some bacon nuttiness

This wasn’t going to be today’s post but these people keep pestering me. It is hard work being so poopular 😉

I made bacon again recently (more to come on that little adventure) and I wanted to do something fun with it. Certainly just eating bacon is fun in its own right, but I needed something different.

I found this recipe while surfing around for bacon ideas. This is originally from The Redhead in New York but I made my usual modifications to make it my own.

Bacon Spiced Nuts
3 slices very thick bacon (I doubled-ish and next time I’ll use even more)
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, minced (omitted)
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
¾ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning (1t)
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (3/4 t)
½ teaspoon dry mustard
3 cups unsalted roasted peanuts (about 1 pound) (I used 16z bag of Trader Joe’s raw mixed nuts)
½ cup pure maple syrup

Preheat oven to 325° (I increased the heat a touch to 350 since I was using raw nuts). In a medium skillet (I cooked in the oven. Chef Connie has a great tutorial here), cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain, then finely chop. In a medium bowl, mix the thyme, salt, Old Bay, cayenne, and dry mustard. Add the peanuts, maple syrup, and bacon and toss until the peanuts are evenly coated. Scrape the nuts onto a parchment paper-lined (silpat) baking sheet and roast for about 30 (more like 40-45) minutes, stirring once, until the maple syrup has thickened. Let the peanuts cool completely, stirring frequently to break up any large clumps (this step is important). Transfer the peanuts to glass jars or a large bowl and serve.

This has some heat, not obnoxiously hot, but reminds you you’re alive. It got rave reviews and made a perfect party snack. I’d actually made enough bacon for a second batch of nuts, but that got eaten. I guess I’ll just have to make more bacon!