Grilled Bacon Onion Potatoes

First of all, let's address the bacon-flavored elephant in the room.  I have not blogged in far too long, so long in fact, that it's quite possible that there's no one left out there in blog land that even reads this lovely culinary offering.  (I think when you're writing about something as redneck as cheese and bacon, you need to bring it up a notch by using words like "culinary.")

To my fans, readers, fellow cheese and bacon lovers, I am sorry for my absence,  but I'm here now, and apparently you are too, so I can't wait to tell you about my upcoming series.

For the Love of Cheese and Bacon on the Grill. 

 It'll cover everything from your appetizer, your main course, a couple of sides and even your dessert (yep, your dessert, with bacon and cheese and a grill.)

I live in Texas, and in Texas, it's too dang hot to grill out in the summer, ESPECIALLY in August, so I'm getting my fellow Texans ready for September and football and cooler days and cooler nights, nights that practically demand dinner on the grill.

So get ready for some Cheese and Bacon Action - Grillside.

And because I'm non-conventional, I'm not giving you these awesome recipes in any particular meal order.  You'll just have to save up and put 'em in order once you have 'em all.

(I swear I get more country with each passing sentence!)

The Ingredients

2 to 3 sheets of heavy-duty foil
1 packet onion soup powder
10-12 baby red potatoes, thinly sliced
(and let me take this opportunity to tell you that if you use ANY other kind of potato, you are going to have to adjust your cooking time .. . trust me on this one!)
12 slices of cooked and crumbled bacon
(I recommend Hormel Thick Cut bacon, not because they pay me, at all . . . but they should as much as I mention them, but because I think thick cut bacon is yummy in this recipe!)
1 cup cheese (optional, if you're an idiot, because leaving off the cheese is like a birthday cake without candles.  It's just not done.)
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
Sour cream for serving (optional . . . okay, I'll let this one be optional, but trust me when I tell you it's gonna be way better with some sour cream on it too!)

The Directions

Spray each sheet of foil with cooking spray. Top each piece with equal portions of potatoes, bacon, 1 packet onion soup powder and mix. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to each serving. Wrap securely.

Grill for 20 to 30 minutes. Or you can bake it in the oven, at 350° for about 55 minutes or till done, or till the rest of your food is cold because you used the wrong potatoes (but since this is a series about grilling, you should use the grill.  For real.)

Let stand 10 minutes before serving. About 2-3 minutes before you serve it, add the cheese and reseal the foil. Serve in foil, topped with sour cream if desired, (you desire, see above).

Serve this alongside your Sweet Chili Bacon Chicken Skewers. . . . Oh wait, you don't have that recipe yet.  (Well, I guess you know what's coming!)

How To Cook Bacon That is Freaking Amazing

There are a few things you pretty much have to learn how to cook as a southern woman, and bacon is near the top of that list.  

But I gotta tell you, bacon is not easy to cook.  First you have the whole "hot popping grease thing" to contend with.  (I think it's bacon's way of getting even with you for eating it. Or maybe it's God's way of warning you NOT to eat it! HA!)

Then, (at least in my house) you have to contend with people's opinions about how their bacon gets cooked. (And trust me when I tell you, the people in my house have opinions about their bacon.)

So over the years, I have developed my own very special technique of cooking bacon.  It's all very involved and scientific, so you're going to have to follow my directions precisely.  


Start with fresh and completely thawed bacon.  It doesn't matter if your slices are thick or thin, whatever you like is fine.

I use this bacon because it's fairly thin sliced and cooks evenly.
And you've gotta have a splatter screen!

First, place the bacon in the skillet like so. Don't try to scrunch the bacon all up in the pan.  It's okay for it to hang over the edges a bit when you first start out. This helps prevent the  bacon from bubbling.

Notice how the bacon is hanging over the edge? Not a big deal.
If you keep following my directions, your bacon will be flat and crisp.

Then, cook bacon until it is almost done. Then remove the bacon from the skillet and lay it on a microwave safe plate with two pieces of paper towels covering the plate. Then cover that layer of bacon with one paper towel.

Notice that the bacon is not fully cooked, but it's close.
See how the ends  are a little curled up?
If your ends get too curly, simply cut them with a knife.

I'm showing you that the cooked bacon is getting layered
onto the plate.

Continue cooking bacon and layering/draining on plate.

Once all of your bacon is cooked, place a paper towel over the last layer and cook it in the microwave for one minute. Check the bacon.  (You will mostly likely need to cook it for one more minute.)

Let sit (outside the microwave) for another minute to finish cooking and crisping.

I would show you a picture of the finished product, but people ate it.  It was yummy, crispy and delicious.  Calorie Free.  (most of that is true.)

Now, the worst part, to me at least, about cooking bacon is the clean up of the grease! YUCK.  But here is the best tip for that. I take a piece of aluminum foil and stick it into a coffee cup, then pour the hot grease into the cup.

Make a "well" out of the foil to receive the hot grease!

Once it cools, you simply wrap up the foil and throw it in the trash. SO EASY!

Enjoy your perfectly cooked, crispy bacon!  And let me know how it turns out.

ThatCarolJones