Bacon — Jalapeño Stuffed Mushrooms — A Little Heat for the In-Between Season

Archery elk season opened this week. I didn't draw an archery tag this year — just the rifle tag for October — but I went out Monday morning anyway with the bow I've been shooting for practice, to walk the country and look and be in it without the pressure of a filled tag. There's a way of being in the mountains in late September that you only get if you go looking for it before the pressure of success attaches itself to the experience.

I found a bull bedded in the timber above the first bench, well out of ethical bow range — maybe two hundred and fifty yards, browsing along the edge of a seep meadow in the gray light before sunrise. I watched him for about forty minutes. He had five points on his left side and what looked like a broken fifth on his right, and he moved through the brush with that particular elk deliberateness that makes you understand why people spend years in pursuit of a single morning like this one.

I've been writing about elk hunting for the October chapter. I'm trying to write it honestly — not as wilderness romance and not as apologia, but as the actual experience of being a predator in a landscape you also love. The contradiction at the center of it is something I want to sit with rather than resolve. Tom said once that the things worth writing about are usually the things you can't summarize in a sentence. This feels like one of them.

Patrick's new medication seems to be working. The evening tremor was noticeably reduced this week, and on Thursday he managed to close his own jacket zipper without help, which he accepted as a straightforward functional improvement and I accepted as something that made my chest hurt with relief. I didn't say so. He wouldn't want that. What he wants is to be treated as a capable man. I try to give him that.

Green chili on Sunday — a pound of roasted Hatch chilis I'd ordered from a place in New Mexico, pork shoulder, white beans, the slow simmer that needs most of the afternoon. September green chili is a different beast than October elk chili, and I love both of them for different reasons: one is about the harvest you didn't hunt, the other is about the harvest you did.

That Sunday green chili took most of the afternoon — the kind of cooking that asks you to stay close and pay attention without demanding much in return, which felt right after a week that had me paying attention to so many harder things. These Bacon & Jalapeño Stuffed Mushrooms carry that same spirit: they’re not complicated, but they reward care, and the heat from the jalapeño lands somewhere close to the warmth of a good green chili without requiring you to order peppers from New Mexico. Make them while the stew is on, or make them instead — either way, they’re the right thing for a September evening that still has some bite in it.

Bacon & Jalapeño Stuffed Mushrooms

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 18 large cremini or button mushrooms, stems removed and reserved
• 6 strips thick-cut bacon, diced
• 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly brush the outside of each mushroom cap with olive oil and arrange them cavity-side up on a rimmed baking sheet.
2. Cook the bacon. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the diced bacon until crisp and rendered, about 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving 1 tablespoon of drippings in the pan.
3. Sauté the aromatics. Finely chop the reserved mushroom stems. Add them to the skillet with the bacon drippings along with the jalapeño and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and any moisture has evaporated, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
4. Make the filling. In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, 1/4 cup of the cheddar, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir in the cooked bacon, mushroom stem mixture, and chives until evenly combined.
5. Fill the caps. Spoon the filling generously into each mushroom cap, mounding it slightly. Top each with a pinch of the remaining cheddar.
6. Bake. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender, the filling is heated through, and the tops are golden and bubbling. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 210 | Protein: 9g | Fat: 17g | Carbs: 5g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 380mg