Author Notes
I love leeks, potatoes and bacon in soup and decided to make a little potato casserole with the same ingredients. The leek confit is adapted from the Molly Wizenburg version with the substitution of rendered bacon fat for the butter. —inpatskitchen
Test Kitchen Notes
These bacon-studded mashed potatoes are absolutely delicious. Served as a side for Thanksgiving or a standard weeknight dinner, this recipe is sure to be a crowd pleaser. I didn't have bacon fat sitting in my fridge, so cooked up 6 slices to yield the total of 4 tablespoons required in the recipe. Since there are an extra 3 slices, might as well crumble them on the top to make it extra crunchy and bacon-y!! —Victoria Ross
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Ingredients
- For the leek confit
-
4
leeks, white and pale green parts only
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2 tablespoons
bacon fat
-
1/4 cup
water
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1/2 teaspoon
salt, plus more for seasoning mash
- For the casserole
-
3
strips bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
-
5
medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
-
Chicken broth, enough to cover potatoes in a medium saucepan
-
1/4 cup
light cream (plus more if necessary)
-
1/4 cup
chicken broth, reserved from boiling potatoes
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2 tablespoons
bacon fat
-
1 tablespoon
butter
-
1/4 teaspoon
white pepper
-
Leek confit
Directions
- For the leek confit
-
Wash and remove all dirt from leeks. Quarter them lengthwise, and then cut crosswise into quarter-inch pieces.
-
In a medium sauce pan with a lid, melt the bacon fat, then add leeks, water, and salt and cook covered on medium low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring frequently. When soft, remove the lid and cook a few more minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside.
- For the casserole
-
Boil the potatoes in the chicken broth until fork tender. Drain, reserving about 1/4 cup of the broth.
-
Mash the potatoes (I put them through a ricer).
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Warm the cream, broth, bacon fat, butter and white pepper and mix into the potatoes. Add more cream if mixture seems dry.
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Stir in 3 tablespoons of the leek confit and salt to taste, and spread the mixture into a buttered shallow 9 x 11-inch baking dish.
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Top with the remaining leek confit and bake for about 40 minutes in a 325F pre-heated oven, uncovered. (Alternatively you can prepare the casserole ahead of time and bake later.)
-
Once out of the oven, sprinkle with the crumbled bacon and serve.
I think I get my love for food and cooking from my mom, who was an amazing cook. She would start baking and freezing a month before Christmas in order to host our huge open house on Christmas afternoon. I watched and I learned...to this day I try not to procrastinate when it comes to entertaining.
My cooking style is pretty much all over the place, although I'm definitely partial to Greek and Italian cuisine. Oh yes, throw a little Cajun in there too!
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