Pork spareribs, smoked sausage, and cured bacon are slowly cooked in a bed of sauerkraut to tender perfection. Choucroute garnie, a traditional specialty of the Alsace region of France, reflects its German heritage. Steaming platters of sauerkraut are piled high with a variety of hearty sausages, cured meats, and cooked potatoes.There is no exact recipe for this dish, rather just some methods that are commonly followed to create the classic meal.

I stumbled on to this dish while looking for different methods to cook pork spareribs.  I actually found a version of this recipe on the BBQ Pit Boys web site, where the meat was smoked before finishing in the kraut.  As a kid I remembered my mother would often cook pork ribs with sauerkraut until they were falling off the bone.  I decided to give the recipe a try the next time I had company as it does make a rather large amount which is perfect for sharing (kind of an Alsatian version of a crab boil).

I cut the racks in to two rib chunks, and started them on the grill along with the sausage to get a little color.

Choucroute garnie is French for sauerkraut, so that is where I started.  I mixed the contents of a large jar of kraut, liquid and all with half a head of shredded cabbage, a diced onion, and a sliced granny smith apple.  I cut the sausage and the uncooked bacon into one inch pieces and tossed them in with the kraut, adding some caraway and a bit of salt and pepper.  I filled a roasting pan with about half of the kraut and then laid the ribs, bones down, followed by the rest of the kraut.  I then poured an entire beer in to the pan.  The classic French version calls for a Riesling, but since I am part Czech I went with pivo.

I covered the pan with foil and placed it in the oven for about an hour.  I removed the pan from the oven and carefully pulled the foil back (steam is hot), and laid some small potatoes and carrots on top of the kraut. Then I replaced the foil and put the pan back in the oven for another hour (the steam from the kraut and the beer perfectly cook the potatoes).  At the end of the second hour, I removed the foil and baked for another thirty minutes to get a little bit of color on the spuds.  In the end the ribs were fall-off the bone tender and everything else was moist and incredibly flavorful.

To serve I placed the kraut in a big pile on a platter and topped it with the ribs and potatoes,  kinda like a crab boil.

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Pork Ribs with Kraut ~ Choucroute Garnie

Pork spareribs, smoked sausage, and cured bacon are slowly cooked in a bed of sauerkraut to tender perfection. Choucroute garnie, a traditional specialty of the Alsace region of France, reflects its German heritage.

Course Main Course

Cuisine German

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 3 hours hours

Servings 12 People

Ingredients

Ingredients

• 2 pounds pork spareribs cut into 2 rib pieces
• 1 smoked sausage
• 3 strips cured bacon
• 1 14 oz. jar sauerkraut
• ½ head of cabbage shredded
• 1 large onion diced
• 1 granny smith apple cored and sliced (2 if they are small)
• 2 teaspoons caraway seed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 beer your choice plus more for drinking
• 1 pound baby potatoes
• 4 large carrots cut into 2″ chunks
• handful of fresh parsley

Instructions

• Heat oven to 350º F.
• Cut ribs into 2 rib pieces and grill along with the sausage to get some color on the meat (do not worry about cooking through).
• Cut grilled sausage and uncooked bacon in to 1″ chunks.
• In a large bowl mix kraut, cabbage, onion, apple, sausage, bacon, and caraway. Add half of the kraut mixture to a large roasting pan, followed by the ribs (bones down) and the rest of the kraut. Pour entire beer over pan. Cover with foil and place in the oven for 1 hour.
• At the end of 1 hour, pull foil back carefully and place potatoes and carrots on top of the kraut. Cover with foil and return to the oven for another hour. Remove foil and roast for about 30 minutes or until potatoes just begin to brown.
• Place kraut in the middle of a large serving platter and top with ribs, potatoes, and carrots. Sprinkle with some fresh parsley.

Notes

There is no exact recipe for this dish. These are the ingredients and the selection of meats I used. This recipe can easily be expanded to feed a large group, and the selection of meat can be changed to your personal taste. This dish can also be prepared entirely on the grill. Instead of using an oven, place roasting pan over indirect heat and grill with the lid closed.

Mashed potatoes mixed together with sautéed cabbage and onions create this traditional Irish dish know simply as Colcannon. With an amazing depth of flavor and textures, these potatoes are remarkable light, fluffy, and delicious.  There are many versions of these potatoes, some using kale in place of cabbage, while others call for leek, garlic, or scallion. Customarily eaten in the fall when cabbage and kale are in season, I believe Colcannon would make an outstanding and interesting addition to the Thanksgiving table. I have also added this to my list of signature side dishes, along with my Blue Cheese & Bacon Stuffed Onion should I ever open a steak house.

