Bacon Takes Center Stage

It's been well-documented that bacon makes everything taste better. But instead of consigning it to a supporting role, why not make bacon the star of the dish? Here are a few recipes that put our favorite cured meat into the spotlight: 

Bacon Confit with Chiles and Pickles

Homemade bread-and-butter pickles and Fresno chiles top crispy cubes of slow-cooked slab bacon.

Bacon with Pineapple Jus and Bacon-Salted Peanuts

Strange and wonderful, this salty-sweet braised bacon dish makes for a conversation-starting hors d'oeuvre.

A Perfect Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwich

Bacon mayonnaise takes this sandwich into another dimension.

Bacon Rillettes

Serve this decadently rich condiment on warm cornbread or biscuits.

About the author: Anya Hoffman is a freelance writer and contributing editor at the James Beard Foundation. Find her on Twitter.