For me, there’s nothing better than the salty sweet combo of bacon and maple syrup – it’s a match made in flavour heaven and the only part of a pancake breakfast I ever really enjoy! Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about maple syrup and what goes well with it. I found my mind wandering to butter and pancakes and then how butter tastes so delicious on corn and before I knew it, I’d thrown all these ingredients into a pot… Well, not the pancakes.
This sort of daydreaming is how Maple & Pancetta skillet corn came to be. A few ideas of things that will pair together well and the haphazard additions of things I found loitering in my fridge. Although I’m certain I’m not the first person to come up with this combo, this is how I make it. The salt & sweet pairs beautifully with a hint of sharp cheddar and the fresh, almost oniony sprinkling of chives gives it a little something extra reminiscent of a baked potato. It’s interesting, full of flavour and a great compliment to roast or barbecued meats. I love serving this alongside something like roast pork, honey roast ham or barbecue pulled pork or chicken. I would also consider this as a star corn side for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner because it’s a little more decadent and special. It’s such a unique side dish that really perks up a meal!
I love making this recipe in a cast iron casserole or skillet, but if you don’t have either of those, you can absolutely use a regular frying pan or even a large based saucepan will work. If you do have a nice skillet or casserole, this is one of those side dishes that can go straight to the table in what you cooked it in, so it’s easy work!
Pancetta is usually easy for me to find, but if it’s not for you then bacon lardons will work just fine. Alternatively, any chopped bacon will do. I personally use pancetta because I like it better, it’s convenient to me and I always have it in my fridge, but chopped up regular bacon would work just fine. If you can find the maple cured bacon – even better. Let’s get started!
Serves 6 as a side dish
Ingredients
- 50g unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- 150g pancetta cubes
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 285g sweetcorn (drained weight)
- Sea salt flakes
- Dash of cayenne pepper
- Generous drizzle of maple syrup
- Large handful of finely shredded mature cheddar
- Chopped chives to serve
Method
- Add the butter and olive oil to a skillet or cast iron casserole over medium-high heat. When it starts to sizzle a bit add the chilli flakes and give it a stir for about 30 seconds.
- Add the pancetta cubes to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally until they are crispy and golden, leaving some colour on the bottom of the pan.
- Squeeze half a lemon into the pan and quickly use your wooden spoon to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan as it deglazes – these coloured bits on the bottom of the pan are full of delicious flavour.
- Toss in the corn with a good sprinkling of sea salt flakes and stir everything to combine. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes or so until the corn has started to warm through.
- Drizzle maple syrup generously over the whole lot – you don’t want to drown it, but you want enough to coat everything. Use your judgement. Add the cayenne pepper and stir to combine.
- Let the maple syrup warm up for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If it’s too vigorously bubbling or starting to burn at all, just reduce the heat a little. After a few minutes, scatter the grated cheddar cheese across the top and leave it there to melt. If you’re in a rush you can pop the lid on to speed this along.
- Sprinkle chopped chives across the top of the dish and serve hot.