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Colcannon

Mashed potatoes mixed together with sautéed cabbage and onions create this traditional Irish dish know simply as Colcannon. With an amazing depth of flavor and textures, these potatoes are remarkable light, fluffy, and delicious.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Irish

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 12

Author Christoph

Ingredients

• 3 - 4 large russet potatoes peeled, cubed, and boiled
• 3 Tablespoon butter
• 2 Tablespoon milk or half-n-half
• 4 - 5 strips bacon crisped and crumbled (optional)
• 1/2 small head of cabbage cored and thinly sliced
• 1/2 onion thinly sliced
• 3 - 4 cloves garlic finely diced
• 3 Tablespoons fresh parsley rough chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Peel, cube, and cook potatoes in a pot of boiling water until fork tender.
• Crisp bacon in a large skillet. When cooked remove and place on a paper towel. Crumble bacon when cool enough to handle.
• Reserve fat in the skillet.
• Add cabbage and onion to the skillet with the bacon fat and sauté over medium heat until onions become translucent.
• Add garlic and cook for another minute. Remove from heat.
• Drain potatoes and rice them into a large mixing bowl. Add butter and milk, whip potatoes until smooth (add milk only as needed for consistency).
• Fold in cabbage and onion mixture, two-thirds of the bacon, and parsley.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Transfer Colcannon into a serving dish and top with some butter, and the remaining bacon. Garnish with some fresh ground black pepper, and parsley.

Notes

As mentioned there are many versions of this dish, this is my just my spin. Spinach or Kale makes an excellent ingredient for a variation. Colcannon however should be light and fluffy. I use my potato ricer for best results.

Tender garnet yams and Granny Smith apples create an interesting combination in this savory and sweet hash. Bits of crisped bacon, onion, and pepitas complete the dish by adding an amazing depth of flavors and textures to this colorful and delicious fall hash.

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Sweet Potato Hash with Apples & Bacon

Tender garnet yams and Granny Smith apples create an interesting combination in this savory and sweet hash. Bits of crisped bacon, onion, and pepitas complete the dish by adding an amazing depth of flavors and textures to this colorful and delicious fall hash.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Holiday

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 12

Ingredients

• 2 garnet yams peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 4 - 6 slices thick cut bacon cut into lardons
• 1 large onion cut in 1/2-inch dice
• 2 Granny Smith apples cored and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 4 scallions white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup green pumpkin seeds pepitas, toasted

Instructions

• Heat oven to 400° F.
• In a large bowl, add the sweet potatoes, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss to evenly coat the sweet potatoes.
• Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast the sweet potatoes for about 10 – 15 minutes or until they are soft but not mushy. Remove from the oven and set off to the side.
• In a dry skillet over medium-high heat toast the pepitas until they have taken on some color.
• Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the bacon and place the pan over medium heat to slowly render the fat.
• When the bacon has started to get crispy and brown, add the onions, season with salt and saute until the onions are very soft and aromatic.
• Add the apples and the scallion whites and saute for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Stir in the sweet potatoes, and saute until the sweet potatoes are cooked through and starting to become crispy, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with the scallion greens and pumpkin seeds.

Notes

By adding some sage, thyme and dried cranberries, this dish would make a fantastic side dish on Thanksgiving table.

The “mother of all comfort foods”, would be one way to describe this dish, or a “skillet of pure love” might be another. Creamy macaroni and cheese, poured into a flaky pie crust, topped with a woven lattice of bacon, and baked until bubbling, golden, and crisp, now what is there possibly not to like about that? nothing I say. This bad boy has definitely secured a slot on my favorite comfort foods list. I know, I know, while this golden goddess of goodness has ranked high on my charts, it is possible it will never appear on the Eat to Win list. But hey, every once in a while is OK, just remember one of my favorite mantras, “Everything in moderation…………..including moderation”.

