‘LAM FINALLY ALLOWED TO EAT!’ After years of strict dieting for skating, the Olympian indulges (mmm, bacon!) on his new cooking show BY AMY ELISA KEITH ohear figure skater Brian, Boitano tell it, those four US. National titles, two World Champi- onships.and 1988 Olympic gold medal he won never should have happened. jost male skaters are 8°3 2" says the 5'11" Boitano, “Compared to them, I vwas a giant, with biglegs and aboo- ty. Judges were always telling me to lose weight—and I worried they'd ignore my talent because of it.” ‘And so the skater resorted to drastic diets to slim down to 156 Ibs. “[ would eat shredded wheat, pour nonfat milk on it to get it soggy— and then pour the milk off to save m Photographs by DIANA KOENIGSBERGCHICKEN PAELLA BURGERS © 1b. ground chicken © Alb. fresh chorizo sausage, meat removed from casing “Alb. bay scallops, chopped © 1 tbsp. tomato paste © 3 cloves garlic, chopped «© 2 tbsp. chopped parsley « Salt and ground black pepper © Oil, for grill © 20 mini rolls «Butter lettuce = Plum tomatoes, sliced For spicy pimente mayo: © Tcup mayonnaise © 1tsp. chili powder «© 2 tbsp. lemon ju © 1@-0z,) jar pimentos, finely chopped, juice reserved 1. Combine all burger ingredi- cents up to the pepper in a large bowl; mix well. Form into patties about 2 inches in diameter and place onto a platter with waxed paper. Cover and place in refrig- erator until ready to gril 2. Combine all ingredients for spicy pimento mayo in small bowl, Mix well until blended. 5. Preheat grill to medium-high Oil grill grates. Grill burgers for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve ‘on rolls with lettuce, tomato and spicy pimento mayo. TIA september21,2009 PEOPLE te omer ro eee So Coe calories;"he says. He also once dropped 10 Ibs. in three days by eating only pickled beets, plain tuna and grape- fruit, andeven tried one meal of mush- room caps filled with diet grape jelly. “Ttwas crazy, Iknow, and I don'tadvo- cate it,” says Boitano, 45, “But I think the creativity Thad with foodback then made an impact.” ‘Whether it's positive impact is for Food Network viewers to decide: On ‘Aug. 23 the cable channel debuted a new cooking show hosted by the skat- er—set in his three-story San Fran- ciscohome—called What Would Brian Boitano Make? (The title is anod to the song“What Would Brian Boitano Do?” from the 1999 film South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut) Although Boitano isn’t a trained chef, “his cooking was as savvy and effortless as his skating,” says Bob Tuschman, senior vice president of programming at Food Network. “I thought, ‘Boitano just scored another show my goo personality” 10:” Forhis part Boitano—who on the show whips up everything from bacon bourbon martinis to pork chops with gravy-is thrilled that he is “finally allowed to eat!” Amonghis new favor- ites: barbecued brisket, braised short ribs and breakfast at IHOP. Rest assured, this doesn’t mean Boitano is aiming to look like Will Ferrell in Blades of Glory. He still skates two hours every morning and will perform in four TV specials this winter. This schedule doesn’t leave much time for dating (‘I'm single right now” is all he'll say), but Boitano says he’s con- tenthostingregular game nights—he's awizat Taboo—for friends. And although his pals have come to rely on Boitano for a good, home- cooked meal, the skater provides another valuable service. “I'm the first call for them at Halloween,” he says. “They’llaskif have pirate costume, and/I'll say, ‘No, but I do have an Elvis one with stirrups!” @