When we go to Lidl – either here, or in Slovenia, which is probably the closest one to us – and they have a Special Week, we often stock up. When it’s Greek Week, the trolley is full of smoky tuna, halloumi, pitta breads, olive oils. Spanish Week and it’s olives, Manchego, tortillas, chorizo. Italian Week – and well, we’re just in heaven so everything gets chucked in, even though we can be in an Italian supermarket in Trieste in forty minutes. Recently, alongside French Week – Brie overload! – the store was also having an Irish Week. And there, staring out at me from the cooler section – packs of rashers of smoked bacon. Now, we don’t eat a lot of meat at all, but a smoked bacon butty is utterly irresistible and so with a use by date at the end of September, we bought a few packs to keep us going. And with a glut of bacon and brie, I set about finding a recipe which would use these ingredients, and found this delicious bake online.
With very few ingredients, and little to prepare, it is the most mouth-watering recipe. Perfect for this time of year, as still quite light but with a hint of autumn about it. If you’re a lover of bacon and brie, I’d definitely recommend giving this a go…
what you’ll need
- pack of smoked bacon rashers
- about 8 medium sized potatoes, very thinly sliced
- brie, sliced up, with rind left on
- tub of single cream (500ml)
- about 4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
- fresh thyme
- salt and pepper, to season
what you’ll need to do
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°c;
- Place a large, oven-proof frying pan over high heat then fry the bacon until crisp and golden;
- Remove from the pan, leaving the rendered fat and add olive oil as necessary (so that your first layer of potatoes don’t stick to the bottom of the pan);
- Layer the potatoes, brie cheese (reserve a few slices for the topping), bacon and garlic in the pan, seasoning the layers as you go;
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Season the cream with salt and pepper then pour over the potatoes, and sprinkle the fresh thyme across the top;
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Cover the potatoes with foil/a lid and place in the oven;
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Allow to bake for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are soft;
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Top with the remaining brie cheese then place back in the oven and allow to bake until golden brown on top;
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Remove from the oven and serve.
This recipe – and more – can be found here. Photos of the bake also come from the original recipe, as once served, this was so, so tasty, we wolfed it down, without even thinking of taking any snaps. Served with warm, crusty bread, it was just perfect and will be definitely made again in our house.
