Salsified Bacon

According to urbandictionary, to salsify something is to alter its texture to resemble that of a salsa. I thought I was going to be funny in a way of my own about the fact that the vegetable in question sounds like a verb. (There are lots of food verbs of course, most of them dirty slang). The bacon is simply salsified because it’s combined with salsify to make lovely lovely food.

Salsify is an odd looking (or very typical-looking) root. Almost black, but white when peeled. Peel ’em and boil for sligthly less than 10 minutes. Soft but firm is what we’re after.

Meanwhile, in a pan, cook some diced bacon and chopped onions gingerly, to render the fat and avoid early onset BCB (burnt crunchy bits), but not so gingerly that the bacon is boiled instead of browned. When the salsify is done and drained, add it to the pan and crank up the heat a bit. My preparatory research suggested that salsify is often enjoyed with salt and a knob of butter, and bacon delivers fat and saltiness in one neat package. I added a hint of garlic, some coarsely ground black pepper and a drizzle of honey at the end to get the dish a bit bolder. Maple syrup or similar is probably also completely awesome.

It doesn’t have to be harder than that. Probably not a restaurant class dish, and probably not something you tell your dietitian about, but it was very tasty in my opinion