Never Too Many Potatoes
I don't think any dinner party would be upset with too many potatoes, do you? Especially if they are drizzled with amazing olive oil, cheese, bacon and herbs! A super simple and absolutely tasty side dish.
I'm so happy to partner with my local New Seasons Market to share a fresh new recipe with you this month. With the holidays right around the corner, finding simple but tasty dishes to share with friends and family is crucial. Something that is versatile and of course packed with flavor. Potatoes are a fan favorite for any meal.
Sure, mashed potatoes are good but taking the texture of a mashed potato and adding crispy edges, cheese and bacon really take it to a whole other level. I picked up some Huckleberry and Yellow potatoes from my neighborhood New Seasons for this dish, they both have a soft skin and creamy interior.
Cooking Potatoes
There are many ways of cooking potatoes to get them to optimal softness. Here are the best ways, cooking times included in recipe below.
- Instant Pot: Cooking potatoes in the Instant Pot is the most efficient way. Set it and wait for perfect potatoes.
- Steaming: If you don't have an Instant Pot, don't despair, a pot, steamer basket and lid will do the same job. It's the preferred method over boiling.
- Boiling: Lastly, if you don't have a steamer basket, you can absolutely boil your potatoes to achieve the tender spuds.
Toppings
The recipe is meant to be flexible, you can absolutely choose your own toppings and flavors to make them your own. Here are some options that would work.
- Bacon: Not everyone is a fan of bacon, feel free to sub turkey bacon or even mushrooms for that extra something.
- Cheese: Gruyere cheese is my top pick for these spuds, especially during the holiday season but you can absolutely use Parmesan, feta, cheddar, goat or whatever your favorite may be. I adore shopping the cheese department for all the incredible varieties.
- Herbs and toppings: The sky is the limit with your toppings for these delicious bites. I like chives and thyme on mine and a side of sour cream but feel free to use rosemary or parsley, whatever you have on hand works just fine. New Seasons has an array of fresh herbs in their produce section where you can pickup just what you need.
Make Ahead
I think the most exciting part of this recipe is that it can be prepped ahead of time and baked off when you're ready to serve. Steaming the potatoes, cooking the bacon can all be done the day before and just assemble for the oven when you're ready to serve. They are definitely best served warm out of the oven for the ultimate crisp and melt factor.
I hope you enjoy this recipe and are able to share this holiday season.
As always, I love seeing your creations. Please leave a review or share your dish with me on social media. You can find me on Facebook, Instagram,
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xoxo,
Cosette
This post is sponsored by New Seasons Market. All opinions and ideas are my own.
Print
Bacon Smashed Potatoes
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: potatoes
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: american
Description
Delicious smashed potatoes with bacon and cheese for the ultimate comfort food.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds red or yellow potatoes ~ the smaller the better
- ¼ cup olive oil, divided, more as needed
- ¼ pound bacon, chopped
- 5 oz Gruyere Cheese, shredded
- Toum or 3 cloves garlic minced
- chives
- thyme
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Clean your potatoes to ensure any dirt is removed from the skin.
- Cook your potatoes, choose your cooking method and timing:
Instant Pot: place your rack at the bottom of the pot and add 1 cup of water. Place your potatoes in the pot and set to manual-high for 8 minutes. Quick release.
Steaming: place a steamer basket in a large pot and 2 cups of water at the bottom. Add your potatoes and cover. Allow potatoes to steam over medium heat for 20-30 minutes (depending on size of potato) check after 20 minutes to see if they are fork tender.
Boiling: Place potatoes in a large pot and fill with water until potatoes are covered by about 1". Allow pot to come to a boil, then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes depending on size. - While potatoes are cooking, prepare your bacon. Place chopped bacon in a skillet and cook on medium-high heat until just browned. Remove and place on paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
- Prepare 2 half sheet pans by drizzling a thin layer of olive oil then add your cooked potatoes.
- Once potatoes are on sheet pans, use a potato masher to smash each one on the pan. Repeat.
- Salt each potato with a sprinkling of kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper.
- Drizzle each potato with some additional olive oil. If you have Toum, add it now then top with bacon bits.
- Bake in oven for 15 minutes in middle/bottom racks.
- Remove after 15 minutes and top with garlic (if you aren't using Toum) and cheese.
- Place back in oven for another 5-10 minutes until melted.
- Remove from oven, add chopped chives, thyme and any additional flake salt.
- Enjoy warm out of the oven with sour cream or as is.
Julie M says
Made these as a side for some shrimp skewers I threw on the grill. They were so yummy, my daughter wanted to take the leftovers for lunch the next day! The only thing, I might have over boiled them a bit 🙈, but definitely will be making again! Thanks Cosette! 🙌🏼🙌🏼
Cosette's Kitchen says
So glad you enjoyed these! They are sooooo addictive!
Xoxo,
Cosette