Jalapeno Popper Smashed Potatoes

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. Ours was busy, but lovely. I took Andrew to a birthday party for one of his friends, which was held at a massive facility made entirely of trampolines. Not surprisingly, he had an awesome time. This place also offers exercise classes, which I am strongly considering trying. The flyer claims that you can burn up to 1000 calories in one hour, just by jumping on trampolines. If that is really true, it completely cancels out the calories in these decadent smashed potatoes, and makes me feel much less guilty for indulging in them.

At this point, I'm pretty sure I can turn just about any food into a jalapeno popper, and smashed potatoes were long overdue for their makeover. These potatoes are so rich, flavorful, and delicious -- not a shock, considering that they contain half a pound of bacon, a generous amount of cheddar, and a ton of butter and cream cheese. If you'd like to bake these, you could totally add a topping of panko breadcrumbs to give them even more of a jalapeno popper-y feel. Whether you bake them, though, or just serve them straight from the stovetop, I strongly, strongly encourage you to make these. And then go jump on a trampoline for an hour to cancel out the calories. :)

Jalapeno Popper Smashed Potatoes

3 to 4 pounds red potatoes, chopped

1/2 pound bacon, chopped

2 jalapenos, seeded and diced

5 tablespoons butter, softened

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Add chopped potatoes to a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and continue to boil until potatoes are fork tender. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove from skillet, reserving drippings, and set aside on paper towels to drain. Add the jalapenos to the bacon drippings and cook until softened and fragrant. Add the jalapenos to the reserved bacon.

3. Add butter and cream cheese to the potatoes and use a potato masher to mash. Stir in the cheddar cheese, bacon, and jalapenos until the cheese is melted. The potatoes shouldn't need any additional liquid, but if they do, add milk until desired consistency is reached. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.