Admittedly, I’m a bit of a freak when it comes to cranberry sauce. Nonetheless, I can’t help but think there is something seriously disturbed about people who claim not to like it.

What is there to dislike? Whether from a can or homemade with loving care, cranberry sauce is sweet, tangy, a little spicy and luscious in every way. I don’t care about the rest of the Thanksgiving meal. Just give me a bowl of cranberry sauce, a spoon and leave me alone.

Many years ago – in a bid to win over the faithless, including my son – I spent a good deal of time perfecting what I then considered to be the Platonic ideal of cranberry sauce. It was chunky and sweet with the right amount of tart. It had fresh cranberries, dried cherries, chopped pears, candied ginger, golden raisins and apple cider. And the secret ingredient? Cardamom.

It was heaven.

And yet it didn’t win over my son. Or, it would seem – based on the number of cranberry sauce naysayers I encounter this time each year – plenty of others.

So I shall try again. This time, I shall deploy a new weapon. I’m going to enhance my cranberry sauce with the one food most are powerless to resist. The one food that can improve anything it touches. The one food that adds savory and sweet and rich and bold and chewy and crunchy all at once.

This time, I’m calling in the bacon. See if you can resist.