Saturday, July 27, 2013

Recipe: Squashed Tomatoes, Potatoes and Bacon

I love Jamie Oliver. Who doesn't, right? His recipes are simple, delicious and mostly healthy, and they are generally a staple in my recipe line-up. But, it does become difficult, at times, to find what you need when you live in China.

That is one reason that this is a go-to recipe for me. I had to adapt it quite alot. The original {which I have made before in the States} calls for finding chicken thighs {easy enough}, basalmic vinegar, etc. and then baking the whole thing. Not only do I not have an oven, but I also do not have the space to do  so many things at one time I can't really find the fresh herbs Jamie uses, and I definitely can't find multi-colored tomatoes or small potatoes all the time.

What I love about Jamie's recipes is that you can adapt the mess out of them, and they're still fabulous. So, this is just MY version. Try out some things, and see what works best for you. This recipe has always turned out well, no matter how many adaptations I've used.

Ingredients:
5-6 smallish-to-medium-sized potatoes {judge based on your frying pan}
A bunch of cherry tomatoes {or grape...it doesn't matter}
3-4 {or 5, or 6} slices of bacon {I've also used sausage, and it was delicious!}
2-3 cloves garlic
1/2 small onion, minced finely
Italian seasoning
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Directions:
Start the potatoes boiling in salted water until they can be pierced easily with a fork. Drain.
At the same time the potatoes are boiling, pierce the tomatoes with a knife {once each}. Cover with boiling water for a few minutes, then drain. Now, you can take the skins off {I've skipped this step before, but I like the flavors better with it. Its worth the extra work!}. Set aside.


In a frying pan with olive oil saute the onions until they're soft enough for you {I like mine caramelized}. Add the garlic and bacon and cook until done. Add the contents of the frying pan to the dish of skin-less tomatoes. Add a dash of balsamic vinegar and enough olive oil to coat things {1-2 TBS}.

Take the drained potatoes and smash {the potato should still be whole, just flattened a bit}, then place them in the frying pan.



Dump the tomato and bacon mixture on top. Cover and let simmer on low for a good long while. What you want is for most of the juice to evaporate and the tomatoes and vinegar to infuse the potatoes.



When most of the liquid is gone, take the lid off and let it cook long enough that the bottom gets brown and crusty {this is a personal preference of mine. You could just let most of the liquid evaporate}.
Serve as a meal!




1 comment:

  1. I am so going to try this! This looks so delicious!

    ReplyDelete