This recipe is extremely simple (two ingredients), ready in 45 minutes, doesn't require much prep (you can even ask any guest coming in early to lend a hand to you in this. Also, everyone is sure to love it because it's simple, delicious and has bacon!
A little background about me: I'm the type to host get-togethers and have fresh hot food for my guests. I really love to cook and try to jam pack my menu with as much variety and finger foods as possible so that my guests can be full in addition to having a good time.
You can thank my Russian background - the sign of a good host (and good wife) is her ability to fill a dinner table with ample amounts of home made food. Since I was raised here and not all of my friends enjoy Russian cuisine, I've been trying to do the same using North American cuisine. Cue the bacon!
Ingredients:
1 package of bacon of choice (12-14 slices usually) cut cross-wise
24-28 small potatoes
Toothpicks
NOTE: You can always cook the potatoes alone without the bacon using the same method and serve alongside sour cream sprinkled with chives (for vegetarians) OR even vegan approved BBQ sauce for your vegan guests. Or use two different baking sheets and serve both to appease both the meat and tree lovers!
Instructions:
Soak toothpicks in ice water beforehand (this will prevent burning in the oven).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Wrap each bacon piece around a potato and secure with a toothpick.
Place in a baking dish and bake until bacon is crisp and potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, approximately 45 to 50 minutes.
Serve with toothpicks as an appetizer or remove toothpicks to serve as a side dish!
And that's it! Can it get any more simple than that? This frees your hands for close to an hour during which you can tackle some other appetizers to fill your table with. If you want to get REAL crafty, serve the appetizer with sour cream as a dip. This way guests can experience a mock-reverse baked potato - neat huh?
Let me know how you like it, how your friends liked it and ultimately how easy you found to replicate this dish! Please subscribe to Linda's Study if you want to continue seeing more posts like this.
Cheers and Bon Appetit (or Priyatnovo Apetita in Russian),
Linda Kamaev