Bacon-Wrapped Potato Wedges

You only need two ingredients to make these bacon-wrapped potato wedges,
and they're perfect paleo football food!

It's football season! Are you into it? I have no idea what's going on, but my fiancé Ben is a big Broncos fan and is also in a fantasy football league. It's my job to complain about how much the TV is on and to make delicious snacks, like these bacon-wrapped potato wedges.

We moved this past weekend--we'd been staying with Ben's sister and her family, and now we're renting a little guest house from some friends of ours while we look for a house to buy. The guest house is just two rooms plus a bathroom, but it's really cute. The kitchen and living area are in one room, but it's a pretty good size and I'm really happy with the kitchen area. Unfortunately, the TV is right nearby, so I have to listen to football while I cook.

Since things have been pretty hectic with our move from Boston to Chattanooga last month and our mini move into the guest house more recently, I've been on the lookout for easy recipes. I was assigned Rebekah's blog, Making Miracles, for this month's Secret Recipe Club, and found so many great possibilities in her recipe index. Her blog is full of fast, easy, family-friendly recipes, and I highly recommend you check it out!

I was planning to make her baked paleo chicken tenders, since I loved chicken fingers as a kid and haven't yet tried making a paleo version. In fact, I'm still planning to make them--I have all the ingredients and everything--but once I saw these bacon-wrapped potato wedges, they jumped to the top of my list. I had to have them right away.

I was not disappointed. These bites are scrumptious and so simple! The only part that takes time is soaking the potatoes in cold water. (According to Food & Wine, this helps remove excess starch and allows the potatoes to get crispier.) I actually don't mind this extra step, because it means you can prep the potatoes ahead of time. I cut the potatoes into wedges the day before and kept them in a bowl of water in the refrigerator overnight. They didn't brown at all, and they were ready to go the next day as soon as the game began. If this is what football season tastes like, then maybe I can start to get behind it!

You can use almost any seasoning you like on these, but avoid anything salty since the bacon will salt the potatoes pretty much perfectly. I wanted to use paprika but mine is still packed, so I ended up using turmeric for a little color (the amount is small enough that the flavor doesn't come through strongly, but I liked the way it looked). 

For dipping, honey mustard or barbecue sauce would be great. I used balsamic glacé since I had a bottle of it unpacked, and really liked how the sweet tang paired with the potatoes and bacon. However, these wedges are just as delicious plain.

Bacon-Wrapped Potato Wedges
Yield: 3-4 appetizer servings
Prep time: 5 minutes, plus 30 minutes soaking time
Bake time: 30 minutes

Ingredients (adapted from Making Miracles):

3 medium red potatoes
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric (optional), or seasoning of choice
9 slices bacon

Balsamic glacé (I use Colavita; you can also make your own) or sauce of choice, for dipping (optional)

Wash the potatoes, halve them lengthwise, and then cut each half into 3 wedges. Submerge the potato wedges in a bowl of cold water for at least 30 minutes or up to a day, refrigerating them if you plan to soak for longer than an hour.

When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment. Drain the potatoes and pat them dry. Rinse out the bowl and dry it, and then add the potatoes back in. Toss with the turmeric or seasoning of choice. (Paprika or black pepper would be nice. I don't recommend using salt or spice blends that include salt since the bacon has enough salt for the potatoes.)

Cut the bacon slices in half crosswise. Wrap a half slice of bacon around each potato wedge, arranging it so the ends meet on one of the flat sides of the potato. Arrange the potatoes on the baking sheet with side where the ends of the bacon meet facing down.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes and bacon are cooked through (I pierced a couple of potatoes with a fork to check). If the potatoes are cooked through but the bacon isn't browned to your liking, set the oven to broil and cook for 1-2 more minutes, watching carefully.

Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a plate and serve hot, with balsamic glacé or your favorite sauce for dipping.

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