Jalapeño poppers
I’m told it’s Super Bowl Sunday this weekend and it was therefore suggested to me that sharing some kind of party food would be on point. So here’s an American game day classic – Jalapeño poppers!! Fresh jalapeños stuffed with a creamy cheesy filling then fried or baked, the jalapeño is barely spicy because the spiciness reduces when cooked.
How i make jalapeno poppers
There’s no one way to make Jalapeño poppers. The stuffing can be herby, or bacony, they can be crumbed and fried, or wrapped in bacon. Mine have a bacon-cheddar-cream cheese filling (essentially cheese and bacon dip), then I top with shredded cheese to act as a glue for crunchy breadcrumbs. I like to pre-toast the breadcrumbs so they are evenly golden. It takes 3 minutes and so worth it – rather than serving them with a white crumb with splotchy brown patches. Serve at your next gathering (football present or not) and watch them disappear in a flash!
Ingredients in Jalapeño poppers
Here’s what you need to make them.
Jalapeños – 12 whole, raw jalapeños about 7.5cm / 3″ long. Longer gets difficult to eat with your hands (imagine – floppy hot cheesy thing) and shorter is a pain to stuff (though you can use more smaller ones if you want. Jalapeño Poppers are not very spicy because the spiciness reduces when cooked. Unless you specifically leaves the seeds in because this is where the spiciness is! See the information box below for how to control the spice level. Bacon – Use streaky bacon so it can cook in its own fat and becomes nice and crisp. Lean bacon will not become as crisp and also you’ll need to add fat to cook it. Panko breadcrumbs – A Japanese breadcrumb favoured for the extra-crispy coating it gives because the pieces are bigger than regular breadcrumbs. Find it in the Asian aisle at large regular grocery stores, or Asian stores. Substitute with regular breadcrumbs, but they’re not as crunchy. Cream cheese – You can use any brand you like but my go-to is Philadelphia. Low-fat will work but the filling won’t be as creamy. Cheese – I like to use a sharp cheddar because it’s got a slightly stronger flavour than regular cheddar. However, you can really use any cheese that melts that has flavour. Not mozzarella – it doesn’t have enough flavour. Garlic – I prefer fresh over dried garlic powder which most recipes seem to use. It just has better flavour to me. Green onion – For freshness. Chives – Optional garnish.
How to make Jalapeño Poppers
As with most finger food, the time is in the stuffing and topping of each individual piece. But the actual making part is very straight forward. Let them cool for a bit before serving, but be sure to serve while the stuffing is still hot and oozy. It will stay warm for a good 20 minutes. Plenty of time to transfer them to a platter and pass them around. I provide little serviettes because it’s meant to be eaten with your hands. Does anyone eat jalapeño poppers with a knife and fork?? I feel like that would take some of the fun out the eating experience. And far too classy for me. As you will see in today’s video, especially in the charming little blooper at the end. 😂 – Nagi x Why pre-toast the breadcrumbs? Because the jalapeno poppers are not in the oven long enough to make the breadcrumbs golden. You end up with a pale brown surface then all the breadcrumbs underneath are white. It’s totally worth the 3 minutes it takes to toast the breadcrumbs! Rack on tray – The line the jalapeños up on a rack set on a foil lined tray. Step 7 depicts this. The purpose of the rack is to keep the jalapeños stable as they bake so the cheese and panko stays on. The foil just makes your life easier. Golden crusted cheese is never fun to scrape off trays!
Watch how to make it
Please note: I had a minor shooting hiccup and as a result the bacon cooking step is not in the video, and I had to use oil rather than residual bacon fat to pan fry the breadcrumbs. The hiccup in question might’ve involved me forgetting to press the record button followed by wiping out the pan. I really need to learn to follow my own darn recipes! 🙂
Life of Dozer
I often share real life behind the scenes as-it-happens on Instagram. Every time I show snippets of Dozer with who I call “The Magic Dog Doctor” I get a stack of questions about it, so I shared some information about him. So, here it is for website readers too! His name is Neil Barnsley and he has a practice called Animal Holistic Therapies that uses natural and alternative therapies to treat dogs, specialising in physical issues (joints, muscles, nerves etc). It takes an hour to drive there (western Sydney in a place called Camden) and there’s a reason I’ve been taking Dozer to him for over a decade – because he truly does work magic. His ability to pinpoint an issue by touch is truly astonishing. Take your pooch once, and you’ll understand. Also, he has saved me many thousands of dollars over the years in expensive scans that he doesn’t need to do to identify a problem, and natural therapies to fix joint, spine and muscle problems rather than injections etc.. He is also who I consulted to create Dozer’s natural food diet (ie no dog food) which he’s been on for almost 8 years. At age 11, his fur is still shiny and healthy, his eyes are still very clear, his teeth are excellent for a dog of his age, much in part, Neil tells me, due to his food. He’s a legend. Thank you Neil! PS He is very, very in demand so I book many weeks out to take Dozer.
