Bacon Marmalade Tart
with garlic herbed pommes
Mmm…bacon. Need I say more? The smell alone drives people to immediately begin salivating, while entering a trance like state of instant hunger. Such a simple, but delicious food that makes anything taste a million times better. Bacon marmalade at first sounds a little odd because most associate jam and marmalade with fruit. This however, is better than just any plain ole fruit jam. The marmalade is made with a wide variety of spices that enhances the addictive all knowing fatty pork taste. The chipotle pepper adds a nice kick that wakes up your taste buds and brings on a slow heat, while cooling it with a hint of sweetness from the maple syrup and brown sugar. By slicing the potatoes paper-thin they are able to get a crisp edge similar to a potato chip, but still a soft center when cooking. And the garlic? Well, how can you go wrong with garlic? I sometimes add roasted garlic cloves when serving this to guests (makes it look pretty), but if it is just my boyfriend and me…well the garlic powder will do. I usually serve this tart for breakfast or brunch because it is almost like having gourmet toast with bacon and hash browns. A fried or poached egg can be included when serving it, but I tend to keep it simple by allowing the dish to be solely about the bacon and potatoes.
Ingredients: 1 Sheet of Puff Pastry, defrosted at room temperature
Bacon Marmalade:
- 1 lb. Thick Cut Bacon
- 1 Small Onion, finely chopped
- 2 Shallots finely chopped
- 4.5 oz. Bourbon (3 shots)
- 4 Tbsp. Maple Syrup, the real kind
- ¼ c. Brown Sugar
- ¼ c. Sherry Vinegar
- ¼ c. Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tsp. of Cinnamon, Smoked Paprika, Instant Espresso, & Chipotle Pepper (If you don’t like the taste of cloves you can always add ½ tsp. instead).
- ½ tsp. Allspice, Cloves, & Nutmeg
- 2 tsp. Garlic Powder
Pommes:
- 10 small waxy potatoes (such as Yukon Gold or German Butterball), each mandolin sliced 1/16 of an inch
- Olive Oil to drizzle
- 1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Prepare the bacon marmalade. Chop the bacon into ½ inch chunks and set aside.
- Heat a deep cast iron skillet or Le Crueset over medium heat. Add the bacon.
- Cook until slighting crispy. Remove the bacon to a separate bowl and drain the grease.
- Add bourbon to the pot and deglaze the bottom breaking up all the bits from the bacon (cook for 5-8 minutes).
- Add the onion and shallot (cook for 8-10 minutes).
- Add in the maple syrup and brown sugar.
- Once the sugar is melted, give the mixture a good stir and add in all the spices.
- Add in the bacon and bring to a low boil. Stirring occasionally.
- Once at a low boil, reduce heat and cook down until it has a thick consistency.
- Remove from the heat and let cool for about 15 minutes.
- Once cooled add to a food processer and pulse 10-12 times. You want it to have a little chunk to it and not be too smooth. Set aside.
- Mandolin slice the potatoes. Set Aside.
- On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, lay the puff pastry on top. You can roll this out a little with a rolling pin, but I prefer not to.
- Add a layer of the marmalade leaving a ½ inch border around the puff pastry.
- Layer the potatoes. It is ok to over lap them because they are thin enough where they will still cook.
- Drizzle with a little olive oil and add the salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes (depends on oven) until pastry sides are browned and potatoes have a light golden crisp to them.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for about 5-8 minutes.
- Serve warm!