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Mac-n-Cheese Pie with Bacon Lattice

Creamy macaroni and cheese, poured into a flaky pie crust, topped with a woven lattice of bacon, and baked until bubbling, golden, and crisp.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Pub Fare

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 3 Tablespoons flour
• ½ cup half-n-half
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 2 dashes of Tabasco sauce optional
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups cheese grated (cheddar, jack, Gruyère, or any combo you like)
• ½ cup onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper diced (optional)
• 1 pound pasta (which ever shape you prefer)
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 pie crust
• 1 pound bacon divided

Instructions

• Heat oven to 425°F.
• Start by making a béchamel or basic white sauce in a large sauce pan over medium heat, with butter, flour, half-n-half and milk.
• When sauce is a thick, add mustard powder, tabasco, and black pepper (I avoided using salt, since there is plenty in the cheese and bacon).
• Add cheese a bit at a time, allowing it to melt as you go.
• Reduce heat and hold on low (if sauce appears too thick, you can add a bit more milk or half-n-half to thin).
• Bring a stock pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for about 8 minutes or slightly el dente.
• Drain, but do not rinse, and add to the cheese sauce. Stir to combine.
• In another skillet crisp 3 – 4 strips of bacon. Remove cooked bacon from pan and place on a paper towel to drain. Crumble and hold aside.
• Add the diced onions and jalapeno to the bacon drippings and cook until onions become translucent. Add garlic and cook for about one minute to bloom.
• Remove from skillet with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Add to the mac-n-cheese mixture.
• Roll out pie crust and place in a cast iron skillet or pie pan. With a fork prick the bottom and sides of the crust. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until lightly golden.
• Add panko bread crumbs to the mac-n-cheese, mix and pour into the pie shell.
• Use eight strips of bacon, four each direction to weave a lattice top. Be careful not to stretch the bacon when weaving the lattice, this will reduce the amount of shrinkage.
• Place back in the hot oven, and bake for 15 – 20 minutes, or until bacon is crisp and the cheese is bubbling.
• Allow to rest for 5 – 8 minutes before digging in.

Serve

• Serve with a side of lightly dressed salad.

Notes

Use whatever mac-n-cheese recipe is your favorite. While I believe that things made from scratch are better, this recipe can easily be put together using a refrigerated pie crust, and some packaged mac-n-cheese.

Whenever we entertain a group of people at our house, I like to serve finger foods. Whether it’s for an afternoon cocktail party, a sporting event, movie night, or a holiday gathering, I find that our friends always enjoy being treated to appetizers.  Guests truly seem to love grazing on a spread of tasty dishes that require no silverware, grabbing another bite of this or that while keeping their hands free for the important things, like an icy cold adult beverage.

I had purchased a bag of tiny yellow potatoes with the intention of making a potato salad.  As I stared at the bag of small spuds on the counter, I kept wondering how could I do something different, instead of just another big bowl of salad that requires plates and forks.  Then it occurred to me to try using the same method as I would for deviled eggs, which are always a hit, why not make Deviled Potatoes?  Well they turned out fantastic, a huge hit, a virtual breakthrough in appetizers!  Potato salad as a finger food, now who would not like this?  While this will be a perfect game day treat, I can hardly wait for barbecue season to get underway.

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Deviled Potatoes

A cousin to the deviled egg, these bit size treats are filled with your favorite potato salad

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 2 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 pound tiny round potatoes not fingerlings
• 3 hard boiled eggs
• 4 green onions
• 3 strips of bacon crisped & crumbled
• 1 jalapeno pepper finely diced (optional)
• 3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 Tablespoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

• Boil potatoes in a pot of salted water for about 12 minutes or until just tender, do not overcook (test with knife). Drain potatoes and plunge into cold water to stop the cooking process (You want the potatoes to be cooked through but a little on the firm side). When cool cut potatoes in half with a sharp knife.
• Using a melon baller or small spoon, carefully scoop out the inside of the potatoes, like you would for potato skins. Be careful not to dig too deep. Place the scoopings in a mixing bowl large enough to prepare the filling.
• Slice the eggs in half. Remove the yolks and place them into a small mixing bowl or measuring cup (I mix the yolks in with my salad dressing, it makes it creamier).
• Dice the eggs whites, and thinly slice the white portion of the green onion (we will use the green part for garnish).
• Seed and finely dice the jalapeno.
• Add egg, onion, jalapeno, and crumbled bacon (reserve some for garnish) to the potatoes and toss well.
• Add the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, and dry spices to the eggs yolks and mix into a creamy dressing. Add more mayo or vinegar as needed for consistency. Season with salt and pepper (go easy on the salt, you can always add more after the salad is mixed).
• Pour the salad dressing over the potato mixture and toss well to coat.
• With a spoon or small knife, fill the potatoes as you would deviled eggs (It does not work very well to pipe these, the salad is a bit to chunky).
• Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Serve

• Garnish with remaining bacon crumbles, chives or thinly slice green onion, and a dusting of paprika or chili powder.

