August 19, 2016

Nuggets of Wisdom

*Image courtesy of marthastewart.com

We’ve done the chicken wings, the cheese dip, the veggie platter and the sweet & sour meatballs – but we need something else, something different. After experiencing (at least) 16 football games every year for, let’s just say 40 years … that’s 640 football game weekends. I don’t think I’m alone when I say that new football game grub is in serious need. The regular football staples can be picked up easily, and on-the-go, at any local grocery store, which can make it really hard to get creative with new, delicious, and super easy recipes.

Luckily, I have a husband who loves eating, as much as I do, and loves cooking, probably more than I do. These bacon-wrapped, sweet & savory aioli-topped potatoes are, what we call, a "CG special." He concocted these delicious golden nuggets for a potluck Christmas party this year and we have since made them for any appetizer-appropriate occasion. Let’s just say, if Martha Stewart and Bobby Flay had a baby, the child would be manifested through this recipe, literally. The bacon-wrapped potatoes are made by Ms. Martha and the mustard and honey aioli is from Mr. Flay himself. *See this fabulous recipe hybrid below, complete with CG’s special edits.

POTATOES:

Ingredients:

8 bacon slices, cut in half crosswise
16 small potatoes *CG recommends Yukon Gold, bite-size, potatoes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap each bacon piece around a potato and secure with a toothpick. Place in a baking dish and bake until bacon is crisp and potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, 40 to 50 minutes.

We recommend making the aioli sauce while the potatoes cook.

SAUCE:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 heaping tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 teaspoon Wildflower Honey by Cloister Honey
2 cloves garlic, smashed to a paste *CG recommends 1 clove of garlic, add more to taste
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

For the mustard aioli: Whisk the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, honey and garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover the bowl and refrigerate, then serve in a side dish next to the potatoes.

And last but not least, GO PANTHERS!