Bacon, Mushroom and Cheddar-Stuffed Rolls

 These rolls are just pretty.  Pretty to look at, pretty on your plate, and pretty dang good to eat.

Begin by sauteeing about 9 slices of bacon. (No lovelier words began a recipe...)

Then dice 6 mushrooms.  

Wait...what's that you say?  You'd like a mushroom-dicing lesson?!  Really?  OK! 

First lop off the stem.  Then slice through the mushroom horizontally.

Then flip it back to right-side-up.  Slice through it six or seven times vertically (with the cuts coming toward yourself).  Then rotate the mushroom and slice through it again,

Until the little darlin' is neatly and evenly diced.   (It's much like my nerdy little "how to dice an onion" tutorial.)

Six to seven mushrooms diced will yield almost 1 cup. 

Let's return to the bacon.  Blot it well with a paper towel, and chop it up. 

In the skillet in which you cooked the bacon, remove all but about 1 tablespoon of the grease (or, if that gags you out...just use a tablespoon of olive oil or butter in its place).  Throw in the mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat until they get all browned and bubbly and delicious.  Transfer the sauteed mushrooms to a bowl.

Slice up a few green onions (and 5 cloves of garlic...forgot to snap that pic)...

Remove the mushroooms from the pan (but, by golly, do NOT wash it!).  If the skillet's on the dry side, toss in a tablespoon of butter.  Saute the garlic for about 1 minute over medium-high heat,

 Then toss in the green onions for about thirty seconds or so. 

 Pour the garlic and green onions in the bowl with the mushrooms,

And then add about 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard, 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, and a cup of grated cheddar cheese.

If you'd like to, by all means, use your own homemade rolls for this recipe.  I love Sister Schubert's rolls, and they work fantastic here (and saved me a whole lot of time).  I set the frozen bag on the counter when I began sauteing the bacon, and by the time I was ready to stuff them, the rolls were thawed. 

Cut an eye-shaped wedge out of the rolls.  

(But be careful not to slice through the bottom of the roll.)

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, place the rolls on the sheet, 

...and stuff them.  Then sprinkle over a bit more of cheddar cheese.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until the filling is hot and the cheese has melted.  Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve warm.  (They reheat very well, if you need to make them ahead of time.  Just keep the rolls well-wrapped in the fridge and cover them with foil when it's time to reheat before serving.)

Bacon, Mushroom, and Cheddar-Stuffed Rolls
Makes 12 rolls

9 slices bacon, cooked and chopped (reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon grease)
6 mushrooms, diced (stems removed)
4 green onions, sliced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon butter
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dijon (I used coarse-ground)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup + 2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese
 12 (purchased) smooth-topped dinner rolls (do not use cloverleaf rolls)
Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish, if desired)

Saute bacon in large skillet.  When done, remove bacon and place on a plate that's been lined with paper towels.  Reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease; discard the rest.  In the same skillet you used to saute the bacon, heat the reserved bacon grease and add the diced mushrooms.  Saute over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes until they are evenly browned.  Remove from heat.

Chop bacon and place in a medium-sized bowl.  Add cooked mushrooms to the bowl.  In the same skillet (don't wash it!; if it seems dry add another tablespoon of butter), saute the garlic for 1 minute over medium-high heat until fragrant (don't let it brown).  Add the green onions and saute them for only 30 seconds or so.  Place the garlic and green onions in the bowl.  Add mayonnaise and mustard to the bacon/green onion mixture in the bowl.  Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Stir in 1 cup of the grated cheddar cheese.  Set mixture aside.

Make an almond-shaped cut into each of the rolls, bring mindful NOT to pierce the bottom of the rolls.  Remove that cut piece from the center of the roll.  Place rolls on parchment-paper lined baking sheet.  Spoon 1 heaping teaspoon of the bacon/cheese mixture into each of the rolls.  Top each roll with 1/2 teaspoon of the reserved cheddar cheese.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes, or until filling is hot.  Garnish each roll with the chopped fresh parsley.

Recipe inspired by Betty Crocker Christmas Cookbook