Homeless Man

A man was walking through a rather seedy section of town, when a bum walked up to him and asked the man for two dollars.
  
The man asked, "Will you buy booze?
 
"The bum replied, "No."
 
Then the man asked, "Will you gamble it away?"
 
The bum said, "No."
 
Then the man asked the bum,
 
"Will you come home with me so my wife can see what happens to a man who doesn't drink or gamble?"
 
 
 
Grilling with Mistress Bianca
 
Double Smoked Potatoes
 
Ingredients
4 large baking potatoes
2 - 3 tablespoons bacon fat
Coarse salt (sea or kosher) and freshly ground black pepper
4 strips artisanal bacon cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slivers
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, thinly sliced or melted
2 scallions, trimmed, white and green parts finely chopped (about 4 tablespoons)
2 - 3 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
Spanish smoked paprika or regular paprika, for sprinkling
Fresh dill (optional)
Jalepeno (optional)
Recommended wood for smoke- peach or pecan
 
Directions
1. Set up your smoker following the manufacturer’s instructions and preheat to 275 to 350°F.  Add enough wood for 1 hour of smoking as specified by the manufacturer. 
 
2. Scrub the potatoes on all sides with a vegetable brush. Rinse well under cold running water and blot dry with paper towels. Prick each potato several times with a fork (this keeps the spud from exploding and facilitates the smoke absorption). Brush or rub the potato on all sides with the bacon fat and season generously with salt and pepper.
 
3. Place the potatoes on the smoker rack. Smoke until the skins are crisp and the potatoes are tender in the center (they’ll be easy to pierce with a slender metal skewer), about 1 hour.
 
4. Meanwhile, place the bacon in a cold skillet and fry over medium heat until browned and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain off the bacon fat (save the fat for future potatoes).
 
5. Transfer the potatoes to a cutting board and let cool slightly. Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrape out most of the potato flesh into a bowl, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick shell. (It’s easier to scoop the potatoes when warm.) Cut the potato flesh into 1/2-inch dice and place in a bowl.

6. Take a brush and lightly coat the empty potato skin and lightly coat with bacon grease and then lightly sprinkle lightly with paprika.
 
7. Add the bacon, 4 tablespoons of the butter, the scallions, and cheese to the potato flesh to the bowl with potatoes and gently stir to mix. Stir in the sour cream (opitional - add some fresh dill to taste to the sour cream prior for a nice bite) and salt and pepper to taste; the mixture should be highly seasoned. Stir as little and as gently as possible so as to leave some texture to the potatoes.  (You can add jalapeno to taste into this mix if you want an extra kick).

8. Spoon the potato mixture back into the potato shells, mounding it in the center. Top each potato with brushed bacon grease and top with more cheese. 
  
9. Add enough wood for another 45 to 60 minutes of smoking. Place the potatoes in a shallow aluminum foil pan and re-smoke them until browned and bubbling, Then lightly sprinkle the top with paprika for a nice finish.

Note:  You can kick up the cooking time if you can get your smoker up to 400°F. In this case, increase the smoking time moves to 1 1/4 hours
 
Serves 4

Per the Commissioner, we have archived all of the past year's football recipes from Mistress Bianca.   Just click right here