Go Niners!

Yayyyy! For the first time since Bartek and I started dating, the Niners are in the playoffs!  Normally I'm a Jets fan, but they couldn't pull it together this year. But since my Hubby is a hugeeee Niners fan, I'm jumping on the bandwagon today. Bartek has some theory that I was bad luck this whole time and now that Landon's here, he's reversed the curse.

Anyway, in honor of the playoffs, I'm making this Tail-Gating at Home appetizer:
Bacon-Wrapped Potatoes with Spicy Sour Cream Dip

1 pound small red potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
2-3 sprigs of rosemary
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
1 package of thick-cut bacon
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon hot sauce

Preheat the over to 400 degrees.

Put the potatoes into a medium pot, cover with water, add some salt and bring to a boil. Once the water boils, cook the potatoes for 3-4 minutes, until they are a little soft, but strong enough to hold up to the next steps.

While the potatoes are cooking, finely chop the rosemary.

Drain the potatoes and put them in a large bowl. Toss them with rosemary, olive oil, salt and pepper until they are nicely coated.

Cut the strips of bacon in half. Wrap the bacon around each piece of potato, securing it with a toothpick. Put the potatoes on a baking sheet that's lined with parchment paper or foil.

Cook for 15 minutes. Flip the potatoes. Cook for another 10 minutes until bacon is nice and crispy. (Just a side note: The hardwood smoked bacon made my apartment smell like just like the tailgates we used to go to at the Meadowlands!)

Serve with spicy sour cream dip (mix sour cream, hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste).

If I make these again, I think I might use a baking rack so that the bacon grease drips down instead of letting the potatoes bake in it.

Here's my sick little helper who snoozed and snored the whole time I was cooking.

Made just in time for the game! Go Niners!