Meet “Pigs in Blankets” — meat and potatoes version.
With a big emphasis on the potato.
The usual frozen crescent roll dough or puff pastry is swapped out from this nostalgic dish for a whole russet potato instead that gets stuffed with an entire sausage, then wrapped in bacon.
It turns this throwback from an hors d’ouevre into a hearty main dish.
This rather zany and absolutely delicious dish is from “Retro Recipes” (Countryman Press), of which I received a review copy.
The cookbook was written by Bobby Hicks, a Florida-based bartender-turned-culinary-historian, and creator of the popular YouTube series, “Retro Recipes Kitchen.”
You may have giggled and turned up your nose at some of the crazy creations from generations ago. But Hicks gives new appreciation for them, detailing their history with humor and passion, and recreating them on these pages with better ingredients and techniques — without erasing their soul.
There are recipes for “Chicken a la King,” “Clams Casino,” “Beet Salad” (a gelatin mold), “Vinegar Pie,” and even a drink called “The Beef Fizz” — a combination of beef broth and ginger ale served over ice — that Hicks admits should stay in the past.
I admit there’s something irresistible about pigs in blankets, where something so low-brow as a hot dog attempts a bougie turn.
“Pigs in Blanket” was popularized in the 1970s, according to Hicks. He came upon this particular potato variation in a 1953 edition of “250 Ways of Serving Potatoes.”
It’s simple enough, with only a handful of ingredients. The recipe didn’t give precise directions for preparing the potatoes, so I added a few more details below. It’s best to slice the ends off each potato. It makes creating the tunnel inside much easier. An apple corer is ideal to bore through the center of the potato.
The recipe didn’t state what to do with the potato remnants you end up with. I suggest putting them in a separate small baking pan with olive oil and salt, then roasting them in the oven alongside the sausage-stuffed potatoes. The odd-shaped crispy bits are great for nibbling alongside the whole potatoes or can be heated up again the next morning to go with eggs for breakfast.
Once you’ve carved out the tunnel in the potato, insert a whole sausage. It can be a pork, chicken, or whatever you like — as long as it’s already fully cooked. Wrap two bacon slices around each potato, then place on a rimmed baking sheet.
Depending on the heft of your potatoes, they may take 5 to 10 minutes longer than the recipe states. Use the tip of a paring knife poked into the potato to judge if it’s done.
The bacon gets so crispy, the potato deeply bronzed, and the ends of the sausages poking out so wonderfully crispy.
The fat from both the sausage and bacon render, coating the potato inside and out with flavor and richness. You don’t need to salt the potatoes beforehand, either, because the sausage and bacon will season them just fine.
Half the fun of this dish is the sweet sentimentality it evokes. The other half? Seeing the awestruck expression on the face of guests when you bring it to the table.
Pigs in Blanket
(Makes 4 servings)
4 russet potatoes, well scrubbed
Olive oil, for coating
4 large sausages, fully cooked
8 strips thick-cut bacon
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
Slice the ends off of each potato, and reserve those pieces. Using an apple corer or knife, hollow out the center of each potato, creating a tunnel all the way through. Reserve the potato scrapings.
Insert a sausage through the cavity of each potato, then wrap two bacon strips around each potato (or drape the bacon strips over the top with wooden skewers inserted to hold them in place).
Place stuffed potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. In a separate small baking pan, toss reserved potato pieces with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Place both pans into the oven. Bake the potato pieces until golden (they will take much less time than the stuffed potatoes). Bake the stuffed potatoes for about 45 to 50 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked throughout and the bacon is crispy. Serve hot.
Adapted from “Retro Recipes” by Bobby Hicks
More Fun with Potatoes: Microwave Potato Chips
And: Potato Chip Cookies