Notes

This is the recipe I made for a one pound bag of tiny potatoes which contained about fourteen or 28 halves.

Feel free to adapt this into your gangs favorite by adding any ingredients that you normally like to use in your potato salad.

You have been busy planning your Thanksgiving meal for weeks. You’ve looked at literally hundreds of recipes from food bloggers, and poured through cook books deciding what to prepare. Your orders have been picked up from the local butchers, and hopefully frozen turkeys are thawed. You have been on the phone with relatives that will be arriving for the holiday, and discussed favorite family dishes that must be included on your table. Laundry is done, and guest rooms are prepared. Groceries have been purchased, and the wine has been secured. You have thought of everything. Right? Well what are you planning to serve your house guests for breakfast? As if there was not already enough to consider. Whatever it is, you need it to be painless, you already have enough to manage. Well this easy cheesy bacon and egg strada is the answer. Made with a just few simple ingredients and held in the fridge overnight, all you have to do is pop it in the oven in the morning. This breakfast bake is simply delicious, and will keep your family satisfied so you can get about your business.

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Cheesy Bacon and Egg Strada

Delicious egg bake with bacon and cheese. Perfect for house guests. Prepared the night before all you have to do is pop in the oven in the morning.

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine French

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 8 slices bread cubed (Use bagels, bread, dinner rolls, or any combination)
• 2 cups cheddar cheese grated
• 1/2 pound bacon crumbled
• 1/2 pound mushrooms sliced (optional)
• 8 eggs
• 4 c. milk
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• pinch of salt bacon usually adds enough salt

Instructions

• Mix milk, eggs, salt, pepper, dry mustard and set aside.
• Heat a sauce pan over medium heat.  Add a tablespoon of olive oil and tablespoon of butter. When shimmering add the mushrooms and cook until liquor is released. This prevent your dish from being too wet. Allow to cool before adding to your dish.
• Lightly coat a baking dish with oil or non-stick spray.
• Place half of the bread in the dish.
• Spread bacon, mushrooms, and a third of the cheese over bread.
• Cover with remaining bread and sprinkle the rest of the cheese over top.
• Pour liquid carefully over the dish.
• Cover and place in the fridge for 12 hours or overnight.
• In the morning heat oven to 350° F. Remove strada from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for thirty minutes while oven heats.
• Place baking dish in the oven and bake for 50 – 60 minutes or until center is firm and the top is golden brown. Allow to cool for five minutes before serving.

Serving

• Try serving your strada with a roasted red pepper hollandaise. To do so, prepare a basic hollandaise sauce, and add a couple of tablespoons of diced roasted red pepper. Or if your people like it spicy, add some Ajvar, salsa, or Sriracha for a little kick.

Notes

Strada or Strata is a great recipe for holiday guests. It is extremely easy to make and can be adjusted for any size and any taste. Use sausage instead of bacon, or omit the meat all together and make a veggie version. Also you can use any bread for this dish, leftover dinner rolls work great!

Strada has absolutely nothing to do with Erik Estrada, although he may have eaten this dish since he played a cop, and everyone knows cops like breakfast. (Sorry the voices in my head made me do it). 

I love onions. All kinds and in almost any application, however I must confess I was a bit leery about this one. I had seen this concept a few times, prepared in varying manners, but it just seemed like even for me it might be too much onion. Well I finally got around to making these grilled blue cheese and bacon stuffed onions, and am here to tell you, I am a fool. The time I have wasted not enjoying this delight is really a shame.

The tender mellow flavor of the roasted onion melts together perfectly with the blue cheese and bacon to create a side dish that is out of this world. If I had a steak house, this little gem would certainly be one of the choices marked as “house specialties”, right along with twice baked sweet potatoes and corn souffle.

