Cure for Bacon Withdrawal: More Bacon

Michael Smith, Chef at Home, knows how to make some seriously tasty food. This is the same man that inspired me to make such dishes as Buffalo Chicken Wing Salad (which I need to make again soon, it’s awesome) and Lobster Mac and Cheese, (which I have made on my own and also by using his fantastically indulgent recipe). He simply makes great things. I’ve been a fan of Michael Smith’s for a long time and I have two of his cookbooks which I adore but when he suggested wrapping a potato tart in bacon I knew that we would be friends for life.

What’s that? Bacon? I know, it's been a while since my beloved bacon has appeared here. I had become so accustomed to eating homemade bacon, (thanks to Michael Ruhlman, Michael seems to be a good name) that I couldn’t bear to eat any other kind and have therefore been missing out on bacon almost altogether. Since moving out I haven’t made any of my own bacon, cause it’s just not the same without the smoker, or quite frankly, without my Dad so I’ve been going through bacon withdrawal. Luckily there’s a cure for bacon withdrawal though and that’s lots and lots of bacon.
From the very first time I saw Michael Smith make this Potato Bacon Cheddar Tart I knew that I had to try it myself but for some reason it didn’t happen right away. The recipe stayed on my brain though, (Dad’s too) and every now and then we’d mention that Potato Bacon Tart we’d seen and inevitably how we should really make it soon. It was almost as though we were reminiscing about something we’d never even tasted. I think we saw Michael Smith make that tart in reruns two more times before we finally made it into the kitchen to try it ourselves. Why we waited that long, I have no idea, but no bacon lover should have to go through life even a minute longer without experiencing this. Because as you should all know by now, everything is better with bacon.

Potato Bacon Cheddar Tart (From Michael Smith via the Foodnetwork and also his book Chef at Home)

3 x baking potatoes, sliced one quarter inch thick
1 lb. of thickly sliced bacon
1 lb. of orange cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and pepper
***

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Line a 6-inch non-stick fry pan with bacon slices, arranging them in a radial pattern and starting with one end of bacon in the centre of the pan and the other end draped over the edge. When the entire surface of the pan has been covered, sprinkle with pepper and add a layer of sliced potatoes to cover the bottom. Sprinkle with grated cheese and pepper and repeat layers until they are slightly above the top of the pan.
Fold the bacon, one slice at a time up and over the potato mound toward the centre. Carefully overlap each slice and repeat until the top is completely and neatly covered with bacon. Press down and cover with a lid.
Place tart on a baking sheet, which will catch any drips during cooking. Bake for 3 hours.
*** I also added some thinly sliced onions and smoky paprika to the layering process.