Loaded Mashed Potatoes
Enjoy the blending of some classic veggies with bacon and creamy mashed potatoes. Top it all off with a thick layer of melty cheese for one awesome meal! (or side dish)
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 3meals | 10minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 20minutes |
|
|
Ingredients
- 6large Russet Potatoespeeled
- 6strips Baconcut into bitesized pieces
- 1cup Milk
- 8oz Sharp Cheddar Cheeseshredded
- 1/2 Green Pepperchopped
- 1/2medium Red Onionchopped
- 3cloves Garlicchopped
- Saltto taste
- Pepperto taste
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into smaller chunks. Boil the potatoes for about 15 minutes or until soft.
- Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat. Remove from the pan and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Using the same skillet as the bacon, saute the green pepper and onion with the bacon grease for a few minutes. Don’t over-cook them as that takes away a lot of the flavor. Once they are close to being done, add the garlic to the pan and saute it for about a minute – just until it gets fragrant. Remove from the hot pan to prevent overcooking.
- Once the potatoes are soft, drain and mash with a potato masher until smooth.
- Add the milk, salt, pepper, and about 1/4 of the cheese to the potatoes and mix together until smooth and well mixed.
- Add the bacon and vegetable mixture and continue to mix together.
- Top the potatoes with the remaining cheese.
If you are serving this immediately cover the pan with the lid to melt the cheese or toss in the oven for a few minutes.
If you made this ahead to eat later, place in storage containers and top with the cheese but don’t melt it at this time. When you warm it up in the microwave the cheese will melt at that time.
Recipe Notes
- If using instant potatoes, use about 1/2 of the box and make the potatoes according to the directions on the box.
- These freeze really well and re-heat in the microwave in about 3 minutes. This makes for a great meal at work!
- An option for preparing the ingredients is to use a grill.
- Cooking the bacon on the grill reduces cleanup and grease in the kitchen while adding a nice smoky flavor. Be careful though – a fire can start quickly and ruin your bacon or worse if not monitored closely.
- Cooking green pepper on the grill is awesome! Place a whole or half green pepper on the grill on all sides for a few minutes to give it some char marks and soften the pepper.
- Any milk will work great for this recipe – dairy, almond, coconut, etc. – to add some creaminess and wetness to the potatoes.