Christmas Mashed PotatoesPosted by The Hillbilly Dude
If you’re looking for KFC taters, you came to the wrong place. These 'Christmas Mashed Potatoes' are such good eatin’, you'll even impress your own self. With the crispy bacon and flash-fried Rosemary Crispies, it's like a hootenanny in your mouth.
Are they rich, you ask? What Southern food isn’t? We even pour hot grease on our salads.
Nobody’s ever not liked my Fancy Taters. So far, at least.
Hillbilly Dude Says...
Nobody’s ever not liked my Fancy Taters. So far, at least.
Preparation
You’ll need a big ol’ pot for the potatoes. And you’ll wanna scrub those taters with a brush, we’ll be using the skins.
Ingredients
Pork Bacon, 1lb - 2lb
Russet Potatoes, 4 - 5 (use your own judgement)
Rosemary, 4 - 5 fresh sprigs (they have to be fresh)
Butter, 1 - 2 sticks (as always, no judgement here)
Whole Milk, a splash or two
Boursin, 1 Garlic & Fine Herb
Salt & Pepper, to Taste
Directions
Fry Bacon!
You may wanna look it up for yourself, but I’m pretty sure 93.7% of all Southern and Appalachian recipes start with bacon. See: Pan-Fried Bacon
Flash Fry Rosemary Crispies.
Pour off some of the bacon grease for your next project, but leave a good amount in the pan. Drop those rosemary sprigs in the oil to infuse it - but be careful! The natural water in the plant may create grease splatter. Let the rosemary needles get crispy, but don’t burn them (we’ll need these later).
Prep Potatoes.
Scrub those potatoes with a scrub brush, then cut them into smaller chunks for faster boiling.
Boil Potatoes.
In that big ‘ol pot, boil those potatoes in water until they’re done. If you’ve never done that before: you have to test them to see if they’re soft enough. Nobody wants raw-ish mashed potatoes.
Drain Potatoes.
Get those potatoes all drained, and then put them into a bowl that seems way too big for the mess you’ve fixed. You need to leave room for more tasty stuff.
Get Fancy.
Add the butter so it starts melting. You be the judge - the more butter, the richer. Pour in the infused bacon grease and remnants from the pan. Crumble up some of the bacon and drop some in (not all!). Add some Boursin (I use about ½ package), a splash or two of milk (not too much!) along with some salt and pepper to start.
Mash ‘Em Up.
Use a potato masher to squoosh those taters up real good. You want to mash so much that it breaks up the peelings. The more you mash, the creamier the texture. I like to stop mashin’ just after there are no longer chunks. Continue to sample to get your desired salt and pepper levels.
Garnish.
Once placed in the serving bowl, crumble up some more bacon for the top. And now’s the time to break off all those little crispy needles from your rosemary sprig to put on the top. They look pretty cool, but they are delicious.
★ I’m not suggestin’ you should be greedy. But try to get you a little serving from the top with the "garnish." ★
The Hillbilly Dude. (2025, October 19). Christmas Mashed PotatoesPosted by The Hillbilly Dude. HillbillySlang.com. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/southern-recipes/christmas-mashed-potatoes
MLA (9th edition)
"The Hillbilly Dude." "Christmas Mashed PotatoesPosted by The Hillbilly Dude." HillbillySlang.com, 19 Oct. 2025, https://www.hillbillyslang.com/southern-recipes/christmas-mashed-potatoes.
Chicago (17th edition)
The Hillbilly Dude. "Christmas Mashed PotatoesPosted by The Hillbilly Dude." HillbillySlang.com. October 19, 2025. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/southern-recipes/christmas-mashed-potatoes.
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