Best Winter Greens With Bacon Butter Recipes

WILTED GREENS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Trim and chop 2 bunches dandelion greens, watercress or baby kale. Cook 3 slices chopped bacon until crisp; transfer to paper towels using a slotted spoon. Add 1 each sliced garlic clove and shallot to the drippings; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add 3 tablespoons cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon sugar; stir until dissolved. Add the greens in batches, tossing to wilt. Season with salt and pepper; top with the bacon.

COLLARD GREENS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Place bacon in a heavy pot and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until fat begins to render, about 5 minutes. Drain off 1/2 of the bacon grease.
• Reduce heat to medium and add onion. Cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper; cook and stir for 2 minutes.
• Increase heat to high and immediately pour in 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, stirring to scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add chopped collard greens and 1 more cup of water. Bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until greens are tender, about 1 hour.

WINTER GREENS AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a large gratin dish. Peel the squash, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices; set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the kale and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well in a colander, then squeeze out any excess water.
• Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and the well-drained greens. Cook until the greens are slightly wilted, 3 to 4 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, place half the sliced squash in the prepared dish and season with salt and pepper. Combine the nutmeg, allspice, and thyme in a small bowl. Spoon the kale over the squash and sprinkle with half the seasoning mixture. Top with remaining squash and sprinkle with the remaining seasoning.
• Pour the cream over the gratin and cover with a piece of aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes, remove the foil, and press down on the squash with a spatula to compress. Cover and continue baking until the squash is soft when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the breadcrumbs and cheese in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Decrease the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Remove the foil from the gratin dish and sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the squash. Dot with the butter and continue baking, uncovered, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

QUICK-BRAISED GREENS AND BEANS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Prepare the greens: Cut the tough stems out of the greens and discard. Stack the leaves, roll tightly crosswise and slice into 3/4-inch-wide ribbons. Transfer to a large bowl, cover with cold water and swish to remove grit. Transfer greens to a colander, cleaning them a second time if the water remaining in the bowl is visibly dirty.
• Cook 2 bacon slices in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium heat, turning occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Meanwhile, cut the remaining 2 bacon slices crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips.
• Add the 1/4-inch bacon strips to the hot bacon fat and cook, stirring, until the fat in the bacon strips starts to render, about 1 minute. Add the onion and a pinch each of salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until golden brown around the edges, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sage and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir in the stock, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer, 5 minutes.
• Increase the heat to medium, add the greens, season with salt and pepper and stir until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Cover and cook until tender with a little bite, about 3 minutes.
• Uncover and add the beans and hot sauce. Stir until the beans are heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among serving dishes and crumble the cooked bacon slices on top. Serve with more hot sauce.

BROWN-BUTTER CREAMED WINTER GREENS

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, then add the flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
• Add the milk in a stream, whisking, then add the shallot, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, whisking, then simmer, whisking occasionally, 5 minutes. Strain the béchamel sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding solids, and cover the surface with parchment.
• Discard the stems and center ribs from the greens, then coarsely chop the leaves.
• Cook the bacon in a wide 8-quart heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown but not crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain, then pour off the fat from the pot and wipe clean.
• Heat the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in the pot over medium-low heat until browned and fragrant, about 2 minutes, then cook the onion, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes.
• Increase the heat to medium-high, then stir in the greens, 1 handful at a time, letting each handful wilt before adding the next. Add the béchamel, cream, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper and boil, uncovered, stirring, until the sauce coats the greens and the greens are tender, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in the bacon, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.
• DO AHEAD
• The BÉCHAMEL SAUCE can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, its surface covered with parchment; stir before using. The greens can be chopped 1 day ahead and chilled in a large sealed bag.

WINTER GREENS AND BACON

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon, and set aside. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons rendered fat.
• Add greens and water to pan, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until greens are wilted and almost all the water has evaporated, about 8 minutes.
• Remove greens from heat. Stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. Toss in bacon. Serve warm.