Bacon-Wrapped Potatoes

Congratulations to Season 9 MasterChef Junior winner Rae Barker from Texas!

At just 11 years old, Rae wowed the judges with her masterful grilling skills and creative seasonings. Now, we’ve teamed up with the folks at MasterChef Junior to give you an exclusive peak at one of Rae’s winning recipes from the December show: Bacon-Wrapped Potatoes. Rae served it alongside a “surf and turf” meal of grilled lobster tail and steak. The judges only had one complaint: They wanted more!

Rae’s recipe proves that you don’t need a lot of time or a long shopping list to make delicious food. This guaranteed crowd pleaser is fun and easy to prepare and only uses 6 ingredients! When you head to the market, Rae suggests smoked bacon for a delicious flavor that can’t be beat. Are you ready to cook like Rae? Let’s go!

Makes:

16 poppers

Hands-on time:

20 minutes

Start-to-eat time:

1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

8-16 small fingerling potatoes, washed & dried
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt & pepper, to taste
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
8 slices smoked bacon

Kids kitchen skills:

seasoning
roasting
creative presentation

Tools:

baking sheet
parchment paper
knife & cutting board
measuring spoons
small bowl & mixing spoon
oven mitts

Step-by-step

Grown-up steps

Heat the oven to 400° F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Use very small potatoes that are about 1 inch thick, or cut them into chunks. Toss the potatoes in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and chopped chives.
Lay out the bacon strips on a clean cutting board, and cut each one in half crosswise. Put a piece of seasoned potato toward one end of each bacon strip.
Wrap the end of the bacon over the filling, and keep rolling until you reach the end. Place each bacon bite on the parchment-lined baking sheet with the end tucked underneath.
Roast the potato bites until the potato is soft and the bacon is crisp, about 40-50 minutes. Sprinkle them with a little shredded parmesan and fresh parsley, if you like, and eat up!