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Grilled Blue Cheese & Bacon Stuffed Onions

The tender mellow flavor of the roasted onion melts together perfectly with the blue cheese and bacon to create a side dish that is out of this world.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Steak House

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Author Christoph

Ingredients

• 4 large-sized sweet onions Vidalia, Maui sweets, sweet yellows
• 1 stick butter room temperature
• 2/3 cup blue cheese crumbled
• 4 strips bacon crisped and crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme crushed
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Trim the ends off of the onions, and peel. Using a melon baller or small spoon, scoop out the inside of the onion to create a cavity. (Be careful not to dig all the way through the bottom).
• In a small bowl mix together butter, cheese, bacon, and thyme. Season lightly with salt and pepper. (Blue cheese is a bit salty so go easy).
• Using a spatula or small spoon, stuff the mixture into the onions, completely filling the center.
• Place each onion on a square of aluminum foil. Draw foil up to create a sealed pouch. (Keep the foil from touching the sides of the onion, and make sure the top is sealed to hold in steam).
• Heat your grill on high. Reduce heat to medium low and place the foil pouches directly over the heat. Close the lid of the grill and cook for 30 - 40 minutes. (Cooking time will vary upon size of onions). Resist the temptation to open the grill and the pouches.
• Remove from grill and allow to stand for a full 5 minutes before opening the pouches. (Caution, the steam from the pouches will be hot).
• Using tongs or a spoon carefully transfer the onion onto a plate or bowl. Use a spoon to drizzle any remaining butter from the bottom of the pouch over the onion.

Notes

I was complete amazed how the cheese did not "run away" and how the onion took on such a mild flavor. I hope you will give this one a try, I really think you will like it.

One of my favorite methods for cooking vegetables would have to be roasting. The delicately browned outside layer, along with the tender inside create an amazing explosion of both texture and flavors, and this dish is no exception. This colorful combination pares the slightly sharp flavor of Brussels sprouts with the natural sweetness of yams, balancing it perfectly with the goodness of bacon. The flavors of this dish truly announce that fall is in the air, and I am now thinking this one most likely will grace the Thanksgiving table at our house this year.

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Yams with Bacon

This colorful combination pares the slightly sharp flavor of Brussels sprouts with the natural sweetness of yams, balancing it perfectly with the goodness of bacon.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Holiday

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author Christoph

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh Brussels Sproutsm trimmed and halved
• 1½ pounds of yamsm peeled and cut into 1″ pieces
• 6 cloves garlicm sliced
• toasted walnutsm optional
• ½ pound bacon
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Heat oven to 400° F. Brown the bacon in a large skillet over medium high heat. Crumble the bacon and hold to the side. Reserve the renderings.
• Prepare the Brussels spouts, yams, and garlic. Place the vegetables in a large roasting pan. Add olive oil to the bacon fat. Mix and pour over dish. Toss well to coat
• Roast uncovered for about 30 minutes, remove from the oven and stir well. Return to the oven for another 20 – 30 minutes or until the yams are slightly browned and fork tender.
• Remove from the oven and toss in the crumbled bacon.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Notes

Red pepper flake or chili powder would also make a welcome addition to this dish for those of you who like things a bit of spicy.

You can also omit bacon and increase olive oil to keep this dish vegetarian.

A sumptuous bacon and egg cup perched high on top puff pastry and fresh tomato, served with steamed asparagus and hollandaise sauce, “Eggs Vivian” is the brunch dish dreams are made of.It is possible that you have never heard of a dish called eggs Vivian. You might have heard of fabergé eggs created by designer Vivian Alexander that are also works of art, but that is not where I got the name for my masterpiece. The inspiration for this delight was my mothers’, mothers’, sister, my great Aunt Vivian.

Born in 1897, Vivian spent her working years as a teacher, and by the time I was five years of age, was already an old woman. Upon her retirement, Vivian who had never married, moved to be close to her sister and our family. As a treat, from time to time she would invite us children, usually one at a time, to spend the weekend with her. We would have a wonderful time playing educational games like Authors, the 50 states, reading books, helping solve crossword puzzles, and making mobius strips. Things that would send a child of today run away screaming. As an extra treat, sometimes for breakfast, she would make me her special bacon and egg cups. I had never seen them anywhere else and remember thinking how fancy they were.

Several years ago, my partner Kelly and I hosted Christmas in our home, and invited the entire family to come and stay. It was rather exciting, since our family had not all been together for a holiday for more than twenty years. I decked the halls and planned the menus. One morning for breakfast we served bacon and egg cups, and me being me, and somewhat silly, called the dish “eggs Vivian”. As we sat enjoying the marvelous meal, my youngest sister Rosemary asked why the name. I related my story of how our great Auntie would make them for me on my stay overs. With a saddened look on her face, she announced that Vivian had never made them for her. With an equally disappointed look on her face, my other sister Jennifer followed suit and mentioned she had never had them either. My mother, who was know to be Vivian’s favorite niece put down her fork, and in a disgusted tone blurted out that she never made them for her either. Thus the birth of eggs Vivian. Oh the joys of sharing at the holidays.

