Recipe: Fried Apples and Onions

FRIED APPLES AND ONIONS
(FRIED APPLES 'N' ONIONS)
Source: The Little House Cookbook: Frontier Foods from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Classic Stories by Barbara M. Walker
Servings: 6

1/2 lb bacon slices
2 lb onions
2 lb tart apples, chopped
2 tbsp brown sugar

Salt pork may be substituted for the bacon. Fry bacon slices in 12-inch skillet until brown and crisp. Set aside on a warm serving platter.

While meat is frying, peel onions, leaving stems to hold for slicing. To prevent your eyes from watering, hold a slice of bread in your teeth while you slice the onions asthin as possible.

Discard stems. Core apples and cut crosswise in circles about 1/4-inch thick. Apple skins help the slices hold their shape and add color to the dish, so don't peel unless skins are tough or scarred.

Drain all but 1 Tbsp fat from skillet, then add onion slices. Cook over medium-high heat about 3minutes. Cover with apple slices in an even layer. Sprinkle brown sugar over all, cover skillet, and cook until tender, a few minutes more. Stir only to prevent scorching. Remove to warm plate with bacon slices.

From the book: "This is a "country" dish, seldom mentioned in cookbooks but recalled by many old timers. Some feel sugar is essential; others call it a "sin." If you share Almanzo's enthusiasm you might also like to try fried apples'n'onions with fried potatoes for breakfast sometime."