#318: Bacon Potatoes and Brunch at Rural Society, By: V

This weekend my friend Supreet and I met up for brunch at Rural Society.  Rural Society is housed on the main floor of the Loews Madison Hotel in D.C.  It offers Argentine cuisine and offers a fantastic brunch prix fixe menu.  For $25 you are served two courses, bread basket, and choice of coffee, orange juice or tea.  An awesome deal!

For the first course I ordered Remolachas, a delicious roasted beet salad served tossed in an orange coriander vinaigrette. Dollops of a delicious apricot butter were served around the plate.

For the second course I ordered the Biztec y Huevos.  I requested scrambled eggs and a medium cooked steak.  Both were perfectly prepared, but the star of the show was the amazing potatoes on the side, which were perfectly crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.  Also, the chimichurri sauce over the steak was just the right amount of garlic-y goodness!

After the delicious brunch potatoes at Rural Society, for dinner that night a small and easy dish, Bacon Potatoes.  Hey! I didn't say the dinner would be healthy, I just said it would be small. These warm potatoes are tossed in bacon pieces, bacon grease, onions and garlic.  Absolutely delicious.  This dish works as the perfect side dish to some pork chops, grilled chicken or steak, but also works on its own.  

Bacon Potatoes

Ingredients:

4 strips of pork or turkey bacon

2 tbsps olive oil (if you use turkey bacon)

3/4 cup chopped red or yellow onion

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed through a garlic press

4 small to medium red potatoes, quartered

1/2 tbsp salt 

1/4 tbsp or 1/2 tbsp (if you can take the heat) of crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Start with a cold pan on the stove.  Yes, this sounds odd, but trust me, the bacon will turn out perfectly crunchy.  Place the bacon strips in a cold pan.  
2. Then turn the heat to low and let the bacon start curling on the ends, the fat will melt and release into the pan. 
3. Have a plate nearby with paper towels laid on them.  Once the bacon is cooked place it on top of the paper towels to collect some of the excess grease.  Pour out the bacon grease into a glass jar or bowl.  
4. Take 2 tbsps of the bacon grease, or if you are using turkey bacon (which doesn't release much, if any, fat) use 2 tbsps of olive oil.  Place this back into your skillet.  Add in the onion and garlic, and let this cook on low heat. 
5. While this is cooking in the pan, place your quartered potatoes in a microwave safe bowl.  Lightly cover with a lid and microwave for 2 minutes or if your microwave has 'baked potato' instructions per those instructions.
6. Then add your potatoes into the pan with the onion and garlic, once the onions become slightly translucent.  
7. Toss the potatoes in the oil and coat evenly.  Cover with the skillet lid and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Then take the lid off and let everything cook for another 5 minutes.  
8. Turn the heat off and add the salt and red chili pepper flakes.  Toss thoroughly and you are ready to eat!

Feel free to top with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and/or hot sauce.  Turn this into your own variation on a smothered baked potato, that's what I did!