Jalapeno Hashbrown Poppers Recipe 435

Steps:

• Mix the thawed hashbrowns and melted butter, being sure the potatoes are evenly coated. Press 1½ to 2 Tablespoons of the hashbrown mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the cups of a mini-muffin tin. (The mixture should make about 30 "cups".) Bake the cups in a 425 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. Top edges will be brown and crispy. Remove them from the oven and turn the oven down to 350 degrees. While the hashbrown cups are baking, mix up the jalapeno popper filling. Place the softened cream cheese, sour cream, jalapeno, onion bacon and cheddar in a medium mixing bowl. (The jalapeno I used was extremely large, so I only used half. I also used all the veins and seeds, since we like things spicy. Adjust the "heat" in your appetizers by adjusting the amount of jalapeno you use and how many of the seeds and veins you mince into your ingredients. Please use caution and wear gloves when working with hot peppers to prevent contact with your skin. Wash your hands thoroughly when you're finished chopping them.) Stir vigorously to be sure all ingredients are evenly combined. I used my cookie scoop, leveled off, to add filling to the pre-baked hashbrown cups. One, to one-and-a-half Tablespoons is about the right amount. Fill the shells all the way to the top or just slightly over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the muffin tin, on a wire rack, for at least 10 minutes before trying to remove the poppers. I used a butter knife to slide around the edges of each cup to be sure it was loosened from the pan. Then I lifted them out, onto a plate that I had covered with a paper towel. The towel absorbed any excess butter. Serve while still warm. To serve, arrange the poppers on a tray and garnish each with a tiny swirl of sour cream and a fresh parsley leaf.

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, Cheddar cheese and bacon bits. Spoon this mixture into the jalapeno pepper halves.
• Put the milk and flour into two separate small bowls. Dip the stuffed jalapenos first into the milk then into the flour, making sure they are well coated with each. Allow the coated jalapenos to dry for about 10 minutes.
• Dip the jalapenos in milk again and roll them through the breadcrumbs. Allow them to dry, then repeat to ensure the entire surface of the jalapeno is coated.
• In a medium skillet, heat the oil to 365 degrees F ( 180 degrees C). Deep fry the coated jalapenos 2 to 3 minutes each, until golden brown. Remove and let drain on a paper towel.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Cut 1/3 of each pepper off lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place on a baking sheet. If peppers do not sit flat on the baking sheet, slice a thin piece off the bottom of the pepper so it will not roll around.
• Mash the feta, cream cheese, shredded cheese, cilantro, and onion together and stuff the peppers with the mixture. Roast for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the peppers are tender and the cheese is brown at the edges and bubbly.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Set a wire rack over a baking sheet.
• If you have them, slip on some latex gloves for the pepper prep. Cut the jalapenos in half lengthwise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white membranes (the source of the heat; leave a little if you like things HOT). Smear cream cheese into each jalapeno half and then wrap with a bacon piece (1/2 slice). Secure by sticking a toothpick through the middle. Place on the rack in the baking sheet.
• Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. (You don't want the bacon pieces to shrink so much they start to squeeze the jalapenos.) If after 45 minutes the bacon doesn't look brown enough, just keep cooking until the bacon is sizzling.
• Serve immediately, or they're also great at room temperature.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil, then top with a wire rack.
• Halve jalapeños lengthwise. (Do your best to halve them through their stems for added visual appeal.) Using the tip of a small spoon, scoop out and discard the seeds. Set the halved jalapeños aside.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese, cilantro, scallions, garlic and lime zest, if using; season generously with salt and pepper.
• Season the inside of each halved jalapeño with salt and pepper, then fill each with about 2 teaspoons of the cream cheese mixture. (Fill until there's a slight dome on top.) Wrap each stuffed jalapeño with 1 piece of bacon, setting one tip of bacon on top of the cream cheese filling, then wrapping the bacon under and over the popper at an angle, so the bacon covers the filling on top in two layers. (The bacon will shrink as it cooks, so you want to make sure the top of the popper is well covered.) Arrange poppers evenly on the wire rack, nestling each popper between two parallel wires to keep it upright so the cream cheese doesn't spill during baking.
• Transfer to the oven, and bake until bacon is cooked through, about 25 minutes. Broil on the rack closest to the broiler until crisp, about 2 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve warm.