Sparklin’ Taters Remake – Mountain Dew Potatoes
Howdy y’all, and thanks for stopping by the website. We have recently reached 2 million subscribers on our YouTube Channel. In order to welcome the many new viewers to our little cooking channel, I’ve gone and remade an old classic. If you’ve been around a long time – 8 years or so – or if you bought my first cookbook – Taste of Cowboy – you might remember my Sparklin’ Taters.
The Sparling’ Taters came about back when I was cooking for a bunch of Cowboys on a drive through the Palo Duro Canyon. We got stuck in some mighty cold winter weather and ended up on the trail for a few extra days. I was just about out of everything, and I needed to feed these hungry cowboys. I dug around in the chuck box and saw a large bottle of lemon lime soda pop. I knew I couldn’t fry in it but I sure could bake with it. I grabbed some potatoes, a little bacon, and the soda pop and the result was so good those cowboys wanted to eat this recipe three times a day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
We’ve revamped the recipe a little bit and added a little more flavor, and Hillbilly Taters is the “next edition” of this popular meal. I’ve added some jalapeno and garlic, switched from lemon lime soda pop to Mountain Dew, and it is delicious. Keep with me, and I’ll break it down for you.
Start Slicing the Taters
Make sure you get yourself russet potatoes. Other types of potatoes like Yukon Gold or baby reds are softer potatoes that might just turn to mush if you cook them in liquid for a half hour. Russets will keep their form even when they are tender – as long as you keep the skin on. Slice up in 1/4 inch slices.
Tip: Slice each potato the same thickness, and the taters will all be done at the same time.
Place the taters in a bowl of water and grab the bacon. Slice the bacon in 1 inch slices. Next, dice up the onion and jalapeno.
Tip: Soaking potatoes in water before cooking removes some of the starch so taters come out crispy.
One-Pot Recipe
Yep, hillbilly taters are a one pot recipe! Grab a Dutch Oven or skillet and get that bacon cooking over the fire or on the stove. When bacon is tender, add the jalapenos and onion. Cook until tender.
Tip: If you want this dish to be spicy, add the jalapenos to the pot with the seeds still in.
Remove the Dutch oven from heat once the onions and jalapenos are good and tender. Mix the potatoes in, a little at a time, so that you can get some of that good bacon flavor all over every single potato. Add the minced garlic. The reason we didn’t add the garlic to the pot while the ingredients were cooking is because garlic tends to burn.
The Star of the Show
Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for! The star of the show! Add the Mountain Dew to the pot, filling about halfway to the top. Season with some of my Original Seasoning, and cover. It’s time to put the Dutch oven on the fire.
If you’re cooking at home, cover the dish and bake at 350 for about a half an hour or until the potatoes are fork tender. If you’re cooking on a trivet, place coals in a circle around the outer edge of the Dutch Oven and over the lid. Check periodically to make sure that this recipe doesn’t run out of liquid. Add more soda pop as needed. Cool, serve with Parmesan cheese, and enjoy!
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Hillbilly Taters – Cowboy Kent Rollins
Ingredients
- 6 russet potatoes sliced into ¼ inch slices, skin on
- 1 pound bacon sliced into 1 inch pieces
- 2 yellow onions diced
- 2 jalapenos diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 4 to 6 cups Mountain Dew soda pop
- Kent Rollins Original seasoning or all-purpose seasoning/ salt and pepper
- shredded Parmesan cheese for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place the potatoes in cold water and set aside. In a cast iron skillet over medium high heat, add the bacon and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally or until about halfway done.
- Add the onions and continue to cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onions are tender.
- In a 12-inch Dutch oven or a 11×13- inch casserole dish, spread the bacon mixture along the bottom of the pan. Drain the potatoes and add a layer on top of the bacon mixture. Continue to layer until all the ingredients are used. Stir in the garlic. Pour in the soda pop until it reaches about halfway up the dish.
- Season with Kent Rollins’ Original Seasoning or all-purpose seasoning of your suiting ,to taste.
- Cover and place in the oven. Cook for about 35 to 40 minutes, or just until the potatoes are tender, stirring about twice while cooking. Be careful not to overcook or the potatoes will become mushy. You may need to add more liquid while cooking, if the potatoes become dry.
- Top with parmesan cheese and serve.
