Introducing your new favourite potato recipe – buttery, crispy SMASHED POTATOES! Crazy crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, there’s a serious risk that only half of these will make it to the dinner table….
Smashed Potatoes
Let me introduce you to your new favourite way with potatoes.
SMASHED!
CRISPY!
BUTTERY!!
Buttery CRISPY SMASHED POTATOES!
Best ever potato recipe!
If you are yet to experience the joys of crispy smashed potatoes, and my first experience was only 3 years ago when I was introduced to them by Claire from Sprinkles and Sprouts, a fellow Australian food blogger, these are going to change your potato game forever.
These taste like buttery french fries, albeit they are look completely different. “Rustic”, I declare loftily. They’re fluffy on the inside, and ultra crispy on both the underside and on the surface. All those ridges are the best! Forget squashing them neat and flat – the more nubbly the surface, the better the crunch!!!
Tips to make ultra crispy smashed potatoes
Ultra Crispy Smashed Potatoes are straight forward to make – boil, squish, drizzle, bake – but there are two little tips I’ve discovered along the way:
-
Let the potatoes steam dry a bit after smashing them. This ensures optimum crispiness!
-
Use butter and a touch of oil. Because butter = flavour, oil ensures more even and better browning and crispiness. Can’t use just butter because it burns in the oven at high temperatures.
Also, you can totally feel free to add flavourings like garlic and dried herbs, but they do burn a bit so you’ll get little black bits on the surface. In all honesty, these are so tasty as they are, they don’t need anything more! (In my personal, potato-opinion)
How to serve Ultra Crispy Smashed Potatoes
I would be totally happy just munching on these as a snack. And if I had a larger oven, or multiple ovens, I would make loads of these and serve them as a snack at gatherings. Because if you make these with small potatoes as I have done, they are perfect finger food snacking size.
But I typically serve these on the side of mains. It will go with pretty much any Western dish, from pork chops to fish, chicken to steak. Try it on the side of this Steak with Creamy Peppercorn Sauce, these Lemon Garlic Marinated Pork Chops, these Crispy Garlic Chicken Thighs or this Sun Dried Tomato Stuffed Chicken Breast.
However you plan to serve these Crispy Smashed Potatoes, it has your name written all over it. Do it, do it, do it! – Nagi x
More potato recipes
- Crispy Parmesan Crusted Potatoes (side dish or to nibble)
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Sometimes it helps to have a visual, so watch me make these Crispy Smashed Potatoes!!
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Ultra Crispy Smashed Potatoes
Ingredients
Potatoes - choose:
- 700g / 1.4 lb small potatoes (12 - 14) (Note 1)
- 1 - 1.2kg / 2 - 2.4lb medium potatoes (6 - 8)
Cooking:
- 1 tbsp salt (for boiling)
- 30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 tsp salt (for sprinkling)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Finely chopped parsley , optional garnish
Instructions
- Cook potatoes: Bring a pot of water to the boil, add 1 tbsp salt. Cook potatoes until soft - small ones should take around 20 to 25 minutes, medium ones might take 30 minutes. It's ok if the skin splits. Alternatively, steam or microwave them.
- Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan).
- Steam dry: Drain the potatoes and let them dry in the colander for 5 minutes or so.
- Smash! Place on the tray then use a large fork or potato masher to squish them, keeping them in one piece. Thin = crisper. Thicker = fluffier insides. (Both good!) More nubbly surface = better crunch!
- Steam dry again: Leave on the tray to steam dry for 5 minutes or so - makes them crispier!
- Drizzle: Drizzle with butter, then olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake: Bake for 45 minutes (small potatoes) to 55 minutes (medium) or until deep golden and crispy. Do not flip!
- Serve hot, sprinkled with parsley if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
When I travel, Dozer stays with a golden retriever boarder. Rumbling with his friends, a whirlwind of fur chasing each other around the backyard, somersaulting across the lounge room as they tumble.
