Rosemary-Bacon Sweet Potato Biscuits.

we’ve made this a trillion times for breakfast. it’s based on the recipe here, which is great, but we’ve simplified and also quadrupled it in our own fashion.

ingredients:
4 sweet potato
4 slices bacon
1 tbsp dried rosemary
3 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
pepper
8 tbsp (ish) almond meal

1) heat the oven to 400. wrap the sweet potatoes in foil and pierce, then bake for 70-80 minutes; you want them to be soft by the end. take them out and let them cool. if you are going to make the biscuits right away, you can lower the temp to 375 here.

2) while the potatoes cool, dice the bacon and fry it good.

3) empty the sweet potatoes into a big mixing bowl; discard the skins. add the diced bacon along some of the rendered fat – maybe about half of what is in the pan.

4) mix the sweet potatoes with bacon fat and bacon; add all the other ingredients and mix well. the mixture should be smooth but not overly runny – it should hold its shape on a spoon reasonably well. (i used to use 4 eggs, but i think 3 helps this better. also, you can add more or less almond meal to help with the texture here).

5) using a big spoon, form your biscuits on two sil-pats on baking sheets. bake in the oven for 25 minutes, switching racks halfway through.

6) let cool and eat! this makes a LOT of biscuits, and i think freezing some is what we’ll try next time.

Mussels with Beer and Bacon.

mussels are the awesomest. and this easy way to prepare them, taken from here, is very easy and very solid.

4 strips of bacon, diced
1-2 large shallots, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
3/4 cup new belgium trippel
2 lbs. fresh mussels, beards removed
2 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper
optional parsley

1) in a large pot, cook the bacon until crisp, then remove and set aside.

2) cook the shallots and garlic in the bacon fat for about 5 minutes, until shallots are soft and garlic begins to brown.

3) add the thyme and beer, scraping the bottom of the pan. as the beer begins to bubble, reduce heat to medium low, add mussels, and cover.

4) after about 5 minutes, remove the lid and take out any mussels that have opened. then cover for about five more minutes, and do the same. toss the closed mussels.

5) whisk the mustard into the beer, then add salt and pepper to taste. then toss the sauce over the mussels with the bacon and parsley, if using it.

6) eat! and get some bread – a good-sized baguette – to soak up the cooking liquid.

Sweet Potato Spinach Turkey Burgers.

we just discovered these from here, and they are pretty sensational. here’s sort of where we’re at with it:

3 slices bacon, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 green onions, diced
2 cups spinach, diced (i think i used about 1/3 to 1/2 of a bunch)
1 med. sweet potato, shredded in your food processor
1 lb. ground turkey or chicken
1 tsp salt
1 clove garlic
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp dried rosemary
1-2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp almond flour (plus whatever else you might need to add)

1) fry the diced bacon in a big saucepan, then remove with slotted spoon.

2) saute the onion in the fat until transparent. then add the shredded sweet potato and cook, stirring regularly, for about 20 minutes or so.

3) while that happens, chop the spinach finely.

4) when the potatoes have cooked enough, mix all the ingredients together. i used an extra egg when i made it, because i felt the mixture didn’t hold together enough. i also probably added some almond flour too.

5) cook dem burgers. i baked in the oven on silpats, probably 8 minutes per side at 400 or so. carla is frying them on the stove with some oil, which also works. then eat and they are delicious.

Bacon Corn Hash

We got this from Smitten Kitchen and it proved to be a delicious breakfast. David is especially keen on the corn included in this recipe.

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Note: I used 3 small ears corn, which yielded 2 cups but wanted more corn. So, the recipe below reflects the suggestion that you use more than you’ll see in the photos. Raw potatoes cubes can take a bit of time to cook in a pan, about 20 minutes, but you can speed the process up microwaving or steaming the cubes for a couple minutes before adding them to the pan. I never bother, since I’m always trying to use as few dishes as possible.

Makes 4 to 5 cups

1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, cut into small dice
1 pound red potatoes, scrubbed clean and diced into 1/4- to 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 to 3 1/4 cups)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 medium-large ears corn, kernels cut from the cob (2 1/2 to 3 cups)
1 bundle scallions, thinly sliced

Toss bacon into a large skillet over medium heat, no need to heat the pan first. Let rest for a few minutes until it starts sizzling, then move the bits around so that they begin to brown evenly. Again, wait a couple minutes before shuffling the pieces around; you’re looking for them to get evenly golden and crisp. This should take about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon bits with a slotted spoon, leaving the drippings in the pan and transferring the bacon to paper towels to drain.

If your bacon is like mine, you’ll be left with a spectacular amount of fat behind. You’ll be tempted to drain it off. May I ask you not to? The potatoes that cook in this will be gorgeous and you will have a chance to remove this extra in a bit. It will mostly stay in the pan.

Heat the pan to medium/medium-high, making sure the bacon fat is nicely sizzly, then add your potatoes all at once in a single layer. Sprinkle them with 1/2 teaspoon table salt and several grinds of black pepper. Let them cook for a few minutes in one place and get a bit golden underneath before turning them over and moving them around. Repeat this process until the potatoes are browned on all sides; this takes about 20 minutes.

At this point, you can push aside the potatoes and pour or spoon off all but a small amount of the fat. I won’t tell you how much I was able to remove but it rhymes with shmoo to shmee shmablespoons. If you save it, you can use it to fry an egg in a bit.

Bump up the heat a little and add the corn to the skillet. Saute the potatoes and corn together until the corn gets a bit brown but stays fairly crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the drained bacon, and stir the mixture together until it’s evenly warm, about 1 more minute. Remove the skillet from the burner and sprinkle the scallions (reserving a couple spoonfuls if you’d like to use them as fried egg garnish) over the hash. In two minutes, they should be warm and mellowed. Season with more salt or pepper to taste, if needed.

Add a fried egg to it: Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat and swirl in one to two teaspoons bacon fat or butter. Crack one egg into the skillet and reduce heat to medium. I like to cover the skillet with a small lid at this point, as it seems to help the egg cook faster and more evenly. In one minute, you should have a perfect sunny-side-up egg. Season with salt and pepper, serve on top of a pile of bacon corn hash.

Kolacky.

My great-grandmother’s recipe; to try when back in Denver:

Combine in a bowl:
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt

Mix with fork or hands until mixture is crumbly.

In another bowl, beat the following:
3 egg yolks
3 tbsp cold water
3 tbsp vinegar
After beaten together, mix in 1 cup flour.

Combine the two mixtures in a bowl, and refrigerate overnight.

Roll out portions of dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut out shapes and fill centers; bake at 350-375 for 22 minutes.