Bacon fat roasted vegetables
with Honey Chipotle Sauce
Ingredients + Cooking
Recipe makes 4 portions
1 pound Bacon OR Pork Belly, sliced or slab cut
Cut the bacon into small cubes no larger than ¼ inch square. Place the bacon in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat on the stove. The bacon will slowly release its fat and the meaty pieces will darken; turn the heat down at any time the bacon starts to splatter fat out of the pan, this means it is cooking too quickly. Be sure to stir often so the bacon cooks evenly. Once it is all browned pour the bacon and all the fat through a fine mesh strainer placed over a heatproof bowl. Reserve the crispy bacon to use as garnish for the roasted vegetables.
1 pound Carrots, cut into a medium dice
1 pound Summer Squash, quartered lengthwise, seed packet removed, squash cut into ½ inch pieces
2 tsp. Kosher Salt
Preheat the oven to 425F convection. Selecting the Convection Roast option on the oven will provide a more evenly browned final product. Regular Convection Bake will work just fine too. If your oven does not have a convection setting, meaning Bake is the only option, then increase the temperature to 450F. Arrange two oven racks so there is plenty of air space between them. Place two sheet pans or roasting pans in the oven to preheat.
Place each vegetable in its own bowl. Add 2 tablespoon of the reserved bacon fat and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt to each type of vegetable; toss to coat evenly. (Refrigerate any extra bacon fat for future use.)
Open the oven and remove one of the preheated pans. Pour one type of vegetable onto the pan, spread out into an even layer and return the pan to the oven. Repeat with the second pan and the second type of vegetable. Roast the vegetables until tender and edges are starting to brown and crisp. The carrots will take about 12 to 15 minutes to cook through. The squash will take about 7 to 10 minutes. Once the vegetables are tender when tested with a fork remove the pans from the oven. Divide vegetables between serving plates and garnish with the crispy bacon.
Honey Chipotle Sauce
1 cup Yogurt
2 Chipotles from a can, finely chopped
Zest & Juice of 1 Lime
1 Tb Honey
Stir all ingredients together, season lightly with sea salt.
Serve a generous spoonful over each portion of roasted veggies.