These Spinach & Bacon Smashed Potatoes are a delicious and easy side dish you will love.
We all know that side dishes are the supporting cast to any great dinner.
So, expect more from your side and ensure you give them the extra TLC they deserve.
Spinach & Bacon Smashed Potatoes
Everyone knows a good holiday meal deserves some good-tasting taters.
It’s the law of the land, or at least it should be. But it is not enough to just put some boiled potatoes into a serving dish and call it good.
It takes a few more steps to transform a boring side dish into an unforgettable and visually appealing one like this Spinach and Bacon Smashed Potatoes.
All it takes is a love of food and some quality fixings. I know both of those requirements are entirely and utterly subjective. If you like carb and butter-rich potatoes, then yeah.
I once watched a cooking show in which a master chef said to master mashed potatoes, you needed a 60/40 ratio of potatoes to butter.
Well, that’s a good place to start. But in my book, you need to add a few more ingredients, and one of the most important ingredients in making great potatoes is thick-cut bacon.
And because my mama said, “Son, you always got to have something green on the plate.” Well, in homage to you, ma’ I added some baby spinach. Also, this recipe has sautéed onions, and did I mention there’s lots of sweet cream butter and bacon?!
A word of warning: this recipe isn’t vegetarian, vegan, paleo, gluten-free, or fruitarian. But it is awfully darn delicious!
Now that you’ve been warned, you’re either going to do one of two things: frown severely at the computer screen and get, or grab some pots and pans and get to cooking.
Ingredients:
- 5 – 8 large Yukon Gold potatoes
- 6 cups washed spinach
- 1 pound crispy thick-cut bacon
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 1 stick salted butter (I used Kerrygold)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3-4 cloves garlic (ran through a garlic press)
- 3/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
- sea salt to taste
- freshly cracked black peppercorns to taste
Directions:
- Fry bacon strips until crispy and set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon grease for sautéing diced onions.
- Add two tablespoons of bacon grease to the cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the grease is hot, add diced onions and sauté until translucent. Add a pinch of sea salt and a turn or two of black peppercorns. Set aside.
- Chop fresh parsley and set aside.
- Leave the potato skin on, but cut away any bad spots or eyes. Quarter the potatoes and place them in a large stockpot.
- Sprinkle a tablespoon of salt over the potatoes and fill a pot with tepid water until the potatoes are covered.
- Set the stockpot over high heat and cook until potatoes are fork tender.
- Strain water from potatoes and return to stockpot.
- Add spinach to potatoes and cover with a tight-fitting lid over med-low heat. The heat will wilt the spinach.
- After 10 minutes, remove the lid from the stock pot and roughly smash the potatoes and spinach together.
- Add heavy cream, salted butter, garlic, and sautéed onions. Mix until the ingredients are incorporated. Add sea salt and freshly cracked black peppercorns to taste.
- Spoon potatoes into a serving dish and crumble crispy, thick-cut bacon over the potatoes. Add chopped parsley.
- Serve.
Spinach & Bacon Smashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 5 - 8 large Yukon Gold potatoes
- 6 cups washed spinach
- 1 pound crispy thick-cut bacon
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 1 stick salted butter
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3-4 cloves garlic ran through a garlic press
- 3/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
- sea salt to taste
- freshly cracked black peppercorns to taste
Instructions
- Fry bacon strips until crispy and set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon grease for sautéing diced onions.
- Add two tablespoons of bacon grease to the cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the grease is hot, add diced onions and sauté until translucent. Add a pinch of sea salt and a turn or two of black peppercorns. Set aside.
- Chop fresh parsley, and set aside.
- Leave the potato skin on, but cut away any bad spots or eyes. Quarter the potatoes and place them in a large stockpot.
- Sprinkle a tablespoon of salt over the potatoes and fill a pot with tepid water until the potatoes are covered.
- Set the stockpot over high heat and cook until potatoes are fork tender.
- Strain water from potatoes and return to stockpot.
- Add spinach to potatoes and cover with a tight-fitting lid over med-low heat. The heat will wilt the spinach.
- After 10 minutes, remove the lid from the stock pot and roughly smash the potatoes and spinach together.
- Add heavy cream, salted butter, garlic, and sautéed onions. Mix until the ingredients are incorporated. Add sea salt and freshly cracked black peppercorns to taste.
- Spoon potatoes into a serving dish and crumble crispy thick-cut bacon over the potatoes. Add chopped parsley.
- Serve.
Nutrition
These smashed potatoes will really up your game during the holiday season.
They are a wonderful update to a classic holiday side dish, and of course, adding bacon to anything makes it a recipe everyone will love.
Ichibu says
Looks delicious but I most certainly will not be adding A TABLESPOON OF SALT! Extremely bad for you
T Worthey says
Hello. You can always free free to adjust it down to your liking. Thanks for stopping by- it is a delicious side dish!