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. 😂
This may have solved my potato chip problem and created another one.
I think I’ll be okay with this snack problem. As long as I leave the Bacon off.
Maybe. Possibly.
This comment really did make me LOL
Is it possible to freeze these? If so when in the process would you freeze. I want to have them for party but need to make ahead
Yes! Follow the recipe up until it calls for them to be baked. Instead of placing them on a baking sheet and then into the oven, you’ll want to place them on a baking sheet (flavoring, oil, butter and all) and put them in the freezer. Once completely frozen, pop the potatoes in a freezer safe container or Ziploc bag.
When ready to bake, lightly oil a baking sheet and place the frozen or thawed potatoes on it. Bake at 350° until desired crispness (cooking time will differ depending on the initial temperature of the potatoes when placed in oven).
I hope this has helped.
Should the potatoes be peeled?
It doesn’t say but I’d leave them on to hold them together after you smash them.
As previous reply you do leave the skin on. In instruction 1 it says ‘It’s ok if the skin splits’.
This recipe is the best smashed potato recipe I’ve ever made, and I have made lots. I’m a potato lover.
My husband and I love making these! One difference was to add up to 1/4 cup of salt to the water when boiling the potatoes in their jackets, the potatoes do not get salty, but when smashed and baked the insides are creamy. SOOO good!
How do you “steam dry” the potatoes after cooking? I’ve never heard of this. Thanks.
Hi Carol! That’s what happens when you leave the smashed potatoes for a bit on the tray 🙂 The heat from the potatoes makes them “steam dry” 🙂
I would also suggest returning the potatoes to the saucepan or stockpot and cover with a clean tea cloth for about 4-5 minutes to absorb some of the excess steam that tends to cling to the potatoes and make them soggy.
what degree do you set oven at
350°
Thank you LG! N x
Step 2 says “Preheat oven to 180C/350F (standard) or 160C/320F (fan / convection).”
Please see the recipe! 🙂 N x
Anyone tried this recipe with sweet potatoes?
Hi, if you want the flavor of butter and the effect of oil, ghee would fill that requirement.
Thank you.
YES!
I’m going to make these tonight but I have a question: can I boil them ahead of time? Or will that mess them up? Can’t wait to have them!
That’s an interesting question Elise! I can’t believe I’ve never made this with potatoes cooked ahead – I will try it and update the recipe! N x
Are you supposed to leave the skin on the potatoes. I bought some small red potatoes to try for the recipe.
Yes skin on!
Made your smashed potatoes for the first time for company . They were a big hit ! Can’t wait to try different kinds of potatoes. Have you tried using yams ?
I would love to know the same thing as mary ellen, but would ask if that works for sweet potatoes as well.
Hi Roxanne! It totally works with sweet potato! I like to use small ones that I cut in half 🙂 I will share one soon! N x
Hi Mary Ellen, I haven’t I’m sorry! 🙂 I would love to know if it works! N x
Made these potatoes for the first time tonight…i found when i started to smash them the fell apart….did i cook them to long in the pot? They are in the oven now….the true test is if my husband likes them…may add some chedder cheese to them….
I added some cheese the last 5 min. Yum!
So GOOD and EASY. Thanks for posting this recipe.
Love hearing that! So glad you enjoyed this Dee! N xx
Nagi, these are so good. What a fun twist for a potato. While growing up we’d sometimes have boiled potatoes as a side dish and I ALWAYS smashed mine! They do take awhile, but well worth the wait. I dipped mine in ranch dressing. Yum!
Something is still off with the timing listed on the recipe. I know someone else previously mentioned it. Luckily I had read through everything and knew to allow more than 50 minutes.
That’s wonderful to hear Cindy! So glad you enjoyed this! Thanks for picking up about the recipe time, strangely the recipe card didn’t recalculate the total time when I updated it 🙂 N xx
So the bake time is 50 minutes instead? My son could live on potatoes (and kind of does). He’s excited to try them (he’s 10 😀 ).
Nope, it’s as per recipe. The reader just pointed out I had put the wrong time in the recipe summary up the top 🙂 N x
I just can’t turn down a good potato. You had me at crispy AND fluffy!
By the by, travel fails make the best memories! I remember fails far better than trips that run perfectly smoothly 🙂
It’s so true!!! And they make the best stories! 😂
These look amazing and i have made them twice now but i must be doing something wrong as they are more soggy than crispy 🙁 I love your recipes 🙂
Hi Belinda – Thinking there’s a chance your oven runs a little cool, try cranking it up a bit and do not take them out until they are crispy!!! They must, they WILL go crispy!
OK will try this for sure, your photos look so delicious!!! Thank you 🙂
Made this for my parents today because they felt like having potatoes, and even though I didn’t cook them as soft as shown in the video, they came out just perfect from the oven, and were gone in two minutes! My mom told me to fit more potatoes onto the tray next time because there juts wasn’t enough delicious potato goodness to go around. Will be making it again and again!
I LOVE HEARING THAT!!!! Your mom is total right. Squeeze ’em in! 🤣
Amazing. I have been looking to find a good recipe for breakfast potato and this is the one! thank you
You’re so welcome MJ!! N x
Ohhhh girl! I just had to come back and tell you we tried these yesterday and they are sooooooooooooo good! * * * * * Gobbled them up before we had the chance to put a dollop of Boursin!
YumYumYum!
Theresa
WHOOT!!!! So glad you loved it Theresa!! N xx
Crispy smashed potatoes, how interesting…will sure try making it during the weekend!
They are DA BOMB!!!!
Love these potatoes – have made two nights running and we’ll probably have tomorrow as well. I smashed mine with a pastry blender and didn’t press too hard. Happy travels. I heard through the doggie grapevine that Dozer really does miss you.
Wow! Just wow!! Where have these potatoes been all my life? Made these for dinner last night. They’re very easy to put together and really don’t require much attention while they cook. I used a mix of very small gold, red and purple potatoes. And the crunch! Oh my, the crunch! The only letdown was when I looked at the nutritional info and saw that this recipe is for 12 people. Aaagh! The two of us scarfed down all but one tiny potato. Still worth it, though. No regrets. None.
WHOOT WHOOT WHOOT!!!!!!! (PS Pfffff to the nutrition. Salad tomorrow!) N x