Side Recipes
Rustic Crushed Potatoes with Bacon and Onion
4 - 5 servings
I am thrilled to share my absolute favorite side dish: Rustic Crushed Potatoes with Bacon and Onion. It is so rich, buttery, and comforting that you might just want to eat it as a meal all on its own! We are combining tender potatoes with savory bacon, medium onion, and a hint of a clove of garlic for the perfect rustic bite. If you prefer a meatless option, you can just skip the diced bacon! Let's get cooking and achieve that beautiful rustic look! Read More
Side Recipes
Gluten-free
Before You Start
Let’s talk about important parts of the recipe before you start…
Welcome to my Rustic Crushed Potatoes with Bacon and Onion Recipe
I am so excited to bring you my Rustic Crushed Potatoes with Bacon and Onion today. This is my absolute favorite side dish, and it is so rich, buttery, and comforting that you might just want to eat it as a meal all on its own! We are combining beautifully tender potatoes with savory bacon, a medium onion, and a freshly grated clove of garlic for the perfect rustic bite. You will need a bit of frying oil, some butter, and a colander to drain your boiled potatoes before we crush everything together to reach that signature rustic look. If you are looking for a meatless modification that is not part of the recipe, you could use smoked paprika instead of the diced bacon, but if you want the classic experience, stick to the original instructions. Let’s grab our ingredients and get into the kitchen!
Preparing and Boiling the Tender Potatoes
The first key step for my Rustic Crushed Potatoes with Bacon and Onion is getting our potatoes ready. You will start by rinsing two pounds of potatoes under cold water, peeling them, and then dicing them into uniform sizes of about three-quarters of an inch. Place the diced potatoes into a medium pot or a small pot that is about four quarts, and fill it with water until the level is about one inch above the potatoes. Cover the pot with a lid, place it on a high heat burner, and bring it to a boil. You will want to cook them with occasional stirring until you have perfectly tender potatoes that are fork-tender, which usually takes about 12 to 15 minutes.
Draining the Potatoes with a Colander
Once your potatoes have reached that ideal fork-tender texture, it is time to remove them from the water. For this step in the Rustic Crushed Potatoes with Bacon and Onion, you will need to drain the water by pouring the contents of your pot over a colander. Using a colander ensures that all the excess starch and boiling liquid is fully removed so that the potatoes do not become waterlogged. After they are completely drained, return the tender potatoes back into the pot and set them aside while we work on our savory bacon and aromatics.
Sautéing the Medium Onion and Diced Bacon
Building the flavor base is crucial for my Rustic Crushed Potatoes with Bacon and Onion. Meanwhile, preheat a large fry pan or a large sauté pan that is 12 inches or more on high heat with two tablespoons of frying oil. Add one peeled and finely chopped medium onion, and sauté together until the onions are softened and translucent, which takes about three to four minutes. Next, add one-half pound of diced bacon into the pan. Sauté this mixture until the savory bacon is crispy and the fat has completely rendered, which should take about five to seven minutes, or you can cook it to your desired doneness.
Combining the Ingredients and the Clove of Garlic
Now we bring all the wonderful components of the Rustic Crushed Potatoes with Bacon and Onion together. Take your large fry pan and pour the sautéed medium onion and crispy diced bacon directly into the pot with the cooked tender potatoes, making sure to include all of the delicious cooking juices and rendered fat from the bacon. To finish building the flavor profile, add one peeled and grated clove of garlic, two tablespoons of butter, one-half teaspoon of salt, and one-quarter teaspoon of ground pepper, ideally freshly ground.
Crushing to Reach a Rustic Look and Plating
The final technique is what gives this side dish its name. To finish the Rustic Crushed Potatoes with Bacon and Onion, thoroughly fold all the ingredients together with a silicone spatula. This folding action will naturally crush the tender potatoes, which is exactly what we want to do to reach a rustic look. Taste the mixture and add more salt or ground pepper if needed. For a beautiful presentation when you serve this side dish, I recommend using measuring cups for plating. The perfect size is a one-half or one cup measure. Simply scoop the rustic crushed potatoes with a cup, smooth the top with a spatula, and then flip it onto the plate. If it does not come out of the cup by itself, lightly tap the top of the cup.
Popular questions
Do I have to use the bacon fat, or can I drain it before mixing it with the potatoes?
For my Rustic Crushed Potatoes with Bacon and Onion, you must include the cooking juices and rendered fat from the diced bacon when you add it into the pot with the cooked tender potatoes. That rendered fat from the savory bacon, combined with the frying oil and the added butter, is what gives this side dish its incredibly rich and comforting flavor profile. Make sure to fold it all together thoroughly with your spatula to reach that perfect rustic look!
Rustic Crushed Potatoes with Bacon and Onion
Ingredients:
Click any ingredient to learn more2 LB of potatoes of your choice - peeled and diced (cubes about ¾" )
1 onion - peeled and finely chopped (medium size)
½ LB of bacon (pork) - diced
1 clove of garlic - peeled and grated (or pressed)
2 TBSP of unsalted butter
½ TSP of salt
¼ TSP of pepper - ideally freshly ground
Nutrition per 1 Serving:(recipe split into 4 servings)
EstimatedCalories 458
Protein 12.8 g
Fat 26.7 g
Saturated fat 10.6 g
Carbohydrate 42.7 g
Sugars 3.2 g
Fiber 5.3 g
Sodium 640 mg
Cholesterol 52 mg
Gluten-free
Estimated. Worked out from the ingredients above using the United States Department of Agriculture’s FoodData Central reference data. An estimate, not a measurement — brands, sizes and how much of a marinade actually ends up on the plate all move it.
Directions:
1.Potato Preparation & Cooking:
1.1.
Rinse potatoes under cold water.
1.2.
Then peel potatoes and dice them into uniform sizes, about 3/8”.
1.3.
Place into a medium pot and then fill with water (about 1” above the level of the potatoes).
1.4.
Cover the pot with a lid and place on a high heat burner. Bring to a boil.
1.5.
Lower heat to medium and cook with occasional stirring until fully cooked (about 12 – 15 minutes). Take one out and taste to make sure it is done.
1.6.
Drain the water by pouring over a colander and then return potatoes back into a pot.
2.Sauté Onion & Bacon:
2.1.
Meanwhile, preheat a fry pan on high heat with 2 TBSP of frying oil and add:
1 medium onion – finely chopped
Sauté together until onions are glossy (about 3 – 4 minutes).
2.2.
Add:
½ LB of bacon – diced
Sauté until you reach the degree you prefer.
2.3.
Then add into the pot with cooked potatoes (including cooking juices from bacon).
3.Final Phase:
3.1.
Add:
1 clove of garlic – grated
2 TBSP of butter
½ TSP of salt
¼ TSP of ground pepper
Thoroughly fold together with a spatula (that will crash the potatoes which is what we want in order to reach rustic look).
3.2.
Taste and add salt or pepper if needed.
Use measuring cups for plating (the perfect size is ½ or 1 cup). Scoop potatoes with a cup, smooth with a spatula, and then flip onto the plate. If it doesn’t come out of the cup by itself, lightly tap the top of the cup.
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