Long Hots: Stuffed with Cheese, Wrapped in Bacon

by: Janeane Tolomeo

Get ready for one of the easiest/cheesy-est/bacony-est snacks ever.

We just spun the jalapeno popper on its head with this twist - Italian Long Hots stuffed with our Cheddar & Horseradish (with Bacon) Cheese Spread and wrapped in slices of Jalapeno Bacon.

HERE'S HOW IT'S DONE:

1. Take peppers
2. Stuff with cheese spread
3. Wrap in bacon
4. Bake for 20 minutes on 400 degrees or until the bacon is to your liking
5. Slice (or not) and snack away

It's that easy.

The best part about this is you can completely customize your ingredients by trying different types of peppers, bacon, cheese spreads and whatever else you want to throw in the mix.

THE PEPPERS

There were plenty of options to choose from - red, green, orange, and yellow bell peppers, jalapenos, and more - but our heart belongs to the Italian long hot.

We knew we wanted to go with those curly, spicy, Italian peppers from the start; it was just a matter of picking a bacon and cheese spread that worked well with each other.

THE BACON

One of our favorite local bacons comes from 1732 Meats - a family ran operation crafting hand-made bacon slabs in outrageous flavors. The cuts they're rubbing up include Black Peppercorn, Garlic Insanity, Jalapeno, and Spanish Smoked Paprika.

After chatting with Ari, their "chief cure crafter and bacon wrangler," we decided to build an app with double the pepper - starting with our Italian long hots and adding slices of their jalapeno bacon.

THE CHEESE SPREAD

The last decision we made was which of our handmade cheese spreads we would use - did we want to add more spice? Or should we tone down the heat and add some serious flavor?

Our Cheddar and Horseradish with Bacon Cheese Spread took the win - if there are two types of peppers in the dish, there might as well be two elements of bacon represented as well.

THE RESULT? A TRIFECTA OF FLAVOR

Long hot peppers, stuffed with our Cheddar and Horseradish (with bacon) Spread, wrapped up like a delicious gift with juicy Jalapeno bacon.

THE BEST WAY TO TRY THIS AT HOME

Get crafty - try these other ingredient mash-ups we drempt up. This time around, we started with our cheese spread and picked peppers and 1732 Meats to match:

• Abbruzze Spread - Hot red peppers, roasted garlic, Italian herbs and our special three-cheese blend - and believe us, it definitely brings some heat. Try it with a jalapeno pepper and 1732 Meat's Garlic Insanity bacon (All the Garlic, all the time. Described as taking garlic bread and turning it into Bacon)
• Gorgonzola Spread - Gorgonzola and cheddar that gives a hint of that blue cheese taste we love. Stuff a hunk of pancetta (Italian Bacon cured in a zesty assortment of spices and herbs) into a cherry pepper and top off with the Gorgonzola spread.
• Roasted Garlic & Herb Spread - Roasted garlic, Italian herbs and our special three-cheese blend. This is perfect stuffed inside a poblano pepper with 1732's Spanish Smoked Paprika bacon (Spanish Chorizo in a bacon form) diced and laid on top.
• Provolone & Chianti - House-aged provolone and the sweetness of Chianti. Stuff and spread inside a fresh red peperoncino and cover it in bits of 1732's Black Peppercorn bacon.
• Port Wine - Pure Wisconsin Cheddar swirled with sweet Port Wine. This would work as-is with red and yellow bell pepper slices to dip. For this mash-up, we're giving the meat a wildcard because crumbles of any bacon would do the trick!

Or, try the recipe that started it all. Either way, have some fun and let us know what combo you try or concoct on your own.