Make Jalapeno Meat Snacks With Pizza Dough Popper
Among the many important, society-shaping innovations that the 90s brought us – the Playstation, text messaging, and Tickle Me Elmo – the jalapeno pepper is undeservedly overlooked. Since then, we’ve followed our cream cheese-burnt hearts and tongues for decades, replacing pepper cores with spreadable cheese and topping them with breadcrumbs. So, let’s spice up 2022 by paying homage to our favorite relleno chile pepper and making jalapeno meat snacks.
I like to host one or two food gatherings throughout the year, and I’m always on the lookout for tasty snacks to put on the menu off hand, no mess, with a penchant for the unusual. The biggest hits can be expected – brie, olives, sliced baguette – but next to them are persimmons with cayenne seasoning, rosemary and fig crackers, or a fried garlic cheese ball . Jalapeno poppers are a simple concept: remove the jalapeno seeds and fill the cavity with cream cheese; roll spicy fruits in breadcrumbs; bake or fry it, but I was looking for a more comfortable cheese board option and increased the carbs. These jalapeno meat appetizers fit the bill perfectly. It’s also a great conversation starter, and my favorite conversation about food anyway.
To make this appetizer, I started with 20 ounces of thawed pizza dough. I got a frozen pack from the grocery store and thawed it in the fridge overnight, but fresh or homemade pizza dough will work too. Cut off small pieces of dough (I used kitchen scissors) the size of a three-dimensional tablespoon. I wanted tiny two-piece buns, but you can adjust the size depending on how big or small you want them to be. Roll out the dough pieces and brush with a little cream cheese (about ¼ teaspoon) and one or two slices of pickled jalapeno peppers. Wrap the edges around the filling and press them together to form a small purse-shaped ball of dough. (To help with shaping dough balls, here’s the best video anyone has ever made. Okay, that’s me.) Turn them over onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cook poppers for 30 minutes and bake for 10 minutes. If you like, brush them with olive oil and sprinkle garlic salt on top.
After a few minutes of cooling, make cuts across each ball. You only want to cut the top in half so you can see all the cheese and pepper filling inside. Fold the piece of salami in half and then in half again to make a pointed wedge (or roll it into a dainty meat rosette) and insert it into the cut you made.
The resulting snack is a real star; the perfect bite of a cheese board-sausage. The pizza dough is soft, with a slight hint of garlic. The salute to jalapeno peppers is obvious – vinegar and spices from pickled peppers, quickly followed by soothing cream cheese. But a slice of salami completes the appetizer; salty, fatty, spicy, cured meat is the ingredient that makes the whole bun spicier.
For an interactive experience, make this appetizer separate! Instead of placing poppers on a baking sheet, place them next to each other (or in a cake pan to make them look round). They will combine with each other during baking and give you a soft bun. You can also easily keep this appetizer vegetarian by omitting the sausage element entirely.
Jalapeno Popper Sausage Bites
Yield: approximately 40-45 bites
Ingredients:
- 16 to 20 oz pizza dough (thawed)
- 8 oz cream cheese
- Jalapeno peppers in jars (I like Mezzetta )
- 45 salami slices (or one slice per popper)
- Olive oil and garlic salt (optional)
Baking line with parchment paper. Divide the dough into pieces the size of a tablespoon. Flatten each piece and spread about ¼ teaspoon of cream cheese in the center. Top with one or two jalapeno slices (cut or break rings if too large). Bring the edges up and around the filling to make a small purse. Flip it seam side down and line the balls up on the baking sheet about an inch apart. Proofing under the lid 30 min.
While they are cooking, preheat the oven to 400°F.
Bake the pieces at 400°F for 10-12 minutes. Brush them with olive oil and sprinkle garlic salt on top. Cut open the top half and tuck a slice of salami inside so that it sticks out decoratively. Serve hot or at room temperature. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to four days or frozen for up to a month without salami. To revive, place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 350°F.
* If you are making the dough in pieces, bake for a few more minutes until all the tops are browned and the centers are firm.