Stroodles!

You've probably heard me and my family talking about the delicious, artery clogging, heart attack in the making, wonderfulness that is a dish called Stroodles.  This is a recipe that my Mom learned from her Mom and so on and so forth.  It's definitely a family favorite, but it's super time consuming to make (it takes about 3 hours depending on how many people are helping and whether it's doubled or a single batch) so we only have it once or twice a year.

Please note that we are not talking about strudles, which are made of pastry dough and are usually filled with fruit.  In contrast, Stroodles consist of potatoes, bacon (and lots of it!) and little rolls of dough.  It's definitely not the healthiest dish ever invented, but uses simple ingredients that common people would have had readily available to them back in the day when people weren't really concerned about their cholesterol levels.

Anyways, I'm posting this because pretty much everyone I've ever described Stroodles to has had a blank expression on their face and had no idea what I was talking about.  So I've decided to gift Stroodles to the world (or at least to those who are reading my blog).

I was looking through my recipe book last week and decided that I was in the mood for some Stroodles, but figured that I should probably try it out with my Mom before attempting them on my own.  I'd only ever helped out with them once and my sisters were both there as well so I really didn't do a whole lot of helping.  So I fried up the bacon and peeled and sliced the potatoes on Sunday in preparation for making them on Monday.

The Big Bowl of Bacon

Bacon Grease.

Pot of Potatoes

Mom and I had a good time making the Stroodles while Paxton hung out with Grandpa and Dianne.  And then about 5 hours after we started the process we got to finish it off by eating super awesome deliciousness!

The finished product

(I forgot to take a picture yesterday so these ones are the ones I put in the freezer for later)

I know they don't look like the most appetizing meal in the world, but looks can be deceiving and definitely are in this case!  Stroodles are best with butter melted on them and salted to taste.  They are one food that's actually better as leftovers.  The next day you cut them up, fry them in more butter, and then finish them off with more butter and salt.  For anyone who's curious, here's the recipe:

4 to 5 pounds of bacon

10 cups flour
5 tsp.baking powder
1 cup milk
potatoes
5 eggs
3 tsp. salt
2 cups water

The night before, fry bacon and refrigerate. Save bacon grease. Peel enough potatoes to fill a 4 liter ice cream bucket. Completely cover potatoes with water and refrigerate.

The next day: In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Form a well in the middle of the mixture. Measure 1 cup milk, add eggs to milk before pouring. Beat eggs in with milk. Pour into well. Pour water into well. Mix together to form a dough. Slice the dough into 1 inch thick pieces. Roll out with rolling pin. Completely cover with melted bacon grease (make sure to get the edges or they'll go crusty). Beginning with the first piece, stretch dough out as thin as you can, trying not to make too many holes in it. Roll dough up into long tubes. Cut tubes into 1 inch pieces. Put 2 cups hot water, 1 tsp. salt and 3 tbsp. bacon grease in bottom of 2 large pots, . Line the bottom of each pot with potatoes, top with fried bacon, then arrange dough on top of bacon. Arrange another layer on top, according to the ingredients you have left. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook until the water is boiled away. Don't uncover until all the water is boiled away, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Anyone adventurous enough to try them?