides and mix again for 2 minutes.
   3. Add Lay’s French Onion Dip to the mixer, and mix for another 2 minutes
   4. Scrape down and mix again until thoroughly incorporated.
   5. Transfer to piping bags until ready to use or refrigerate overnight.
3. Pipe a dime-size amount of the Lay’s French Onion Dip and cream cheese mixture onto the center of a Lay’s Wavy Potato Chip.
4. Place a rosette on the chip, on top of the dip mixture. 
5. Garnish with edible glitter. (To make this process easier, place the glitter in a fine shaker or dredge can, or apply it by dipping a small brush into the glitter and lightly tapping over each bite.) 

Photo: Stephanie Diani/Bravo

Ingredients (per cookie) 

• 1 tablespoon prepared sugar cookie dough, refrigerated
• 2 1/2 teaspoons Lay’s Sprinkles (for coating and post-bake sprinkles, recipe follows) 
• Chocolate confectionary coating
• 1 dash edible gold glitter

Ingredients for Lay’s Sprinkles:

• 3/4 cup Lay’s Classic Potato Chips (crushed to 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch)
• 1/4 cup gold and rainbow nonpareil sprinkles  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons flaky sea salt  

Directions for Lay’s sprinkles: 

1. Prepare Lay’s Classic crumbs in a food processor.  
2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well to combine. Keep covered in an airtight container at room temperature until needed. 

Directions (Note: Bake cookies the morning of the event and store in an airtight container until needed. Can be made a day ahead.)

1. Preheat a convection oven to 350°F (low fan setting). 
2. Roll dough into a ball, then roll in the prepared Lay’s Sprinkles so that the entire surface is coated. (If dough is pre-portioned and too large, cut the dough to the desired size.) Keep the sprinkle mixture well turned so the dough can grab an equal amount of chips and sprinkles. 
3. Place coated dough balls on sheet trays lined with parchment or baking mats, spacing each dough ball 2 inches apart. 
4. Bake about 10 to 12 minutes, turning the trays halfway through. The edges should be crisp, and the centers set but still soft. 
5. Remove the trays from the oven and let cookies cool completely. 
6. Meanwhile, melt chocolate candy coating, either in a microwave for 20-second intervals, stirring in between, or in a double boiler on the stove, stirring occasionally, until fully melted. 
7. Once the cookies are cooled, carefully half-dip each cookie, allowing any excess chocolate coating to drip off. 
8. Place on clean parchment-lined sheet trays and sprinkle with additional Lay’s Sprinkles. 
9. Allow the chocolate coating to harden before serving.  
10. Add edible gold glitter to a shaker tin. Before serving, sprinkle a little golden magic onto each cookie.