I’m still
debating my favorite holiday gift of the season just past. Was it the Blue-ray
disc of the Doctor Who Fiftieth Anniversary special, or the membership
in Zingerman’s Bacon of the Month Club sent by my pal, Zany in Chicago?
With all due
respect to the good Doctor (who has saved Earth’s bacon hundreds of times
over), when it comes to indulgence and sheer crave factor, the Bacon of the
Month Club has a lot going for it.
Membership
has its privileges. The first delivery comes with a tempting slab of bacon, and
a collector’s manual containing a slew of bacon lore to pig out on.
First up in
the cavalcade of bacon is Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Bacon. Made by Tanya Nueske in Wittenberg,
Wisconsin, Nueske’s is wet cured for 24 hours in a brine mixture with sugar and
spices and then smoked over Applewood for 24 hours. It’s described as “meaty, pleasantly sweet
and smoky. Bacon artisan Tanya Nueske says her grandfather started selling the
bacon in 1933 and today she continues the craft of smoking. The bacon is smoked
very slowly so that the flavor really permeates the cut of meat.
As the
Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Bacon is a Christmas gift, I decided to incorporated
it into my Christmas Day dinner menu, preparing Bacon Wrapped Potatoes.
The
recipe from Everyday Food can be found here. I wrap petite Yukon Gold Potatoes each in a ribbon of Nueske’s bacon,
and bake in a 400F degree oven for 50 minutes. The Nueske's handles beautifully. Ah, the slick feel, the marbling, and the luscious layers of delectable bacon fat!
During the
baking time, insanity nearly sets in as the intoxicating sweet aroma of smoked
bacon fills the house. The sound of "sizzle" and "pop" repeatedly draws me back to the oven to peer in.
It is a miracle that I actually manage to refrain from
sampling before Christmas dinner is served.
Hot from the
oven, the Bacon Wrapped Potatoes are kind of like glistening little Christmas
gifts!
I know the
tradition is “visions of sugarplums,” but as I gleefully anticipate the next Zingerman's Bacon Club delivery, there are visions of bacon strips dancing through my head!
