Recipes

Rustic Crushed Potatoes with Bacon and Onion

I am thrilled to share my absolute favorite side dish: Rustic Crushed Potatoes with Bacon and Onion. It is so rich, buttery, and comforting that you might just want to eat it as a meal all on its own! We are combining tender potatoes with savory bacon, medium onion, and a hint of a clove of garlic for the perfect rustic bite. If you prefer a meatless option, you can just skip the diced bacon! Let's get cooking and achieve that beautiful rustic look!

Tom the Chef Tom the Chef Founder
Published:
August 9, 2026

Before You Start

Let’s talk about important parts of the recipe before you start…

Welcome to my Rustic Crushed Potatoes with Bacon and Onion Recipe

I am so excited to bring you my Rustic Crushed Potatoes with Bacon and Onion today. This is my absolute favorite side dish, and it is so rich, buttery, and comforting that you might just want to eat it as a meal all on its own! We are combining beautifully tender potatoes with savory bacon, a medium onion, and a freshly grated clove of garlic for the perfect rustic bite. You will need a bit of frying oil, some butter, and a colander to drain your boiled potatoes before we crush everything together to reach that signature rustic look. If you are looking for a meatless modification that is not part of the recipe, you could use smoked paprika instead of the diced bacon, but if you want the classic experience, stick to the original instructions. Let’s grab our ingredients and get into the kitchen!

Preparing and Boiling the Tender Potatoes

The first key step for my Rustic Crushed Potatoes with Bacon and Onion is getting our potatoes ready. You will start by rinsing two pounds of potatoes under cold water, peeling them, and then dicing them into uniform sizes of about three-quarters of an inch. Place the diced potatoes into a medium pot or a small pot that is about four quarts, and fill it with water until the level is about one inch above the potatoes. Cover the pot with a lid, place it on a high heat burner, and bring it to a boil. You will want to cook them with occasional stirring until you have perfectly tender potatoes that are fork-tender, which usually takes about 12 to 15 minutes.

Draining the Potatoes with a Colander

Once your potatoes have reached that ideal fork-tender texture, it is time to remove them from the water. For this step in the Rustic Crushed Potatoes with Bacon and Onion, you will need to drain the water by pouring the contents of your pot over a colander. Using a colander ensures that all the excess starch and boiling liquid is fully removed so that the potatoes do not become waterlogged. After they are completely drained, return the tender potatoes back into the pot and set them aside while we work on our savory bacon and aromatics.

Sautéing the Medium Onion and Diced Bacon

Building the flavor base is crucial for my Rustic Crushed Potatoes with Bacon and Onion. Meanwhile, preheat a large fry pan or a large sauté pan that is 12 inches or more on high heat with two tablespoons of frying oil. Add one peeled and finely chopped medium onion, and sauté together until the onions are softened and translucent, which takes about three to four minutes. Next, add one-half pound of diced bacon into the pan. Sauté this mixture until the savory bacon is crispy and the fat has completely rendered, which should take about five to seven minutes, or you can cook it to your desired doneness.

Combining the Ingredients and the Clove of Garlic

Now we bring all the wonderful components of the Rustic Crushed Potatoes with Bacon and Onion together. Take your large fry pan and pour the sautéed medium onion and crispy diced bacon directly into the pot with the cooked tender potatoes, making sure to include all of the delicious cooking juices and rendered fat from the bacon. To finish building the flavor profile, add one peeled and grated clove of garlic, two tablespoons of butter, one-half teaspoon of salt, and one-quarter teaspoon of ground pepper, ideally freshly ground.

Crushing to Reach a Rustic Look and Plating

The final technique is what gives this side dish its name. To finish the Rustic Crushed Potatoes with Bacon and Onion, thoroughly fold all the ingredients together with a silicone spatula. This folding action will naturally crush the tender potatoes, which is exactly what we want to do to reach a rustic look. Taste the mixture and add more salt or ground pepper if needed. For a beautiful presentation when you serve this side dish, I recommend using measuring cups for plating. The perfect size is a one-half or one cup measure. Simply scoop the rustic crushed potatoes with a cup, smooth the top with a spatula, and then flip it onto the plate. If it does not come out of the cup by itself, lightly tap the top of the cup.

Recipe

(click any ingredient or tool to shop Tom's Amazon recommendations)

  • 25 min.
  • 25 min.
  • 1/5

Ingredients:

Tools:

Directions:

1. Potato preparation & cooking:

1.1.

