Buttery Kale and Bacon Mashed Potatoes makes a great side dish – or even a meal in itself!

My mum used to call me a mash-oholic when I was little.

Out of a whole roast dinner, it was the thing I most looked forward to. I could happily ignore the meat and veg, and just pour a huge ladle of my mum’s delicious gravy over my mash to slurpily enjoy what she called mashed potato soup.

As I got a little older and started cooking in the kitchen myself (we’re talking maybe 11 or 12 years old now), one of my favourite ‘meals’ to make myself was mashed potato with bacon bits, finely sliced raw onion and gravy. Sounds a bit weird I know, but if I didn’t have to act like a grown up, I’d still make that for myself now.

So now that I actually am a grown-up, and mashed potato soup would be frowned upon as a balanced meal, I like to serve this Kale and Bacon Mashed Potatoes version:

Buttery Kale and Bacon Mashed Potatoes makes a great side dish - or even a meal in itself! Perfect as a side dish for Christmas or Thanksgiving.

Buttery mash, bacon bits and lots of vibrant green kale. It’s heaven served up with a roast dinner or with the sausage and bean casserole I made last week. Probably still not balanced enough to call it a meal in itself, but that won’t stop me from reheating any leftovers for supper.

I could probably get way with calling this colcannon, although some versions call for spring onions (scallions). The fact that I had to look up exactly what went into Colcannon stopped me using the name. So it’s just Kale and Bacon Mash 🙂

Serve it up with your regular Sunday roast, or make it as part of your Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner. Just make enough for leftovers!

The Kale and Bacon Mashed Potatoes Recipe:

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5 from 1 vote

Kale and Bacon Mashed Potatoes

By Nicky Corbishley

Buttery Kale and Bacon Mashed Potatoes makes a great side dish - or even a meal in itself! Perfect as a side dish for Christmas or Thanksgiving.

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 35

Servings: 12

Course: Sides

Cuisine: British

Ingredients

▢ 1 kg (2.2 lbs) floury potatoes peeled and chopped into large chunks
▢ 12 rashers streaky bacon
▢ 175 g (4 cups) sliced curly kale
▢ 75 g (5 tbsp) salted butter chopped into small chunks
▢ 90 ml (1/3 cup) double (heavy) cream
▢ ¼ tsp salt
▢ ¼ tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

Place the potato chunks in a large pan and cover with cold water. Place on a high heat on the hob and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
1 kg (2.2 lbs) floury potatoes
Meanwhile, grill the bacon until crisp. Then use scissors to cut into small pieces.
12 rashers streaky bacon
Just before the potatoes are ready, place the kale in a pan and pour over a cup of just boiled water from the kettle. Place a lid on the pan, and turn the heat to medium. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the kale wilts. Turn off the heat and drain the kale.
175 g (4 cups) sliced curly kale
Drain the cooked potatoes, then mash with a potato masher, or use a potato ricer (my preference). Dot the butter all over the potato and stir in with a wooden spoon until melted.
75 g (5 tbsp) salted butter
Stir in the cream, along with the salt and pepper (add more seasoning if required).
90 ml (1/3 cup) double (heavy) cream, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Stir through the drained kale and three-quarters of the chopped bacon. Transfer to a warm serving bowl and sprinkle on the remaining bacon. Add a chunk of butter to the top to melt over the mash if you like.