Chopped Challenge #6: Pierogies & Bacon-Wrapped Meatballs

For Chopped challenge #6, I gave Justin pierogies, turkey bacon, chicken bouillon, and beer. He likes to drink beer but isn't a huge fan of cooking with beer--he'll eat some stuff but can be pretty picky about it. I know that cooking with it was a bit of challenge for him then because he didn't want to do anything that would end up having a strong beer flavor. He decided to boil the pierogies in a mixture of beer and chicken bouillon and then fry them to brown them a little bit. Along with that, he made some homemade meatballs and wrapped them in the turkey bacon before baking them. He said that it wasn't the most elegant dish, but it was still pretty tasty. I especially enjoyed the meatballs. If you like a stronger beer flavor, feel free to cut down on the water or add another beer--these only have a mild hint of beer-ness to them. (Beer-ness is a word, right?)


Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1/4 c bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 c red bell pepper
1/4 c green bell pepper
1/3 c onion
Salt
Pepper
1 pkg turkey bacon (about 24 strips)
2 lb frozen potato and cheddar pierogies
Water
3 bouillon cubes
12 oz beer
3 tbsp butter, divided


Directions

Combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and onion in a large bowl with salt and pepper to taste. Combine the mixture well. Scoop out a spoonful at a time and roll into a ball. Wrap each ball with 1 slice of turkey bacon and place on a sheet pan. Repeat for remaining meatballs. Bake at 350 F for 18 minutes.

Meanwhile, place pierogies in a large pot and add enough water to cover by 1". Add bouillon cubes and beer, and bring to a boil. Cook according to package directions. In a sauté pan, melt 1 tbsp butter. Scoop 1/3 of the pierogies out of the pot and add them to the pan along with a small amount of liquid from the pot. Cook until they begin to turn a light, golden brown. Repeat with remaining pierogies. Serve alongside meatballs.


Servings: 4