Jalapeno Popper

Roasting Jalapenos (Don’t forget to wear gloves!):

There are several ways to roast peppers. I think my way is the quickest and easiest. Hold the jalapeno firmly in a pair of metal tongs and put it directly into the flame over a gas burner. It will start to snap as the skin blackens. This takes about a minute a side – keep turning it as each side blackens. When the jalapeno is completely black, place it in a gallon Ziplock bag. When all the peppers are roasted, seal the bag and leave it alone for an hour. This will make them extremely easy to peel and also mellow the flavor a bit.

If you don’t have a gas range, by all means use the broiler in your oven. To do this, turn you broiler on as high as it will go, rub jalapenos with some vegetable oil, place on a sheet tray and slide under the broiler. Check in a few minutes and if they are blackened, turn them carefully and when the other side is black they are done. Put them in the Ziplock bag and leave alone for an hour.

Peeling roasted jalapeno peppers (GLOVES GLOVES GLOVES!)

After the peppers have steamed in the Ziplock bag for an hour, you should be able to slide the skin of easily. Just grab a pepper and rub the blackened skin off. When you get most of the black off (a little won’t hurt), slice off the top of the pepper and slice it in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds, which is where a lot of the heat is. Dice the peppers up and set them aside.

Mixing the poppers:

In a bowl mix the cream cheese, diced jalapenos, bacon bits, cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. Mix well so the jalapenos are evenly distributed. Place the mix in the fridge for an hour so the mix is less messy to work with.

Assembling the poppers

Take the bowl out of the fridge and DON YOUR GLOVES!! Grab a bit of the jalapeno mixture and roll it in your hands to about the size of a golf ball. Line the balls up on a sheet tray lined with wax paper. Should make about 10 to 15.

Pour the flour onto a plate, mix the eggs with the milk in a shallow bowl and pour the breadcrumbs onto their own plate. Ta-da!! A breading station!! WITH GLOVED HANDS roll the balls a couple at a time in the flour, then dip and coat in the egg mixture, then roll and coat in the breadcrumbs. Place the balls on a plate. Repeat and dredge the remaining balls. You want a double breading to make sure it is properly coated and wont explode in the hot oil.

Frying

Have your oil temperature at 350 degrees F in a deep skillet – just enough oil depth to be able to cover the balls. Put balls carefully, one at a time, into the hot oil. Don’t drop them in or the oil will splash and hurt you. Let the poppers cook for 2 to 3 minutes, checking them occasionally. When they are a nice deep brown, pull them out and place them on some paper towels to absorb some of the oil. Repeat with the remaining poppers. Eat immediately…or when they have cooled slightly so you don’t burn your mouth with molten yumminess. ENJOY!!