Brown Sugar and Black Pepper Bacon

by Karin Calloway

If you love bacon, you know that it is almost impossible to make it any better than it is when you simply fry it up in a pan. But if you’re a fan of “salty/sweet” AND a bacon fan, then this dish is for you.

You simply place some strips of bacon on a foil-lined baking sheet, sprinkle with coarsely ground black pepper and brown sugar and bake until the bacon is crisp. The splatters and mess associated with frying bacon in a skillet are eliminated, and you end up with delicious sweet and salty bacon strips that can be served at breakfast or brunch, or cut into small pieces and passed as an hors d’oeuvre.

• 1 pound high-quality bacon
• 1 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with foil and then place a piece of parchment paper on top of the foil. Place strips of bacon on the parchment, spacing them evenly. Sprinkle with pepper and press into the bacon. Sprinkle with brown sugar and press into the bacon.

Place baking sheet on the top rack of the preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until crisp. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.