Stuffed mushrooms

I just threw these together, as we’re supposed to bring the appetizer to Christmas dinner today. The filling tastes just like sour cream and onion potato chips, which is awesome.

2 lbs button mushrooms, stems removed from caps and reserved
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 leeks
2 slices bacon
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 egg
1 Tbsp brown or dijon mustard
2 Tbsp chopped garlic (about 6 or 7 cloves’ worth)
1 1/2 + 1/2 cups bread crumbs (either fresh or panko are best), separated
salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 F (180 C).

Chop the leeks and mushroom stems in your food processor until finely chopped, but not liquified.

Place all the mushroom caps on a half-sheet tray or 11 x 17 roasting dish, stem side down, and sprinkle with the oil and a bit of salt. Place in the oven for approx 20 min, or until the mushrooms are cooked about halfway.

At the same time, cook the bacon until it’s very crispy. Transfer to a paper towel, and save the fat in a mug. Put about 1 Tbsp of the fat  back in the pan and add the leeks and mushrooms and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook till starting to carmelize, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl (of your stand mixer that has the paddle attachment set up, if you’ve got it). Chop the bacon into tiny pieces and add to the bowl, along with the mustard and cream cheese.

Mix till everything’s well combined (it will be a rather unappetizing gray at this point). Check to make sure that the filling has cooled to room temperature, then stir in the egg and mix to combine well. If it’s runny (it probably will be), add up to 1/2 c of the bread crumbs and stir to combine. You want it to be soft, but not runny.

Turn the mushrooms, stem side up on the baking sheet. Put the mixture into a piping bag (or ziploc bag with one tip cut off) and pipe about a teaspoon’s worth into each cap, until it’s a bit rounded over the cap.

Mix the rest of the bacon fat in with the remaining bread crumbs, and spread liberally over the mushrooms. Put back in the oven for another 25 minutes, or until the bread crumbs are brown and crispy.