IRVINE, Calif. (January 7, 2008) – The Hass Avocado Board (HAB) today announced it anticipates that football fans across the country will devour 49.5 million pounds of Hass avocados during the Big Game on February 3. That's enough to cover Arizona's University of Phoenix Stadium football field, end zone to end zone, 19.1 feet deep in Hass avocados. Big Game Day is projected to be one of the largest Hass avocado consumption days of 2008, with an estimated 99 million Hass avocados set be eaten by consumers.

Hass avocados are a fan favorite and a "must-have" ingredient for any Big Game Day party menu. From the classic guacamole dip, to topping off burgers, chili and nachos, avocados add a creamy and delicious flavor to a variety of Big Game Day foods.

"Football fans continue to include Hass avocados in their Big Game Day dishes every year. Snacks made with avocados have almost become synonymous with watching the Big Game," said Jose Luis Obregon, managing director for HAB. "During the Big Game Day time frame consumers always create an especially high demand for the fruit. Right now, growers and producers are working hard to harvest their fruit, so that consumers can tackle their game day hunger with Hass avocados."

The Hass Avocado Board continues to challenge consumers to go "beyond guacamole" for this year's Big Game Day party. A number of delicious Big Game Day recipes that will help you score big with your gridiron guests can be found on the Hass Avocado Board's Web site at www.avocadocentral.com.

For a tasty twist on guacamole, fans can try serving "Super Hass Avocado Parmesan Potato Bowls." These bite-size morsels are sure to help stave off the hunger of even the biggest football fans.

Super Hass Avocado Parmesan Potato Bowls
Serves: 8
Prep time: 30 minutes; Cooking time: 40 minutes; Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 bacon slices
• 1 lb. very small red potatoes (about 1 ½-inches in diameter)
• 2 Tbsp. garlic-infused olive oil
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 ripe, fresh Hass avocados, halved, seeded and scooped out
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp. coarse ground garlic salt
• 2 tsp. red pepper sauce

1. Cook bacon until crisp, crumble and set aside.
2. Place potatoes in large saucepan, adding enough water to just cover potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 18-20 minutes, until just tender when pierced with a knife. Remove from heat, drain water and allow potatoes to cool.
3. Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out potato meat leaving a 1/4-inch layer around all the edges and bottom. Brush each potato bowl with oil. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Place on baking pan and cook in oven at 400ºF for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.
4. In a small bowl, coarsely mash avocados and combine with lemon juice, garlic salt and red pepper sauce.
5. To serve: Place about 1 tablespoon of the avocado mixture into each potato bowl. Top with additional bacon if desired.

For those fans that want to include a simple guacamole in their Big Game Day food line up, "Classic Guacamole" is a quick and delicious dish that is perfect to snack on while watching the championship game.

Classic Guacamole
Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 4 ripe, fresh Hass avocados, peeled and pitted
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tomato, diced
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• ¼ cup diced red onion
• ¼ tsp. ground cumin
• 5 Jalapeño chiles or Serrano chiles, minced;
  3 of the chiles seeded
• Salt and chile powder, to taste

1. In a large bowl, coarsely mash avocados and combine with lemon juice.
2. Add the remaining ingredients to the avocado mixture, stirring until combined.
3. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and serve with tortilla chips.

About HAB
The Hass Avocado Board (HAB) was established in 2002 after approval by producers and importers of Hass avocados in a national referendum. A 12-member Board administers the program. Over 20,000 producers and 100 importers are involved in the HAB, which covers fresh domestic and imported Hass avocados sold in the U.S. market.

Editor's note: A high-resolution image of this recipe is available for download at www.avocadocentral.com.