Rinse potatoes under cold water.

1.2.

Then peel potatoes and dice them into uniform sizes, about 3/8”.

1.3.

Place into a medium pot and then fill with water (about 1” above the level of the potatoes).

1.4.

Cover the pot with a lid and place on a high heat burner. Bring to a boil.

1.5.

Lower heat to medium and cook with occasional stirring until fully cooked (about 12 – 15 minutes). Take one out and taste to make sure it is done.

1.6.

Drain the water by pouring over a colander and then return potatoes back into a pot.

Kitchen Guide

Fruit & Vegetable Preparation & Cutting

September 29, 2023

Fruit and vegetables are nutritious, full of vitamins, and are very flavorful. Even if you are not interested in gaining the health benefits or appreciate the initial taste, fruit and vegetables are often very important for creating a final flavor in many meals (creating important flavor elements). The following are ways to wash, peel, and cut your produce. In this section, I’m not able to cover all fruits and vegetables but have chosen the most common ones. In this section I’m not able to cover all fruits and vegetables but have chosen the most common ones.

Read More
Tom the Chef Tom the Chef Founder

2. Sauté onion & bacon:

2.1. Meanwhile, preheat a fry pan on high heat with 2 TBSP of frying oil and add:

1 medium onion – finely chopped

Sauté together until onions are glossy (about 3 – 4 minutes).

2.2. Add:

½ LB of bacon – diced

Sauté until you reach the degree you prefer.

2.3.

Then add into the pot with cooked potatoes (including cooking juices from bacon).

3. Final phase:

3.1. Add:

1 clove of garlic – grated
2 TBSP of butter
½ TSP of salt
¼ TSP of ground pepper

Thoroughly fold together with a spatula (that will crash the potatoes which is what we want in order to reach rustic look).

3.2.

Taste and add salt or pepper if needed.

Use measuring cups for plating (the perfect size is ½ or 1 cup). Scoop potatoes with a cup, smooth with a spatula, and then flip onto the plate. If it doesn’t come out of the cup by itself, lightly tap the top of the cup.

Disclaimer

  1. General Information Content on this page above, including the content provided on www.CookingHub.com, including all recipes, articles, and other materials, is for general informational purposes only. This content reflects the personal opinions and experiences of its authors and is not intended to provide professional dietary, medical, legal, or political advice. Please consult a qualified professional before making any decisions based on the information presented here.
  2. Content Ownership and Use Content on this page above, including content published on CookingHub.com is owned by the individual authors who created it. Only the authors can access, modify, or delete their content from the platform. Our content may be embedded on third-party websites and blogs without modification. No reimbursement will be provided for this use. If an author removes content from CookingHub.com, it will no longer be available through any embedded links.
  3. Limitation of Liability Neither www.CookingHub.com (operated by the CookingHub Foundation) nor content authors are responsible for any outcome or consequence resulting from the use of information on this site. This includes, but is not limited to:
    • Food Safety: Any health risk related to food handling, food quality, or failure to follow USDA recommendations (including minimum safe cooking temperatures).
    • Preparation Safety: The proper and safe handling of cooking equipment or its suitability for any given task.
    • Recipe Outcomes: The final look, taste, or success of following a recipe.
    • Ingredients and Equipment: The sourcing of ingredients, tools, equipment, or anything else related to the preparation and consumption of food.
    • Nutritional and Dietary Information: The accuracy of nutritional data. This information is provided as a courtesy and should not replace advice from a medical provider. You are responsible for verifying that a diet is suitable for your personal health needs.
    • Errors and Omissions: Any potential errors, typos, or unclear directions in articles and recipes.
  4. User Responsibility All readers, visitors, and users of embedded content are solely responsible for evaluating recipes and articles. You must make your own decisions about whether to follow the steps and recommendations provided. It is your responsibility to ensure that ingredients and preparation methods are safe and appropriate for your personal dietary restrictions and health conditions.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of the ingredient and tool links above are affiliate links: if you buy through them the price is the same for you, and it helps keep these recipes free. #ad

Comments

Subscribe For Newsletters

  • Receive the ebook: 10 Recipes That Will Change Your Life
  • Receive the best recipes and columns by email (about 1–3 emails per month).
  • Stay Connected!

Advertisement: