Superbowl Series: Part II

The Superbowl is over and done with and I'm pooped. But of course I have food to show for it. So here is part 2 of the Superbowl series with "Bacon Wrapped Potato Bites."  These melt-in-your-mouth bites of tasty goodness are easy to make and were pretty much inhaled the first 5 minutes I set them out yesterday. They were decidedly an instant party hit and I couldn't make them fast enough. I'm certainly glad my helpful kitchen aid (Thanks Gunnar!) convinced me to triple my recipe. Last night I also made my new classic "Nutella Puffs" but I won't post the recipe again. 
The general commentary on the Bacon bites was that it was like mashed potato heaven in your mouth and I have to say I agree. The spicy sour cream sauce that goes with this recipe was fairly simple and really brought it together but I altered it a bit to give it some more punch. What can I say? I'm Mexican, one measly teaspoon of hot sauce in my sour cream just doesn't quite do it for me.
Anyway, while Fergie's rendition of Sweet Child of Mine put a bit of a damper on my evening, I have to say the continuous compliments on my cooking more than made up for it. 
More to come!

Bacon-Wrapped Potato Bites with Spicy Sour Cream Dipping Sauce
makes about three dozen bites

1 pound small or medium red potatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped, fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
12 ounces-to-1 pound thick-cut bacon
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 tablespoon hot sauce
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Wash and dry the potatoes. Chop them into 1-inch pieces, keeping the chunks roughly the same size or good bite sizes. Put the potatoes in a medium pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Season the water with salt. Once the water begins to boil, cook the potatoes for about 3 to 4 minutes, until you can stick a fork into them without too much resistance. You want the potatoes to be almost, but not fully, cooked through (so they won't fall apart during the next steps).

Drain the potatoes and put them in a large bowl. Add the rosemary, olive oil, salt, and a few grinds of pepper, and toss until the potatoes are evenly coated.

Cut the strips of bacon in half (with a short, vertical slice. I had long pieces of bacon so I cut it in thirds). Wrap each piece of potato in a half-strip of bacon, securing it with a toothpick. Put the potatoes on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.

Cook the potatoes for 15 minutes, then flip each piece. Cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the bacon is cooked through and crisp. (I had trouble getting my bacon to cook through so I kept it in the oven for about 5-10 minutes intervals until the bacon was well done)

Spicy Sour Cream:

Mix the sour cream and hot sauce in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Pile the potato bites on a plate and serve with the dip.

P.S. Did anyone try out the Buffalo Chicken Bites yesterday??? Let me know how they turned out!