Bacon Sweet Potato Poutine

*Drooling*

Oh. Sorry. That was just me thinking about this meal. It took a little longer to make than I thought but once I continue to make it (and I will) it will get faster.

I'm sure after you read the ingredients (bacon grease, in particular) you are wondering how this could possibly be healthy, gravy made out of bacon bits and bacon grease?? Well, I really couldn't say it better myself so here you go... "Nutrition-wise, we know that bacon is not the villain that it’s made out to be. Dietary saturated fat and cholesterol are good for us, and not just in moderate amounts. The stigma against saturated fat and cholesterol has strong ties and even some people in the Paleo circles still fall in the trap of fearing fat and seeking lean meat as their main source of energy. It’s important to keep in mind that fat is a great source of fuel and that it’s excess protein consumption that should be feared more than excess fat consumption."- http://paleodietlifestyle.com/for-the-love-of-bacon/ 

What is poutine?? As I understand, the basic recipe is: french fries  that are covered with brown gravy, and topped with fresh cheese curds. For those in the Central Illinois area, I would say its a version of the horseshoe. Yeah. It's that good too. Give it a try let me know what you think!

PREP: 15 minutes              

Cook time: 25 minutes

Total: 40 minutes

Serves: 2 

INGREDIENTS

1 sweet potato, cut lengthwise into preference sized french fries

6-8 strips of bacon, cut into 1 inches pieces

1 head of cauliflower, stem removed, cut into small florets

1/2 cup canned coconut milk

1 tablespoon almond butter

1 shallot, thinly sliced

pinch of dried thyme

pinch of black pepper

pinch of sea salt

1 tablespoon fat of choice

Coconut Oil (from a tub or spray) 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees 

Cut your sweet potato in half lengthwise, then slice the sweet potato into 1/2 inch strips then cut those in half 

Spray or toss your fries in your coconut oil (I put about a TBS of coconut oil in a microwave bowl and melted the oil for 25 seconds (or until it is all liquid-y) and tossed the sweet potatoes in it) Add or take out as necessary 

Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet and line sweet potatoes on it so they are not overlapping

Then remove your stem from your cauliflower and roughly chop cauliflower into small florets. Cheese curd size is good 

Place in a glass baking dish and drizzle a tablespoon or so of your fat of choice (I did coconut oil, it worked beautifully) 

Place cauliflower as well as sweet potatoes in the oven to cook for 20-25 minutes (your cauliflower may take longer) 

While the those items are in the oven, add your diced bacon into a skillet over medium heat

Use a wooden spoon to break up the bacon and help cook on all sides

Once bacon is done cooking, remove from heat and remove bacon with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel 

Pour excess bacon fat into a jar (or whatever you have that will work) leaving 2 tablespoons behind in your skillet for the gravy 

Place skillet back over low heat, add your coconut milk and almond butter then some thyme and black pepper- Careful, your coconut milk may pop and get ya

Let the coconut milk come to a slight boil then use your spoon to mix together and begin to cook down

Once the mixture begins to thicken, add your bacon back to the gravy and remove from heat

Once your sweet potatoes and cauliflower are done cooking, place in a bowl or on a plate, top with gravy, and eat!

Enjoy!!

--All the Best