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Eggs Vivian

A sumptuous bacon and egg cup perched high on top puff pastry and fresh tomato, served with steamed asparagus and Hollandaise sauce, “Eggs Vivian” is the brunch dish dreams are made of.

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine American, French

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 6 strips bacon precooked halfway
• 1 sheet puff pastry dough
• 1 tomato sliced
• ½ pound asparagus steamed
• 2 cups hollandaise sauce

Instructions

• Heat oven to 400° F.
• Roll out puff pastry dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut shapes out of the dough and bake on a parchment covered baking sheet for 12 minutes, according to the directions.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon for 4-5 minutes or until about half way cooked.
• Lightly spray a muffin pan with non stick spray. Curl a strip of bacon into each cup, followed by an egg.
• Bake egg cups at 400° F for about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to stand for a few minutes before removing them from the pan. (The eggs will appear slightly under cooked but will set up quickly as they rest).

Serve

• Place a slice of tomato on the puff pastry and top with an egg cup. Serve with asparagus with Hollandaise sauce.

Notes

This is one dish I promise, that is certain to become a favorite in your house.

The post Egg & Bacon Cups ~ Eggs Vivian first appeared on James & Everett.]]> https://jamesandeverett.com/2012/08/26/egg-bacon-cups-eggs-vivian/feed/ 0 1281 https://jamesandeverett.com/2012/06/10/bacon-wrapped-tater-tots/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bacon-wrapped-tater-tots https://jamesandeverett.com/2012/06/10/bacon-wrapped-tater-tots/#comments Sun, 10 Jun 2012 14:30:26 +0000 https://jamesandeverett.com/?p=1015 Bacon and Tater tots, two of America’s favorite foods, together in one bite size nugget. This is probably the biggest break through since the invention of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. It is truly a “who put their tater tot in my bacon” or “who put their …

Bacon and Tater tots, two of America’s favorite foods, together in one bite size nugget. This is probably the biggest break through since the invention of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. It is truly a “who put their tater tot in my bacon” or “who put their bacon in my tater tot” situation.

Seriously, these bad boys are so good, they are better than good, they are “shut your front door” good. Trailer Trash ramaki at it’s best. Super easy to make on the grill, these tasty morsels are excellent as an appetizer at a backyard party, or as a side dish next to a burger. And I can hardly wait until tailgating season starts, move over little smokies.

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Bacon-Wrapped Tater Tots

Bacon and Tater tots, two of America's favorite foods, together in one bite size nugget. This is probably the biggest break through since the invention of the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. It is truly a "who put their tater tot in my bacon" or "who put their bacon in my tater tot" situation.

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 12 strips bacon cut in half
• 24 tater tots slightly thawed
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder cayenne pepper, or Cajun spice (optional)
• 2 jalapeno peppers cored and slivered (optional)

Instructions

• Spread tater tots out on a plate and allow to thaw about 15 minutes at room temperature. Cut the bacon strips in half.
• Loosely roll a strip of bacon around a tot with a sliver of jalapeno if desired. Be careful not to wrap the tot to tight as the bacon will tighten up around it as it cooks.
• Slide the wrapped tots onto a skewer leaving about an inch between them to allow the bacon to crisp on all sides.
• Place the skewers on a wire rack on top of a baking pan with an edge to catch the drippings.
• Sprinkle with chili powder, cayenne pepper, or Cajun spice if desired.
• Heat the grill on high then turn off one half. Place the pan of bacon-wrapped tater tots on the cold side of the grill and cook with the lid closed for 30 – 40 minutes, or until bacon is crisped. (grilling time varies depending on grills).
• Remove the tots from the skewers and serve.

Notes

The tots can also be baked in a 400 degree oven for about the same amount of time.

 

These little “food candies” will definitively be a hit, I promise! Caution: For your own safety, place the plate of tots on the table and get out-of-the-way!

 

Caution: For your own safety, place the plate of tots on the table and get out-of-the-way!  

The post Bacon-Wrapped Tater Tots first appeared on James & Everett.]]>