Baconized Rosemary Pears with Potatoes and Red Onions

I love when my recipe has a story! And Baconized Rosemary Pears, Potatoes and Red Onions, certainly has a tale!

In Fall 2019, I bought some Starkrimson Red Pears. I don’t recall, in past years, buying Starkrimson Pears but my first bite of the red jeweled pear branded my palate. I was hooked and my childhood favorite, yellow Bartlett pear, took a second seat.

Starkrimson Red Pears

Red Anjou Pears

Fall means roasting time so one day I gave some Starkrimson Pears a roast. The next day, I needed breakfast for a friend stopping by so I tossed leftover roasted pear, cubed pork tenderloin, rosemary, and roasted potatoes, into the skillet, for a quick hash.

Topped with a fried egg, my friend I were smitten by the flavor combination.

Scrumptious!

I decided to develop a hash recipe starting from scratch instead of leftovers. When I served the #holidayhash to my hubby he agreed it was really really good but needed the crunch of bacon.

Jump forward to the week of Thanksgiving! My son dropped his almost 2 and almost 4 year old son off at Gamma’s house for the 10 days leading up to Thanksgiving. Yikes, 10 days is a lot, especially when 25 guests will show up on Turkey Day!! So it is of no wonder when I read the rules to the USA Pears Blogger Challenge I missed that the contest had an appetizer/side dish category and a dessert category. Note: There is not a main dish category. Soooo after I made the roasted pear hash as a main dish with pork tenderloin, and I took pretty photos, and I patted myself on the back, I reread the rules and realized my weary brain was missing a few sparks!

One would think that I would grow weary of roasted pears but ohhhh so not true. Every version of my roasted pears, no matter the dish, makes me wonder why this simple and scrumptious food isn’t celebrated more on menus!

I thought things through and in a genius moment, with my brain renewed, I developed a side dish with roasted pears, potatoes, red onions, rosemary, and bacon! I wish I had developed this recipe before Thanksgiving! This eye-catching and creative dish of sweet and savory roasted pears goes perfectly with roasted turkey! You can even make it ahead and reheat!

Baconized Rosemary Pears with Potatoes and Red Onions

Vegans and Vegetarians ~ simply omit the bacon as photo below!

Baconized Rosemary Pears with Potatoes and Red Onions

Ingredients:

12-16 ounces sliced bacon, cut in half

3 Red Anjou or Starkrimson Red Pears (about 2 pounds), cored, cut into 4-6 wedges

1 large red onion (about 16 ounces), skin removed, cut into 8 wedges

2 cups golden potatoes (about 12 ounces), cut mini unpeeled potatoes in half or cut standard size in 1-inch peeled cubes

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 lemon, juiced (2 tablespoons juice, 2 teaspoons zest)

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon sea salt,

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

5 sprigs rosemary, plus 2 tablespoons chopped rosemary leaves, extra for garnish, divided

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400° F.

Line two rimmed baking sheets or pans with foil. On one prepared baking sheet, arrange bacon slices, in a single layer. Place baking sheet on center oven rack, and bake 12-18 minutes, rotating pan once, until crispy. Transfer bacon to paper towels and blot dry. Crumble before serving. Set aside.

Meanwhile, on the second prepared baking sheet, toss pears, onions, potatoes, canola oil, and 1-tablespoon lemon juice. Combine paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper, and sprinkle over pear mixture, and toss again. Arrange pears, potatoes, and onions, in a single layer, and top with 5 rosemary sprigs.

Adjust oven heat to 425° F. Cover the baking sheet tightly with foil. Bake until pears begin to soften, 20 minutes.

Uncover the pears after 20 minutes of baking, stir, and continue to bake, uncovered, 18-20 minutes more, or until golden brown on edges. Remove the baking sheet from oven, cool pear mixture for 5 minutes. If desired, reserve 6 posted pear wedges for garnish.

Chop the remaining pears, potatoes, and onions, into bite size pieces. Drizzle with maple syrup and 1-tablespoon lemon juice. Sprinkle with 2-tablespoons minced rosemary, half of the bacon crumbles, and lightly toss. Salt and pepper to taste. Place back on baking sheet and bake for 5 more minutes. Transfer to a serving dish. Top with remaining bacon crumbles. Garnish with rosemary. Seres: 4-6

*Serving Suggestions: Serve this yummy and creative side dish with roasted lamb, turkey, chicken, beef or pork chops. I guess that means serve it with everything!

*Dietary Variations: Omit the bacon for Vegan or Vegetarian diets.