For lack of a better title…
So I was purusing the interwebs for low carb info and clever recipes. I was reading this guy's battle with the ill-informed dieticians of North Carolina (though I don't know of any body of dieticians who espouses anything other than what the USDA tells them to, but I digress) and I found this recipe. Hypnotized by the baconyness of it, I was inspired to make my own. The first time I made it, I put the cheese on the meat, but when I baked it, the cheese pretty much just melted out of it. This time I mixed the cheese into the meat and it worked out much better. Check it out!
Ingredients:
2 packages of Trader Joe's Applewood Smoked Bacon (or 16 slices of whatever type you have)
1 pound ground beef
1/2 package taco seasoning (your choice but watch the ingredients)
1 cup shredded cheddar
Whole black olives
The Madness (aka: the method)
Dust off your underwater basketweaving skills and weave the bacon together as shown below. I do it on a rack on the cookie sheet, not because I don't love bacon fat (don't even think it!), but because I want the bacon to be crispy and not soggy.
Bake your bacon basket at 375F until it's starting to crisp up, but not all the way or it won't be as flexible as you need it to be.
Don't worry about the ends if they start to unweave themselves. When you put the meat on and roll it up, it won't matter. Let the bacon cool a bit while you mix your ground beef with the cheese and taco seasoning. Now take that meat mixture and press it evenly over the woven bacon.
Dot it with olives and press them in a bit.
Roll up the conglomeration nice and tight. It shouldn't need to be tied as it seems to stay together without a problem. Put a thermometer in one end and put it in the oven.
Bake until it's about 145 degrees internally. Then remove and let it rest for about 5 minutes.
Can you believe how beautiful it looks? No! Because it's unbelievable!! Resist the urge to pick at the ends of the bacon. Or at least make sure you pick from inconspicuous areas. After it's set up a bit, slice it and serve with your favorite veggie. Mmmmmm.
