Bacon-wrapped Goat Cheese
The big game is this Sunday. It’s a huge, national celebration. As matter of fact, some people think it should be declared a national holiday because so many people “celebrate” it. I’m one of them. I love the Super Bowl… especially when my team is in it. But more than the excitement of the game itself, I love the food and drink that are so often served in conjunction with it.
Whether you’re watching the game at home or at a huge party, you need food. The usual choices are chips, salsa and guacamole as well as some sort of barbecue. It’s actually the barbecue that I like best. I mean there are so many choices. You could go simple and just do hot dogs or hamburgers. Or you could do something a little more advanced like tri tip or a nice steak. Me, I like it all. I’m happy with hamburgers, but I also love a good roasted tri tip. I don’t stop at the main course, though. I mean, if I have the grill going anyway, why not cook as much as I can on it, right?
Well, recently I discovered this delicious recipe for Bacon-Wrapped Goat Cheese in Susan Herrmann Loomis’s French Grill. It’s a wonderful cookbook all about French cooking and the grill. As you know, I love my grill. If there’s a cookbook about it, I want it. I have several and each one has given me great insight to my outdoor cooking tool along with a ton of wonderful and interesting recipes, like this one.
Although I’ve cooked almost every kind of meat on my grill from chicken to steak to pork, I’ve never cooked bacon on it. Usually bacon is saved for the skillet or microwave (if I’m in a hurry). But cooking bacon on the grill gives the meat an even smokier flavor than it had before.
You’re probably wondering why I’m sharing another bacon recipe with you when I just posted one a couple weeks ago. Well, who says you can only have one bacon dish at your party? Certainly not me. I love it so much if I could add bacon to all my party dishes I would. While those tater tots can be thrown together pretty quickly in your oven, this one takes a little more time. But trust me, it’s totally worth the extra effort.
Loomis suggests pairing these Bacon-wrapped Goat Cheese bites with a salad, but I prefer serving them on their own as a delicious appetizer. They may be a little messy, but they’re really, really good. And since each one is a bite unto itself, they’re the perfect choice for a large gathering… or your own private party. But if red peppers or goat cheese aren’t your thing, no problem. You could easily substitute green peppers or cream cheese instead. Either way, you’re going to have a delectable little appetizer. One that I like so much, I’ve already made it twice.
Notes
Adapted from French Grill
Ingredients
- 1 round of goat cheese (8 ounces), sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 roasted red bell peppers, cut into equal parts
- 8 slices of slab bacon, cut in half
Instructions
- Set the slices of cheese on a work surface. Season each piece with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Lay a red bell pepper on each slice of cheese, wrapping it all the way around the slice.
- Wrap each piece of pepper-wrapped cheese with a slice of bacon, so the bacon encases the whole slice of cheese.
- Build a fire in the barbecue. Once the coals are red and dusted with ash cover with a grill. Once the grill is hot, place the bacon-wrapped cheeses on it, seam-side down, and cook until the bacon is golden, about 1 minute. Flip and continue cooking for another minute or two until the cheese is slightly melted and the bacon is cooked all the way through. Transfer cooked bacon-wrapped cheeses to a platter and serve with toothpicks.
