Chef Jason Lynch's Swiss Chard with Chilies & Bacon

From Chef Jason Lynch's Straight from the Line

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes
Saute time: 10 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and very thinly sliced (I use my microplane slicer)
2 strips smokey bacon cut into matchstick pieces (I used pancetta because that was in the fridge)
1/2 - 1 tsp crushed red chili pepper flakes  (I used 1/2 & Chef Jason used 1 tsp)
2 bunches Swiss chard (I removed the ribs and coarsely chopped the leaves)
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp unsalted butter 

Directions:
1. Finely grate lemon (should equal 2 tsp) and set aside.  Cut lemon in half and squeeze juice into a separate bowl. 

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

3. Add garlic and cook, stirring often until it begins to golden at the edges (about 2 minutes).  Add the bacon, cook until crispy (about 2 minutes) - separating the pieces to keep them from sticking together.   Add red pepper flakes  stir for 30 seconds.

4.  Add the Swiss chard.  Cook, tossing to coat in the sauce, until wilted but not overcooked (3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Using tongs, transfer Swiss chard to a serving dish.  Add butter, lemon zest and juice to the pan.  Cook, whisking until a sauce forms.  Drizzle over the Swiss chard and serve.