I LOVE Bacon

I LOVE Bacon!

It seems like everything is better with bacon. Add to a sandwich, salad, any egg dish. Bacon is the starting point for most chowders. What would spinach salad be without bacon. Vosges makes Mo's Chocolate Bar, which is a milk chocolate, applewood smoked bacon candy bar. I'm not quite sure that is appealing to me.

My favaorite bacon is Niman Ranch Applewood Smoked bacon. I buy it at Trader Joe's for $4.79/12oz. This bacon is full of flavor and when your food has lots of flavor you are satisfied with less food and the result (should be) that you eat less.

I used to hate to fry bacon, all that messy cleanup of pan and stove but I learned a "Good Thing" from Martha Stewart and now roast it in the oven. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with foil. Place bacon on foil and roast in 375 degree oven for about 12-15 minutes or until it is done. I usually forget about it and don't even turn the slices. The slices remain straight and do not curl up. Clean up is a cinch, just toss the foil.

A local guru of all things good to eat, Ari Weinzweig of Zingerman's Deli fame, wrote a book about bacon.

Last night I made this corn chowder, a Martha Stewart recipe. Click here for the recipe. You begin preparation with several slices of bacon. Be sure to use fresh thyme for great flavor.

I LOVE this recipe for potato salad with bacon and barbecue sauce. Click here for the Food & Wine Magazine recipe.

One more recipe, based on a Martha Stewart recipe for Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes

3 medium sweet potatoes (1 1/2 to 2 lbs)

4 oz smoked bacon

2 Tablespoon butter, divided

2 shallots, minced

1 teaspoon minced, fresh rosemary

cream or milk (optional)

2 oz Gruyere cheese, finely grated, plus more for garnish

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Bake sweet potatoes in 375 degree oven for about 50 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. Cool slightly

Roast bacon on foil lined pan in 375 degree oven for about 12 -15 minutes. Drain on paper towel to cool slightly and then roughly chop.

Melt 1 Tablespoon butter in small skillet and saute shallots about 2 minutes and then add rosemary and cook 1 minute more.

Slice potatoes lengthwise and scoop out flesh leaving about 1/4 inch border around potato halves. Set aside. Using electric mixer, beat potato with remaining 1 Tablespoon butter. When smooth, add reserved shallot mixture and Gruyere.

Fill potato shells with this potato mixture and bake in 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with reserved bacon and rosemary and Gruyere garnish.

Enjoy and get your bacon fix!