I’m told he’s internally fretting about me. 😂
I think that using Russet potatoes was where the recipe started going sideways on me.
From what I can tell, you are using what you call “waxy” potatoes.
In the states those are called Yukon Gold.
The russets weren’t “crispy” in the traditional sense, the skin becomes a cross between crunchy and leathery. Hard to eat, hard to chew, hard to enjoy.
I think for this to be successful, you must start with tiny Yukon Golds or else this recipe is doomed from the start.
Made exactly as written otherwise.
Love most of your recipe’s and hold great respect for your love of cooking and your fuzzy Sous Chef!
George the Greek
Perfect crunchy baked potatoes – regular rotation in our house. Super easy too.
These were wonderful! I mixed the butter and oil together and brushed it evenly on the baby potatoes I used. I also added garlic powder and rosemary. Totally yummers! Great recipe–thank you!
This is our fave potato recipe. I’m lazy so microwave then smash, add butter, oil and some flavours then into the airfryer until browned. Amazing!!! Thanks lovely Nagi for your generous sharing. Love, love, love your food.
Kids won’t touch mashed potatoes but they can’t eat the fast enough! I’ve had to double the recipe – twice – and they still finish them every time. This was is a staple in our house!
I’ve made these a few times, they are fantastic!
I want to make them ahead of time for a Sunday dinner this week (the boiling, smashing part), thinking I’d like to do that on Saturday. Has anyone done this step ahead of time?
I also don’t like how they smash with my potato masher (I usually use medium sized potatoes). Has anyone used something else other than a fork or potato masher? I’m thinking the bottom of a glass maybe…
I use a large, flat pancake turner–one that is not slotted.
Yes, I think that would work! Thank you. 🙂
I followed the recipe exactly using four medium sized russet potatoes. They came out perfectly crispy and flavorful. Made me think of a cross between oven fries and a baked potato! They were great served alongside leftover schnitzel. This recipe will definitely go into regular rotation! Thank you!
These potatoes were excellent. Just the perfect amount of crunch. There was one problem, I didn’t make enough.
Followed recipe and lived the outcome.
This is an absolute crowd pleaser!
If I can write like you, I will be very happy, but where is my luck, in fact people like you are a good example for the world. You have written this beautiful Post very dbeautifully, I am very glad that I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
If I can write like you, I will be very happy, but where is my luck, in fact people like you are a good example for the world. You have written this beautiful Post very beautifully, I am very glad that I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Hi Nagi,
Love your recipes! I’m trying to do a lot of prep for entertaining a large crowd in a few days time. Do you think it would work if I boiled, smashed, cooled then froze these potatoes? Then on the day drizzle oil on them and follow your recipe as usual (maybe up the timings a bit since they’re frozen)?
Or would this affect their crispiness?
Yukon gold baby potatoes, melted butter and blended with olive oil, kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
Perfection! Best of fried and baked.
Made this recipe twice so far using medium sized red potatoes. Served with fresh parsley and chive plus a dollop of plain Greek yogurt. Delicious -everyone loved them.
they were ultra crispy alright, I baked as directed and they burned to a black crisp! 45 minutes way too long for small yellow potatoes.
Want an amazing dipsauce for these? A scoop of mayo, about half as much sour cream, tablespoonish of Dijon mustard, half a lemon, S&P. These are fantastic naked, but even butter with this quick…is it an aioli?
Soooo good! We tried with baby red potatoes and baby gold potatoes, and we prefer the baby reds. We sprinkle on some Tony Chachere’s and some Flavor God Garlic Lovers and use Kosher salt rather than table salt. Mmmm-mmmm!!!
Hi, Nagi,
Thank you for the recipe. I augmented it slightly by adding thyme powder, rosemary powder, and garlic to the butter. They came out banging. Your tip of letting them sit two times (in the colander then the tray), was a total game changer. Thank you so much for the recipe and the tips. There will be a “make again” for sure. All the best.
Cheers,
Will
Can the potatoes be cooked and smashed the day before and then cooked the next day?