Cooking Lesson #697: How Professionals Cook Bacon + Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic, Cheddar and Benton Bacon

… from the Perspectives Kitchen

How you doin’? A few weeks back I extolled the virtues of Benton Bacon. I continue to specify Alan Benton fine hams and bacon for several clients. The last shipment I received had some “secrets” on the right way to cook Benton Bacon—not too, crisp, not too limp… just about right. Here are some bacon cookin’ ways that will make your job easier to cook and clean-up.
 
First, stop trying to wrangle a hot grease-spattering skillet—the skillet will always win. Work smarter, not harder! The cleaner and easier way to cook bacon, that works every time, is in an oven. It's so simple you'll wonder why you haven’t been cooking bacon this way all along.
 
So, why should you cook bacon in the oven instead of frying it the old-fashioned way?
Here are ten good reasons for cooking bacon in the oven:

1. You can cook a whole pound of bacon at one time in just 20 minutes (more if you double tray). I like to keep cooked bacon on hand for convenience.
2. Baked bacon cooks flat and doesn't curl up (most of the time).
3. No need to turn the bacon.
4. No grease spatter burns on your skin.
5. No grease stains on your clothes.
6. No grease splatters all over your range top.
7. Free up space on your stovetop for other foods.
8. While the bacon is in the oven cooking itself, you can turn your attention to other things.
9. Clean-up is as easy as it gets (if you foil-line the pan).
10. Baking bacon makes it possible to make peppered or sweet southern bacon.

 
Equipment Needed
Large rimmed, heavy-duty sheet pan
Aluminum foil
Optional Baking rack—cooking bacon on a rack makes the bacon crisper and lets the grease drip off the bacon as it cooks. If you go the rack route, you should still line your baking pan with foil to make clean-up easy.
 
Following my easy directions will turn cold strips of smoked pork into delicious heavenly crisp bacon.
 
                                          Cooking Bacon in the Oven

Ingredients
1 pound thick-cut bacon--that’s all folks!
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 400⁰ F.
2. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil, making sure pan is completely covered. Make sure the foil extends up the sides of the pan so it captures all the bacon grease and clean-up is easier.
3. Arrange bacon strips on the prepared baking sheet or on the rack if you're using one. It's okay to overlap slices slightly because the bacon will shrink slightly as it bakes.
4. Place pan in on the middle rack in the pre-heated, hot oven.
5. Cook bacon for 15 minutes and check it to see that’s the way you like done. Remember, there is no reason to turn the bacon over.
6. If not quite done enough to your liking, cook it for not longer than another 5-minutes. Do not over-cook it.
7. Transfer cooked bacon to paper towel-lined plates.
8. Let the bacon cool for 5 minutes and see it crisp up.

 
                     Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic Cheddar and Bacon
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  15 10 20 minutes
Mix time:  5 minutes
Bake time:  20 to 30 minutes
Yield:  5 servings
 
Ingredients 
3 pounds russet potatoes
5 slices Benton Smoked Bacon, cooked crisp
4-ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons minced chives
1 tablespoon minced roasted garlic
1-1/4 cups grated Cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground course black pepper
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350⁰ F.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut into 1 inch chunks.
3. Rinse off the starch and place in a large saucepan and add enough cold water to cover by about 2 inches.
4. Bring the water and potatoes to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the cooking temperature to a simmer. Cook until tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Drain the potatoes, return to the pan, cover, and set aside.
6. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat, add the bacon and heat to re-crisp and brown them up. Alternatively, you can re-crisp the bacon in the microwave for 30 seconds. Drain any residual grease on paper towel and break the bacon into pieces.
7. Using a fork, mash the potatoes in the pan until light and fluffy. Add the mascarpone, butter and sour cream, and stir until combined and smooth.
8. Add the chives, garlic, bacon pieces, 1 cup cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. Stir until well combined.
9. Transfer to a buttered 3 quart baking dish. Top with remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese. Bake until top is slightly golden and potatoes are hot through, about 30 minutes.
10. Serve immediately.

ChefSecret:  No baking rack? Line the baking sheet, then crumple up some more foil and lay the bacon over it to hold it up out of the grease. Your baking time may differ because of the oven and the thickness of the bacon. Prevent oven splatters by placing a layer of foil over the bacon to keep grease from spattering all over the oven. Remove the foil for the last 5-minutes of cooking for crisping.

Quip of the Day:  Q: What do you call fake potatoes? A: Imitaters!
 
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected].  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross. 

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                                                                     ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023

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