Bacon Burger Bites with Savory Tomato Dipping Sauce

Have you seen those new fast food commercials for that bacon cheese burger from a place we’ll refer to as “Jake in the Basket”?  

I’m so clever.

That little “bork” creature is pretty adorable and I bet it would be tasty, too.

I do love a good bacon burger, but since I’m not always so keen on genetic engineering, I think I’ll stick to creating that combination in the kitchen.  ;)

Sorry.  Not really...

With my abundance of ground beef, my love of bacon, and the inability to rid my brain of that “bork” jingle, it was time to pull something together. 

When I’m heading to a party, I like to bring something with me that I know I can freely enjoy while facing a potential sea of food I have chosen to no longer eat.

Consider giving these a try for your next gathering!

Bacon Burger Bites with 

Savory Tomato Dipping Sauce

Prep: 15 minutes  Cook: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Bites:

1 lb ground beef

½ yellow onion

1 clove garlic

½ tsp paprika

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

10-12 strips of bacon

Sauce:

¾ cup tomato paste

1 Tbsp reserved seasoning mixture (from above)

1 ½ tsp balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp water

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 350F.
2. In a food processor, pulse the onion and garlic together until it reaches a paste-like consistency.  You may need to scrape down the sides part way through.
3. Add the paprika, salt and pepper to the food processor, and pulse to combine.
4. Take out 1 Tbsp of the mixture and set aside.
5. In a large bowl, add the mixture to the ground beef and combine with your hands.  Hmmm meat fingers!
6. Once the meat and seasoning mixture has been thoroughly combined, roll out 1 inch meatballs and place on a wire rack over a baking sheet.  You should get 20-24 meatballs.
7. Cut the strips of bacon in half.  The number of strips of bacon you will need will depend on how many meatballs you made.  Hint: 1 strip of bacon for every 2 meatballs.  You’re welcome!
8. Wrap each meatball with a strip of bacon, secure with a toothpick, and place back on the wire rack.
9. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until cooked through.
10. While the bacon burger bites are baking, add the sauce ingredients to a small saucepan over medium-low heat and stir to combine.  About 10 minutes.
11. Before serving the bacon burger bites, place them on paper towel to remove excess grease.

Enjoy!

Beef and Sweets Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

I think we must have about 80 pounds of ground beef in our freezer (and countless pounds of other cuts).  This last Fall, we purchased half a cow from a 4-H and FFA auction.  We liked the idea of supporting a local kid who was raising good food the right way.  

Having what seems to be a never ending supply of ground beef has given me a challenge to come up with different uses for it.  As much as I love a good burger, I need some variety. 

Beef and Sweets Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Ingredients: 

1 lb ground beef

1 medium sweet potato, shredded

1/2 large onion (or 1 small onion), diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 - 3/4 tsp adobo seasoning (depending on your spice tolerance)

1 tsp oregano

salt and pepper, to taste

4 portobello mushroom caps, stems removed

Instructions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with the diced onion and minced garlic.

3.  When the meat is almost done, add in the grated sweet potatoes, adobo seasoning and oregano.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until the meat is done and the sweet potatoes are tender.

4.  Fill each mushroom cap with the meat mixture and place in a shallow baking dish.  

5.  Bake for 15 - 18 minutes, or until the mushrooms have softened, and the meat mixture has browned on top.

Note:  If you don't happen to have 80 pounds of ground beef in your freezer, ground pork or turkey would also work well.