Fried Bacon, Cabbage, and Noodles

Also known as Haluski, this Eastern European dish translates as "noodles". I first heard about this amazingly simple (and CHEAP!) dish from a distant cousin who was old enough to learn recipes first-hand from my Austrian Great-Grandmother. If you know me, you know that I love family ancestry, but let's just say my Scandinavian, Austrian, and Polish background doesn't lend to many mouth-watering recipes! So I'm super excited to share this one with you because IT'S ACTUALLY GOOD!

The only thing that you need to afford yourself before diving into this recipe is PATIENCE. Take your time caramelizing the bacon and onion, because this step will carry the dish. If you don't bother, be prepared for bland. Also, don't be shy with the salt. Seriously.

1 lb. bacon, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 head cabbage, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper
1 pkg. wide egg noodles, cooked and drained

The first step is to caramelize the bacon and onions. In a large, deep skillet, cook the bacon and onions over medium-high heat. It will feel like forever until the bacon starts render down and turn brown in color, but that's OK. The onion is slowing it down. Continue to saute for 20-30 minutes, turning the heat down if necessary, until the bacon is finally crisp and the onions are translucent. Set aside and DO NOT DRAIN THE GREASE.
Next, add the chopped cabbage to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes. You'll want to brown the cabbage almost as if it were charred all while cooking it through. The leafy pieces of the cabbage will cook down fist while the core pieces will stay more crisp -- this texture variance makes a bit of interest, so it's OK. Salt and pepper the cabbage liberally to taste. Add the minced garlic and saute for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl (or the empty stock pot from making the noodles), toss together the cabbage and noodles. Using a slotted spoon, scoop in the bacon to the mixture so that the grease is left behind. Once all the bacon is added, add in as much of the grease as you like. I used roughly 3 tablespoons. Salt and pepper yet again to taste.