Holiday Meal Planning: Bacon Smashed Potatoes Recipe

by Kerrie Mendoza on December 15th, 2017 | No Comments »

Holiday entertaining can be the best part of your holidays, or the things that brings the most stress. The key to successful and stress-free holiday entertaining is to plan ahead and choose dishes that you know your company will love.

A few days prior to the event, make a list. A list of the ingredients, supplies, special touches (flowers, centerpieces etc), all of the items that make your meal a celebration of family, food, and friends.

My family loves a traditional turkey dinner with our favorite side dishes. From glazed ginger carrots to fresh cranberry sauce, our Christmas dinner is full of the savory, sweet, and aromatic foods. While we love the idea of side dishes like our grandparents use to make, we have found some flavorful alternatives that honor the tradition but add a more contemporary taste.

One of our favorite recipes is by Canadian chef Michael Smith. His recipe for Bacon Smashed Potatoes is sure to be loved by even your most critical guest.

Chef Michael Smith’s Bacon Smashed Potatoes Recipe

From his cookbook, Fast Flavours

Recipe(for 4 people):

Ingredients:

4 Baking Potatoes
8 Slices of bacon, sliced, diced, or chopped
Freshly ground pepper

*You can garnish with sliced green onion, but I chose to serve it without

Directions:

Pierce the potatoes with a fork a few times. Place in your microwave, cooking on high for about 15-20 minutes (check regularly after 10 minutes).

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, toss in bacon and pour just enough water to cover it. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. As the water simmers, the bacon will begin to cook, then render, then crisp. Keep stirring until all bacon is crisp (about 5-6 minutes).

Toss the potatoes and bacon into a bowl (scraping every last flavour morsel out of the pan), mash together. Sprinkle with fresh pepper, serve, and enjoy!

In addition to your turkey and potatoes, you will need something decadent to finish your meal. My recommendation: Sweet Potato Pie, or warm Apple Cranberry Crisp.

In order to better plan your dinner, my recommendation is to bake your dessert in the morning, cooking it until it is almost done, then put the turkey into the warm oven. Once the turkey is finished cooking, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. While the turkey is resting, make the potato recipe. Serve your turkey and potatoes alongside a bright vegetable or a winter salad.

The best part of holiday entertaining is having your friends and family gathered around. May this holiday be one that you will remember for many years. Wishing you and your families a wonderful holiday season.

What are some of your favorite holiday meals?

Kerrie blogs at http://www.familyfoodandtravel.com about her twin boys, product reviews, the food her family loves and the travels they enjoy. Kerrie believes that being a mom is like juggling with your hands tied behind your back, but is loving every minute. Follow her @BusyMomofTwins1