Smashed Bacon Potatoes

Take your regular mashed potato recipe to potato heaven by adding bacon! This easy recipe for smashed bacon potatoes is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, or really any day. Because, bacon!

I usually try and be a lot more authentically Irish with my St. Patrick’s Day week recipe, and one day I will make and share my Irish mama’s recipe for colcannon, which is the tradition combo of mashed potatoes and cabbage (I promise it is more scrumptious than it sounds).  But I couldn’t wait any longer to share this out of this world and super easy recipe for smashed bacon potatoes.  And I figure that what with the potatoes and if you use Irish butter (hello KerryGold!) you are good to go putting a giant spoonful of this on your plate next to the corned beef.  Ready to bacon up your mashed potatoes?  Let’s make it!

My sedate extended family is always very chill when it comes to St Patrick’s Day (or as my mama calls it, The Day).

NOT.

We have already laid in a supply of many pounds of corned beef and carrots and my mama is at this very minute making loaf after loaf of her amazing Irish brown bread and basket after basket of her famous cream scones, all in anticipation of this.

The Southern husband (who is mainly Cherokee and therefore Irish by marriage) always keeps a weather eye on the depleting level of corned beef on the platter, because if you ask him what one of his very favorite recipes is on this here blog, he would say my (also highly inauthentic) recipe for Irish Eggs Benedict, which requires leftover corned beef.

Meanwhile back at the smashed bacon potatoes, here’s the easy drill: get yourself a pound of Yukon Gold potatoes, which make the very best mashies.  You can peel them if you like, but I usually just give them a good scrubbing and cut them into quarters.  Drop them into a big pot of cool salted water, turn the heat on high, and cook them until they are knife-tender.  Drain them and put them back in the pot.

Meantime, cook up some thick-cut bacon until it is nice and crispy.  Now you are ready to assemble your new favorite mashed potatoes!  Toss the butter into the pot (you are always supposed to start with butter before milk.  It has something to do with starch molecules that I can never remember) and then mash everything up.  I am 100% a believer in using a hand masher, but you can also use a potato ricer or a food mill (and if you invest in a food mill you can also use it to make homemade applesauce!).

[clickToTweet tweet=”Take your regular mashed potato recipe to potato heaven by adding bacon! This easy recipe for smashed bacon potatoes is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, or really any day. Because, bacon! #StPatricksDay” quote=”Take your regular mashed potato recipe to potato heaven by adding bacon! This easy recipe for smashed bacon potatoes is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, or really any day. Because, bacon! #StPatricksDay”]Now add the half and half – I like to give mine about 20 seconds or so in the microwave so that it doesn’t cool down the potatoes – and mash again.  Add the bacon and give everything a good stir and a taste.  I usually find that it is salty enough what with cooking the potatoes in salted water and with the bacon, but feel free to add a pinch or two more if you like.  And that’s it!  Time to serve it up.

THESE TWO.  I sure do feel lucky to know them.  Happy St. Pat’s!

Smashed Bacon Potatoes

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• Author: Kate
• Yield: 4-6 1x

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Ingredients

• 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes (your choices as to whether or not to peel them – I usually don’t!)
• 4 slices thick cut bacon.  Or more.  Be as bacon-y as you like!
• 4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup half and half, warmed or at room temperature

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Instructions

1. Cut the potatoes in quarters and put them in a large pot of cool salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until a knife goes into the potatoes easily, about 10-15 minutes.  Drain and return to the pot.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, cut the bacon into 1 inch pieces and cook until crispy.  Drain on paper towels.
3. Add the butter to the drained potatoes and mash with a potato masher (my favorite method), a potato ricer or a food mill.  Whatever you do, I beg you not to mash them with a food processor.
4. Now add the half and half and mash again.
5. Stir in the bacon and taste.  It will probably be salty enough with the bacon, but you can add a pinch or two of salt if you like.
6. Serve at once!