I love serving bruschetta at parties because it makes for a great finger food. After my recent trip to Ireland, I fell in love with everything Irish. Bacon, cabbage and Irish beer make this bruschetta appetizer one you will never forget. Serve it on St. Patty’s Day and I’m sure it will be a hit.
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 pieces bacon
1 tablespoon flour
½ cup of Irish beer such as Murphy’s Irish Red, (not a heavy Guinness)
1 cup Irish cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup yellow cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 loaf baguette bread, sliced
Olive oil spray
Granulated garlic powder
¾ lb. ground beef
1/3 cup chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chopped purple cabbage
½ cup chopped cherry tomatoes
Kosher salt and pepper
Directions
To make the cheddar cheese sauce, in a medium sized saute pan, on medium heat, cook the bacon to crisp. Remove the bacon and drain. Break the bacon into 1 inch pieces and set aside.
Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings in the pan. On medium heat, add the flour and whisk until incorporated. Cook for 1 minute. Turn the heat to medium-high heat and add the beer and whisk well. Add the cheddar cheese and brown sugar and whisk until fully incorporated. The sauce will come together fast so don’t walk away. Continue cooking until the sauce gets slightly thick, about 1-2 minutes. Keep warm.
Preheat the oven to broil. Put the baguette slices on a baking sheet. Lightly spray the slices with olive oil spray and sprinkle desired amount of granulated garlic on top of each slice. Broil until lightly toasted. Remove and set aside.
In a large saute pan, add the hamburger meat and onions and brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cabbage and cook for 3 minutes. Season with kosher salt and pepper.
Heat the sauce up again. Put the hamburger mixture in a serving platter and drizzle the cheese sauce over the meat. Top with chopped tomatoes and bacon pieces. Serve with toasted baguette slices.
Skinnytip! You can use low-fat cheeses in this recipe, ground turkey instead of beef, and omit the bacon pieces as a garnish altogether.
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