Æbleflæsk (Roasted Apples and Bacon with Onions and Thyme)

Name: Æbleflæsk (Roasted Apples and Bacon with Onions and Thyme)
Prep time: PT0D0H0M
Cook time: PT0D0H45M
Total time: PT0D0H45M
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Danish
Ingredients: One whole 1-lb. piece slab bacon, cut across the grain into eight ½-in.-thick slices; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter; 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced lengthwise; 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves; 2½ lb. medium sweet baking apples (about 6), cored and cut into 12 wedges each

Cut thick, pan-fried, and baked crisp over apples and onions, this pork dish is a Danish cold-weather favorite.

Serves
8
Time
45 minutes

ANDERS SCHONNEMANN

By Paul Cunningham

Updated on October 22, 2024

In a classic Danish treatment, sweet red apples are roasted with onions, caramelized in bacon fat, and served under thick steaks of smoked belly bacon. Use a hearty baking apple, such as Braeburn or Gala, that will stand up to roasting and keep its shape while becoming tender and caramelized.

Featured in “An All-Night Danish Christmas Feast.”

Ingredients

One whole 1-lb. piece slab bacon, cut across the grain into eight ½-in.-thick slices
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
2½ lb. medium sweet baking apples (about 6), cored and cut into 12 wedges each

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Instructions

Step 1

Season the bacon to taste with salt and black pepper. In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. When the foam subsides, add half the bacon to the skillet and cook, turning once, until caramelized on both sides and tender, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate, then repeat with the remaining bacon.

Step 2

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Drain off all but ¼ cup of the rendered fat and return the skillet to medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized and soft, about 20 minutes. Stir in the thyme, remove the skillet from the heat, and scrape the onions into a 9- by 13-inch baking dish or small roasting pan.

Step 3

Add the apples to the onions, toss to coat evenly in the fat, and bake, stirring once halfway through, until the apples are just tender and lightly caramelized, about 20 minutes. Using tongs, push the apples and onions to one side of the baking dish and nestle the bacon slices next to them. Continue baking until the apples are very tender and the bacon is warmed through, about 10 minutes more. Transfer the dish to a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Season the bacon to taste with salt and black pepper. In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. When the foam subsides, add half the bacon to the skillet and cook, turning once, until caramelized on both sides and tender, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate, then repeat with the remaining bacon.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Drain off all but ¼ cup of the rendered fat and return the skillet to medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized and soft, about 20 minutes. Stir in the thyme, remove the skillet from the heat, and scrape the onions into a 9- by 13-inch baking dish or small roasting pan.
Add the apples to the onions, toss to coat evenly in the fat, and bake, stirring once halfway through, until the apples are just tender and lightly caramelized, about 20 minutes. Using tongs, push the apples and onions to one side of the baking dish and nestle the bacon slices next to them. Continue baking until the apples are very tender and the bacon is warmed through, about 10 minutes more. Transfer the dish to a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.