Even if I didn’t love just about everything I’ve made from her books, this recipe alone would be more than enough to make me bow down to the barefoot contessa and proclaim myself eternally grateful.
First, bacon roasted in the oven – who knew?
Second, bacon with maple syrup?
Genius! I have added a wee, tiny bit of seasoning, but credit where credit is due, peeps.
We’re having folk over for a StewFest this weekend – everyone brings a stew to share – and I was looking for something to offer along side all those steaming pots o’ stuff.
A salad seemed like just the thing, but not a plain old lettuce salad, not even a Winter Fruit Salad, I decided to make a green lentil salad with spinach, blue cheese, cherry vinaigrette, and bacon. Salad details to come, for now, let’s deal with the bacon.
INGREDIENTS
•1 pkg bacon – I like uncured
•Paprika
•Gateway to the North Maple Seasoning – a blend I love from The Spice House. Feel free to use your favorite barbecue seasoning, or none at all
•2 tbsp maple syrup – I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: use the real thing, not some ‘flavored’ crap. If you can find it, Grade B is usually cheaper, and quite good for use in cooking and baking.
Heat your oven to 400º.
Lay the bacon out on a rack in a foil-lined pan, then sprinkle and brush on whichever seasonings you like – a bit of garlic powder would probably be a good thing.
Pop the bacon into the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, just until the bacon begins to brown nicely, then remove from the oven and turn the slices over. The contessa warns about sloshing bacon grease at this point, but I never seem to get that much. Still, forewarned is forearmed…
Sprinkle and brush additional seasonings on the flip side, and pop it back into the oven for another 6 minutes or so.
Pull the bacon out of the oven, brush with the maple syrup, and back into the oven for another 3 to 5 minutes.
Serve the bacon warm, or, try not to eat it all as you let it cool, then stash it in the fridge for your salad.