So what is Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes right? I’ll just stand up for every American right now and say Oh man! we NEED a tub of creamy, buttery, fluffy mashed potatoes to complete the Thanksgiving Day fare. But what about Bacon Garlic Mashed Potatoes though? Like, Oh My Gosh! You have the potato which is probably the most versatile vegetable out there and then you add roasted bacon and garlic and what do you have?
I LOVE THIS GARLIC PEELER I PURCHASED FROM WILLIAMS AND SONOMA! YOU JUST INSERT THE GARLIC, PRESS DOWN AND ROLL THE GARLIC AROUND. IT COMES OUT NAKED..LOL..NO PEEL AT ALL. SUPER CONVENIENT FOR ALL YOU GARLIC LOVERS!
You have perfection, that’s what you have. Perfect Potatoes. I made this dish for the first time last Christmas and…wow!.. I surprised myself at how wonderful these potatoes came out. They were creamy, perfectly salted and the bacon drippings gave the potatoes a dreamy, smoky flavor. The crispy bacon bits in each bite was that memorable bonus that made this dish truly unforgettable. Best mashed potatoes I’d made.. ever.. and ever had..and..I think my guests were happy too cause I’d boiled around 15 pounds of baby red potatoes but it was the fastest dish to disappear!
I LOVE TO USE UNCURED, NITRITE-FREE BACON. ROAST THE GARLIC AND BACON UNTIL GOLDEN BROWN AND CRISPY.
I start off with a thin-cut, uncured bacon (I prefer to use Nitrite-free meats) and a half a head of garlic and roast them with sprigs of thyme in the oven until the garlic has browned and the bacon is perfectly crispy.
THIS IS WHAT PERFECTLY ROASTED BACON LOOKS LIKE.
While I have my bacon and garlic roasting in the oven, I select red potatoes because I like they’re sweetness and are more moist than Russet or Idaho. To be honest, whenever I buy potatoes, those are the only ones I love to use. I peel most of potato but leave a little skin on each and boil them in abundantly sea salted water with slivers of garlic cloves (<- yes MORE garlic). They should boil until they are perfectly tender and fall apart when pricked with a fork and there’s no resistance.
SIMMERING THE COOKED POTATOES IN THE MILK ADD THAT INCREDIBLE CREAMINESS.
Once the potatoes are cooked, I drain the water then return them to medium heat and simmer them in milk, salt to taste and white pepper stirring the potatoes to mix them with the milk. Once the milk has reduced and has been absorbed I remove from the heat.
BREAK APART THE BACON INTO SMALL PIECES AND TEAR APART THE ROASTED GARLIC.
I crumble up the bacon, pull apart the roasted garlic (Oh My Gosh! I could just munch on these forever) and slide the thyme from its stem and mix them all into the potatoes.
REPLACING THE USUAL BUTTER WITH BACON DRIPPINGS ADD SUCH AN INCREDIBLE SMOKINESS AND THAT OVER-THE-TOP FACTOR.
Finally I pour the bacon and drippings into the potatoes. Mash the potatoes to your liking. I like them smooth and creamy but if you like them lumpy you can mash them to your taste.
You can garnish with some bits of bacon and diced green onion.
Oh my gosh you guys, these are definitely show-stopping mashed potatoes! I really hope you enjoy these potatoes as much as our family does and they turn out to be a regular on your Thanksgiving To Do List!
Buen Provecho<3
- 5 lbs of Red Potatoes
- 16 cups of water, for boiling
- 2 tablespoons sea salt, to boiled water
- 1 head of garlic, peeled, ½ sliced
- 1 package bacon, medium-cut (uncured, nitrite-free)
- 3-4 sprigs of thyme or 2 teaspoons of dried thyme
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons white pepper
- bacon drippings
- green onion for garnish
- Add bacon (preferably nitrite-free) a half of a head of peeled garlic and 3-4 sprigs of thyme to a baking pan and roast for 35 minutes at 350 degrees until the garlic has browned and the bacon is perfectly crispy. (Rotate the pan 15 minutes into cooking.)
- While the bacon and garlic are roasting in the oven, peel the red potatoes but leave a little skin on each.
- Add salt, slice the remaining garlic and add to water and bring to a boil on high temperature. The potatoes should boil until they are perfectly tender and fall apart when pricked with a fork. Once the potatoes are cooked, use a colander to drain the water.
- Return potatoes to medium heat and simmer them in milk, cream, salt to taste and white pepper stirring the potatoes to mix them with the milk.
- Once the milk has reduced and has been absorbed fully remove from the heat.
- Crumble up the bacon, pull apart the roasted garlic and slide the thyme from its stem. Add to potatoes. Drizzle the bacon drippings over the potatoes and mash the potatoes to your liking. Mix well making sure to incorporate thoroughly.
- Garnish with green onion or leftover bacon.