Football Friday: Bachos

This past weekend was magical. The Wisconsin Test Kitchen had nothing scheduled other than watching football, enjoying some delicious micro-brewed beer, and enjoying some tasty snacks. We happened to stumble onto a recipe for Bacon Nachos (which we have since dubbed Bachos), and we also happened to have all the ingredients we needed. Fate, I tell you. 

Bachos
Recipe courtesy of: http://food52.com/recipes/13870-bacon-nachos

6 slices thick sliced bacon (thick cut is extremely important- you need a solid base to hold your bacho toppings)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tomato, finely diced
1/3 cup red onion, finely diced
1/2 of one jalapeno, minced
small handful of cilantro, chopped
juice of half a lime
salt and pepper
1/3 cup sour cream (we used Greek yogurt in an attempt to cut calories, which is kind of ridiculous when you think about the fact you're making nachos with bacon slices)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Cut the pieces of bacon in half. On a foil lined baking sheet with a cooling rack placed on top, place the bacon pieces in a "v" formation

Bake the bacon for about twenty minutes.

While the bacon is baking, in a small bowl, make the salsa by combining the finely diced tomato and red onion with the minced jalapeno, the chopped cilantro, and the lime juice. Salt and pepper to taste (but do remember that the bacon is quite salty, so lots of salt isn't really necessary). Set aside.

When the bacon looks like it's five minutes from being perfectly cooked, add the grated cheddar and return to the oven. After five minutes or so (checking to make sure the cheese and bacon don't burn), take the bacon out of the oven and allow to cool down slightly for a few minutes.

Place bacon nachos on a serving dish and give each one a dollop of sour cream and a spoonful of salsa

The final product was everything we wanted it to be... the bachos were salty from the bacon, the onion, tomato and jalapeno added a nice crunch, and the Greek yogurt was refreshing and cool. It was pretty much the perfect bite of food. We make a lot of food in the test kitchen; but this was hands down one of the best things we've made in a long time. Take our advice: make these little bites of heaven very, very soon.

And now some football picks! Going into week 7, Dad #1 still has a solid lead of 59 correct picks, and Dad #2 has 43. This weeks predictions are:

Jets vs. Patriots
Dad #1: New England
Dad #2: New England

Falcons vs. Ravens
Dad #1: Atlanta
Dad #2: Atlanta

Titans vs. Redskins
Dad #1: Washington
Dad #2: Washington

Rams vs. Seahawks
Dad #1: Seattle
Dad #2: Seattle

Jaguars vs. Browns
Dad #1: Cleveland
Dad #2: Cleveland

Bengals vs. Colts
Dad #1: Indy
Dad #2: Indy

Vikings vs. Bills
Dad #1: Buffalo
Dad #2: Minnesota

Dolphins vs. Bears
Dad #1: Miami
Dad #2: Chicago

Saints vs. Lions
Dad #1: Detroit
Dad #2: Detroit

Panthers vs. Packers
Dad #1: Green Bay
Dad #2: Green Bay

Chiefs vs. Chargers
Dad #1: San Diego
Dad #2: San Diego

Cardinals vs. Raiders
Dad #1: Arizona
Dad #2: Arizona

Giants vs. Cowboys
Dad #1: Dallas
Dad #2: Dallas

49ers vs. Broncos
Dad #1: San Francisco
Dad #2: Denver

Texans vs. Steelers
Dad #1: Houston
Dad #2: Houston

Hope your weekend is full of food and fun!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew