Bacon Wrapped Cheddar And Chive Duchess Potatoes #sp5

Total Time: 35 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• 12 slices thinly sliced hardwood smoked bacon, cut in half crosswise
• 1 (24 ounce) package simply potatoes sour cream and chive mashed potatoes (unheated)
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese, divided use
• 1/4 cup fresh chives, cut into 1-inch pieces

Recipe

• 1 pre-heat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. line 2 large jelly-roll pans (approximately 17.25 x 11.5-inches in size) with parchment paper. place the 24, half strips of bacon on prepared pans in a single layer. bake 5-7 minutes, or until bacon has rendered some of the fat and just starting to brown on the edges, but still flexible. drain on paper towels; pat to remove excess grease.
• 2 using a 24-cup, non-stick mini muffin pan, line bottom and sides of each mini muffin cup with a half strip of the par-cooked bacon in a circular fashion, making a well in the center, folding or creasing if needed to fit.
• 3 in a large mixing bowl, beat potatoes, eggs, and 1/2 cup of the cheese with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy.
• 4 transfer potato mixture to a large pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. pipe potato filling evenly into bacon-lined muffin cups in a spiral fashion (cups will be full and potato spirals will extend beyond the height of muffin cups). sprinkle tops with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. bake for 12-15 minutes or until tops are golden brown. let rest 5 minutes. run knife around edges to remove from pan. place on serving platter and garnish with chives. serve warm. makes 24.
• 5 note: a plastic freezer bag can be used in place of a pastry bag and decorator’s tip. fill freezer bag with potato mixture and seal. using kitchen scissors, cut off a small corner of the bag, about 1/2 inch, and pipe potato mixture into mini muffin cups as directed.