Bacon-Wrapped Potatoes

Got a party coming up and need some easy hors d'oeuvres? Try these little nuggets...use baby potatoes and wrap them in bacon! You can never go wrong with bacon, right? Even better, try adding different herbs or seasonings for unique flavors. Here I've used fresh rosemary sprigs but there's plenty of alternatives - sorrel, thyme, basil, cracked pepper. It's a superb comfort food in a tiny package!

Also, try different types of potatoes. In this batch there's a mix of red bliss and yukon gold but I'd bet some purple fingerlings would also work great because of the nutty flavor.

Ingredients:
2-3 lbs baby potatoes (no bigger than 1 1/4" diameter)
1 lb bacon
Short bamboo skewers or toothpicks (I cut some 6" skewers to about 2")
Rosemary sprigs (or some other herb)

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Don't salt it - the bacon will provide enough. Boil the potatoes until just past parboil stage (not fully cooked). Meanwhile, line a baking sheet or deep dish with foil (remember that the bacon grease will drip so have a catch lip). Bring oven to 375°F.

Remove and cool the potatoes in an ice bath. Carefully peel each potato, removing a strip about 1/2"-3/4" wide around it but not removing the entire peel.

Cut the strips of bacon in half. Wrap one half-slice around the potato snugly and then poke a skewer into it to secure. Place the pan into the oven and bake for 20-22 minutes until bacon is crisping.

Serve hot with garnish, enjoy the applause.

Versatility of Crackers

One of the best things to keep on hand are good crackers.  By good crackers, I mean something other than saltines, something with a little oomph that if you want to make a nice presentation you can, but don't cost a mint to buy and keep.

Butter crackers with french onion cream cheese, kosher pickles, roasted pepper and pastrami.

Vegetable rounds with cream cheese, chicken & sundried tomato sausage, sundried tomato, capers and chives.

With tofutti cream cheese, smoked salmon, roasted pepper and parsley.

Images by MadeForJen

Hors d'oeuvres

Appetizers should be easy to make and easy to serve.  When friends come over, you want to be able to make them quickly but make everyone want to reach for them, so it's important to make your presentation pop.

In another post, I'll explain how to make these, but these were some hors d'oeuvres we were preparing for friends.  They had not been plated yet but they looked pretty nice all together on the plate.  On the back plate are some simple pre-cut toasts with cream cheese and roasted, marinated peppers. On the front plate are crackers with fresh guacamole, prosciutto wraps with dressed arugula and parmesan shavings, and cucumber cups with cream cheese and smoked salmon.

Simple Bruschetta

Bruschetta is an easy-to-make and flexible appetizer - it's especially good for a late evening snack since it's not too heavy but full of flavor.

Prep the toast.  I use any old bread - baguettes, challah, dinner rolls, whatever. It works best when it's just starting to stale, but if not, toast them lightly on both sides under a broiler. It's important to make both sides dried and stiff as a base for the tomatos.

Chop tomato (use very ripe ones - in this photo I've actually used grape tomatos) and onions (I prefer red onions for the color or Vidalia for the taste) - about 1/2 cup of each.  Toss in 1/4C chopped Italian parsley or cilantro, some (maybe 1 clove of) smashed garlic (or even garlic powder - 1/4 tsp), sea salt and pepper to taste, 1 Tbsp of olive oil and 2 tsp of vinegar (I used balsamic but red wine works equally well).  Mix well in a bowl.

Spoon the mix on top of the toast. Garnish your plate. I can't express how important garnish is - it may be a waste of food sometimes but it always makes the plate more appetizing.

On Pinterest

Endive with Salmon

Endive is always a good base for making a great looking, quick appetizer.  Here several leaves are cut from the head and washed carefully.  Discard the outer ones and go for the inner ones - the flavor is more delicate and the edges are still stiff.

Use a soft cream cheese like neufchatel, or in this case tofutti cream cheese.  Spread a small bit inside the base of each leaf.  Then top it with a few cut strips of smoked salmon.  The cheese can be flavored - maybe add some chopped scallion or chives.  No salt - the salmon is already strong enough.

Arrange neatly on a plate - a star configuration is a nice presentation - then add a bit of garnish to make it pop.

From MadeByGirl Blog