Boil, smash, bake: Making crispy smashed potatoes is easy. These buttery, crispy, and rustic smashed potatoes can be either a main or a side dish. They are crispy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside.
These potatoes are perfect as a snack on their own with a delicious sour cream dip or any time you are craving crispy potatoes. They make a great side dish too – think Thanksgiving – and are great with hearty salads. I often make them as an alternative to crispy baked potato wedges or oven-roasted potatoes.
How to make smashed potatoes?
Smashed potatoes start out by getting boiled until tender. This takes around 25 minutes.
Which potatoes work best?
Smaller potatoes work best since they cook quicker and will be crispier. Baby Yukon potatoes or red potatoes work well.
Then you smash them into thin patties with a potato masher or fork, toss them with olive oil, and roast them in the oven until crispy.
If you like, you can add some herbs, garlic and butter. I always do for extra crispiness and additional flavor. For this additional step, I mix melted butter, minced garlic and minced parsley and brush the potatoes after about 15 to 20 minutes of the baking time. Then I bake them for another 10 minutes.
The finished potatoes will be fluffy on the inside, and ultra crispy on the underside and on the surface. Serve smashed potatoes hot, sprinkled with parsley and fleur de sel, if desired. I love them on their own with an easy sour cream dip. Enjoy!
These buttery, crispy, and rustic smashed potatoes can be either a main or a side dish. They are crispy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside. Making crispy smashed potatoes is easy: Boil, smash, bake.
If adding herbs or garlic add them towards to the end of the baking time because they burn easily.
Recipe: Ursula | lilvienna.com
Ingredients
- 2 lbs (900 g) small-to-medium red or yellow potatoes (like baby Yukon)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Fine salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Seasonings (Optional, but recommended):*
- 2-3 tablespoons minced parsley, plus more for serving
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Fleur de Sel to finish
- Sour cream
- Fine salt and black pepper to taste
- Fresh herbs like parsley or thyme
- A splash of lemon juice
Instructions
- Rinse potatoes thoroughly under running water and scrub them clean – the skin stays on.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes – all should be submerged - and cook until tender, about 25 minutes for medium-size potatoes. Drain the potatoes and let them sit in the colander for 5 minutes or cool enough to handle.
- Preheat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C). Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over a large baking sheet, lined with parchment paper.
- Distribute the potatoes over the baking sheet, and use a potato masher or a fork to gently smash the potatoes, keeping them in one piece. The thinner they are, the crispier they will get.
- Brush (or drizzle) potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil. If you do not add any garlic or herbs, brush/drizzle them with melted butter now. If you prefer the garlic/herb version, skip the butter for now. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake in the preheated oven until crispy and deep golden, about 30 minutes. Do not flip.
- If adding garlic and herbs: Bake potatoes for about 20 minutes in the preheated oven or until they only start to brown. In the meantime: Mix butter, parsley, and garlic in a small bowl.
- Remove potatoes from the oven and brush with herb-garlic-butter. Bake for another 10 minutes until potatoes are deep golden and crispy. Do not flip. Be aware that if you add garlic, it has a tendency to burn and can taste bitter, so don’t bake it longer than roughly 10 or 15 minutes.
- Sour cream dip: Mix all ingredients.
- Serve smashed potatoes hot, sprinkled with parsley and fleur de sel, if desired. I love them on their own with an easy sour cream dip. Enjoy!
Notes
* Seasonings:
Feel free to add flavorings like garlic and herbs. I used minced garlic and parsley but thyme or minced rosemary taste great too. They are also super tasty plain, as they are.
I seriously think that this is the best way of making baked potatoes. When smashed, all the little bits become so crispy during the baking process. Whoever came up with this idea for the first time was a genius :) And your photos are just great photos Ursula!
Hi Matej,
Thank you so much!
I think so too ;-) I love these potatoes. Only a genius could come up with it, I’m totally with you on this hehe.
Thanks so much. I was thinking of a side dish for my fried fish dinner. These potatoes are perfect to go with the fish. Also making a salad on the side.
Hi Eleasr,
Sounds very tasty! I hope all worked out well :)
Ursula
This method of preparing potatoes is just about the tastiest ever—no hyperbole! It’s the first time I tried it to accompany our pork schnitzel. So good!
Hi Paul,
So happy to hear that you like the smashed potatoes. I absolutely love them too!! I’ve never tried them as a side with pork schnitzel but I imagine it pretty tasty :)
Thanks so much for your comment and letting me know that the potatoes are a winner. Ursula