A bowl of potatoes and meat in sauce.

Sparklin’ Taters

08/22/2016|, , ,
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This recipe came about when I was cooking on a ranch and due to weather we had been in there a few extra days. I was quickly running out of groceries but knew I had to feed those fellers. I had a lot of potatoes but no oil to fry them in. As I was rummaging around the chuck box I noticed a large bottle of Sprite that one of the cowboys had. I knew I couldn’t fry in it, but maybe I could bake with it. And then this recipe was born. The soda gives it a nice sweet flavor with the taters. So if you’re in a bind and company is coming over- there’s probably always an alternative you just got to get clever. Hope y’all enjoy!

A bowl of potatoes and meat in sauce.
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Sparklin' Taters

Ingredients

  • 5 russet potatoes sliced into 1⁄4-inch-thick pieces
  • 7 pieces thick-cut bacon cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 jalapeños diced
  • 1 large yellow onion sliced
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • Seasoned salt and black pepper to taste
  • 3 to 4 cups lemon-lime soda Sprite, 7Up

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly butter an 11-x-13- inch casserole dish or a 12-inch Dutch oven.
  • Place the potatoes in cold water and set aside.
  • Place the bacon in a large cast iron skillet and cook over medium heat for about 4 minutes, or until it begins to brown. Add the jalapeños, onion, and garlic. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring, until the bacon is three-quarters done (not crisp) and the vegetables soften, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat.
  • Drain the potatoes. Place a layer of potatoes in the casserole dish. Cover with half of the bacon mixture and sprinkle with the seasoned salt and pepper to taste. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Pour the soda over the entire dish until about half full.
  • Cover the dish with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and stir. Replace the foil and continue baking for about 20 more minutes, or until the potatoes are ten- der. Re-season with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve hot.

Notes

Covering the dish will keep the liquid from boiling out, but feel free to add more soda while cooking if the potatoes don’t have enough moisture to soften. You can also use Mountain Dew soda.

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