Oh, heavens. I'm pretty sure this dip has a larger proportion of bacon than any other recipe I have.
Like, there's an entire package of bacon in that bowl.
(And that makes me really happy.)
We had some friends over for New Year's Eve, so I tried a Bacon Mushroom Dip recipe from Mark Sisson's book, Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Meals. It was fantastic!
I wanted to create a similar dip that would be quicker and easier to make. (That might sound odd considering the original recipe came from a book with "quick and easy" in its title.) Between cooking the bacon and sauteeing the mushrooms it either takes a long time or dirties up two pans.
I thought a bacon and artichoke dip would be a quicker alternative, and I added some balsamic to give it more flavor.
Um, wow. We loved this. We dipped vegetable sticks in it, used it as a condiment for roasted/grilled vegetables and chicken, and as a topping for omelets. It would be good as a sandwich/burger spread, too. I'm sure we would have found more uses had it lasted longer!
One more note about this...
I used homemade mayonnaise in this dip which cleans it up quite a bit. I took my Olive Oil Mayonnaise recipe and used avocado oil (to give it a more neutral flavor) and added an extra splash of balsamic vinegar. I may have to give that mayonnaise its own post. I don't even like mayonnaise, but I loved that stuff.
So did my five-year-old, who preferred to dip her vegetables in straight mayonnaise instead of the bacon and artichoke dip.
I've quit trying to make sense of the stuff she does. Yesterday she did a reenactment of her dance recital performance just outside the entrance to Whole Foods. I wish you could have seen it. How I love (and sometimes envy) her fearless individuality.
I also love this dip.
Go make it!
Balsamic Bacon and Artichoke Dip
Just a handful of ingredients make this dip easy to put together. And about half of it is bacon, which automatically qualifies it for amazing.
Ingredients
- 10 slices thick-cut bacon
- 1 12-ounce jar of marinated artichoke hearts (see note)
- ⅓ cup paleo balsamic mayonnaise (see note)
- 1 green onion, cut into large pieces
- 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- Salt, if necessary
Instructions
- Cut bacon into 1-inch chunks and fry in a skillet over medium heat until crispy. Transfer with a slotted spoon to the work bowl of a food processor. If you'd like a few pieces of bacon for garnish, set them aside.
- Drain and rinse artichoke hearts. Add them to the food processor. Add the mayonnaise, green onion, and balsamic vinegar. Process until smooth. Taste, and add salt, if necessary.
- Serve warm or cold. Chill in an air-tight container when not using. Lasts about a week.
Notes
Nat's Notes:
1. I rinsed the artichoke hearts to remove the excess oil, which is most often vegetable oil. You can also use frozen or plain canned artichoke hearts. I found that they didn't add as much flavor as the marinated ones, though. If you use the plain ones, I would suggest adding ½ teaspoon of salt and 2 Tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil.
2. I make my own mayonnaise to avoid the vegetable/soybean oils in commercial mayonnaise. If you'd like to make your own, I included a link within this post as well as modifications to the recipe.
