National Bacon Day
National Bacon Day!
National Bacon Day is Saturday, August 30! Just giving you a heads up in case you need to run to the grocery store and get some bacon to celebrate properly (using one of my delicious recipes below of course!).
Bacon is so versatile! Many of the recipes below use it to add another flavor and depth to the dish. Or it's the star of the meal like the BLT or wrapping a whole chicken in bacon.
Like I (or anyone else) really need an excuse for eating bacon, but the above are my favorite recipes with bacon! How do you like to eat your bacon? The Hubby says that I like it 'burned', but I actually like it crispy (floppy bacon--not my favorite!) not burned.
Jennifer is the chef behind a girl eats world. Head over for more recipes!
Bacon Sandwiches with Bourbon-Caramelized Onions and Feta
Oh, y'all.
Tonight, my brother and I found ourselves cooking a quick and simple supper that was so very good. We took my trusty cold-weather potato soup and livened it up with some amazing bacon sandwiches. The bourbon onions on the sandwiches (Little Brother's creative concoction!) were downright amazing, and added a little taste of Kentucky!
Bacon sandwiches with caramelized onions and feta cheese
- 6 slices bacon
- 2 medium white onions
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Bourbon
- Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
- Feta cheese crumbles
Caramelize the onions: Melt 1 tablespoon of butter over low heat in a saucepan. Add sliced onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover. Simmer until translucent and tender, 10-15 minutes. Remove cover, increase heat to medium. Add remaining tablespoon butter, brown sugar and a dash of pepper. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Add splash of bourbon, simmer another 5 minutes.
For each sandwich, use three slices of bacon. Cut each slice in half. Lay three of these pieces vertically side-to-side. Lay remaining pieces horizontally on top of the vertical slices and weave in an over-under design, creating a bread-shaped square of bacon. Place in a shallow baking dish lined with aluminum foil. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until brown and crispy.
On toasted sandwich bread, add a layer of feta cheese crumbles, a bacon square and caramelized onions.
Potato-leek soup
- 6-7 slices bacon
- 2 leeks, chopped (white and light green portion)
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 7-8 Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into quarters
- 64 oz box chicken broth
- 1/3 cup half-and-half
- Kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper
Cut bacon into lardons. Place in dutch oven over medium heat; cook until bacon is lightly browned and fat has rendered. Add leeks and garlic, cook until translucent (3-4 minutes). Add potatoes; let cook for 10-15 minutes. Add chicken broth (It's better to use homemade stock, but packaged broth will do in a pinch...) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let cook for about 25-30 minutes, until potatoes are soft. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Using an immersion blender (or a food processor), blend most of the soup, leaving a few chunks of potato. Add half-and-half and let cook another 10 minutes or so before serving. If leaving on the stove for a while, you may need to gradually add water to keep from thickening too much.