Asparagus and Potato Clafouti.....Did I mention there's Bacon too?

I'm sure your first question is what the hell is a clafouti! Well its actually a dessert, think of it as a cross between a custard and a dutch baby. Normally clafouti is made with a sweet fruit. But I really thought I could make a savory version, more similar to a quiche...and damn if I wasn't able to! This was crazy easy to make and can be customized to whatever vegetables you like. For this version I used asparagus and potatoes. And then decided to throw in bacon because why the hell not? And to make it yourself you will need:

Fresh asparagus (as much or as little as you want)

Potatoes cubed (any type you like, I used russet)

** Seriously you can use whatever vegetables you like as long as you think they go well together. You can also opt to just use one vegetable, or even just leave out the bacon.**

Bacon chopped into whatever shape your heart desires

Butter

1/2 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon sugar

1 1/4 cup milk

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon thyme

3/4 teaspoon salt

Black pepper (to taste)

1 tablespoon lemon zest (this was added for no reason other than I love lemon. So feel free to nix this part if you aren't a lemon fan.)

The first thing I did was chop up my asparagus, cube my potatoes and slice up my bacon. Next you will want to butter a baking dish, making sure you get all the way up the sides of the dish. Doing this will help the clafouti rise and puff up. I used a round one, but you are free to choose whatever size and shape you like.

Next I placed the baking dish in the fridge so that I could start on my batter. In a mixing bowl add the flour, salt, sugar, pepper and thyme. I know I gave a measurement for the amount of thyme, but I can not tell a lie...I didn't measure it at all (did you expect anything else from me by now?) I just threw in what I thought was about a tablespoon. As I mentioned in a previous recipe I really can't stand picking off the teeny tiny thyme leaves. Next I added in the milk and whisked until the flour was completely dissolved. Next I added the eggs and whisked again until everything was nicely incorporated.

Then I set that aside to get to work on the veggies. In a heavy bottom skillet, I added some butter, the cubed potatoes and the chopped bacon. I let that cook on medium heat until the potatoes were just tender and the bacon was just starting to crisp. You don't want to over cook at this point, because it's going to spend some time in the oven to finish cooking off and nobody likes burnt bacon.

Next I removed the potatoes and bacon from the skillet and set it aside to rest. All that wonderful flavor and bacon fat was still left in the skillet, making it super easy to saute the asparagus. If you go a little too long cooking the potatoes and bacon and you don't have enough of the rendered fat to coat the asparagus you can always add a little butter to the pan. Keeping the stove on medium heat, I only cooked the asparagus for about two minutes. As soon as you see the color change to a brighter green, its time to take them off the heat.

Then I added the asparagus, potatoes and bacon to the buttered baking dish. Make sure to mix them all together so you can get a little of everything in each bite once this is finished.

Next I added the batter and gave everything one more good mix. I also randomly decided to throw in some Hungarian paprika, I have no clue if it made any difference at all to the overall taste. Then I popped it into a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes and it went from this..

To this...

You can eat it by itself, or serve it as a side dish. I served mine with some baked tilapia and a rice pilaf...and it did not disappoint!

Whatever vegetables you decide to use, I hope you add this super easy and delicious recipe to your kitchen adventure soon. *Plus come on it's super fun to say and sounds pretty damn impressive*