Cheesy Bacon Mashed Potatoes

So I decided to develop some kind of mashed potato recipe that my dear husband would eat without complaining and sans the gravy. One thing that I have learned being a Southern girl is that we will put gravy on just about anything that can be doused so I am trying to break the hubby from that habit. We typically eat those mashed potatoes that come in those colorful bags that you just add milk or water too, but those are BORING so I took it back to when my mom would cook. She would make these wonderful mashed potatoes that still had chunks of potato in them......Lord it would make you want to smack her but we knew better than that. So after much debate I came up with this and it was a hit.

ENJOY



Cheesy Bacon Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients
3-4 Russet Potatoes (at least 3 lbs)
6 Strips of Bacon or 1/2 bag of Bacon Pieces
1/2 cup of heavy cream
8 oz. of sharp cheddar cheese
1 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup of chives
1/4 cup of sour cream
4 tbsp of butter

Steps:

• Peel your potatoes and place in a pot of boiling water with enough to cover the tops of the potatoes at least 1 inch. Add your salt to the pot as well. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium low and cook for about 20 minutes or until tender.
  
• If you are using bacon strips, go ahead and cook those until crisp. Be sure to drain them and crumble them. Set this aside until later.
  
• Once cooked, drained your potatoes and return to the pot.
  
• Add your pepper, cream, and a dash of salt and return your pot to the heat. As the potatoes heat, use a potato masher to incorporate the mixture fully. The mixture should be fluffy. Do this for about 5 minutes.
  
• Remove the mixture from the heat and immediately add the cheese, bacon, and sour cream to the mixture. Taste and season to your liking.
  
• Garnish with chives if you like and serve immediately!
  

POINTERS

• Feel free to use bacon pieces from the salad section of the supermarket. They incorporate the same and sometimes you can find reduced sodium options. DO NOT USE BACON PIECES...that is not bacon....
• Feel free to reduce the salt in the recipe or use a substitute.
  
• You don't technically need a masher. You can use a heavy spoon which will do the trick.
  
• Pre-cutting your potatoes into chunks will cut down on cook time as well.