Parmesan Bacon Potatoes

My family returned last week from a week long western Caribbean cruise on board Royal Caribbean's amazing  ship, Freedom of the Seas. While on board, we visited both of the fine dining restaurants available at a reasonable surcharge to passengers. Chops Grille is a great steakhouse but we were more impressed with the side dishes that came with the steaks. One such side dish was Parmesan and Proscuitto Potatoes which inspired today's recipe. These are possibly the most indulgent potatoes I have ever eaten, combining crispy hash browns with crisp cooked bacon, all tossed in a creamy parmesan sauce.

This is another of my "best guess" sort of recipes where I attempt to replicate something I've eaten at a restaurant. I've fried the potatoes here but you could just as easily roast them tossed in a little garlic oil instead. Crisp cooked proscuitto could easily be substitued for the crisp bacon if you prefer as well.

Serves 4-6

6-8 slices thick sliced, good quality, smoked bacon

Cut in small pieces and crisp cook the bacon. Drain off all the fat and set aside.

2 1/2 pounds of washed potatoes, skin on

1/4 cup garlic olive oil ( find my recipe here: Garlic Oil )

1/4 cup buttter (not margarine)

salt and pepper to season

Melt the garlic olive oil and butter together over medium heat in a large, heavy bottomed skillet. When heated

add the potatoes, season lightly with salt and pepper and cook for about 2o minutes turning the potatoes every few minutes. The potatoes should be fully cooked and crispy but not necessarily crispy on all sides, it's perfectly okay if they are a little "rustic".

Remove the potatoes from the pan and keep warm in the oven as you prepare the sauce.

Reserve a few tablespoons of the oil and butter in the pan that the potatoes were cooked in. To this add

1 cup whipping cream

simmer until the cream is reduced by about half before melting in

1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

Toss together the potatoes and bacon with the parmesan cream sauce and serve.

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