Crispy Smashed Potatoes
Here is a really fun and different way to serve potatoes. These smashed potatoes are so good because you get a soft creamy center like mashed potatoes, but a crunchy crisp outside like roasted potatoes – delicious! We love serving food in different ways {and of course we love potatoes} this is a yummy change from baked or mashed potatoes – it’s one of our favorites!
The smashed potatoes are so simple, but they do take about 1 1/2 hours (mostly cooking time) – so plan accordingly. We like to make them with Crockpot Barbecue Ribs – since they are going to be cooking 7 or so hours anyway, there is plenty of time for these potatoes!
Crispy Smashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
2 pounds small red potatoes (1 1/2 – 2″ diameter)
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (more if needed)
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
fresh ground salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place one oven rack at the lowest position and one at the top position.
Scrub the red potatoes and lay on a baking sheet. Add 3/4 cup of water the to the potatoes and cover with foil. Bake in hot oven for 30 minutes.
When the potatoes are done, removed foil, drain, and let cool for 10 minutes. Toss potatoes with 3 tablespoons olive oil making sure each is coated with oil. Take a cup and “smash” each potato to about 1/3 – 1/2 in thick {this is the fun part}.
Drizzle another 3 tablespoons olive oil on the potatoes, sprinkle with thyme leaves and salt and pepper. Place the potatoes in your 500 degree oven on the top rack and bake for 15 minutes. Move potatoes to the lower oven rack and continue to bake for another 25-30 minutes (until nice and brown).
Hmmm . . . crispy brown on the bottom, moist and tender in the center. These potatoes are so good!
Another great variety is to omit the thyme and season with garlic salt and rosemary – yummy!
Source: America’s Test Kitchen.
Mmmm….I should check the blog first thing in the morning. My cereal is just not enough any more. I am craving these for sure now.
These look so scrumptious!
mmmmm, these look so good! I am printing this and will try it soon! Thank you! I am a new follower. Pls follow back. Growing Old With Grace http://growing-old-with-grace.blogspot.com/
Your blog is great! Love this recipe; I’ll have to try it.
Thanks for stopping by and following; I’m following you back via GFC!
Potatoes are my favorite. I’d like to try out this recipe sometime soon.
amazing!! Definitely pinning these to my recipes board!
Oh. My. Yum! These look totally fab, and like a super easy side. I’ll be trying these out this fall! Jen @ http://www.icantstopcrafting.blogspot.com
These sound so good! Time to get a big bag of potatoes.
This look so delicious! I have a ton of potatoes from my CSA, I’m going to try this recipe out with them!
I love potatoes & these look delish!
I would love for you to link it up to My Favorite Things Friday Party going on all week. I saw this over at the Tip Junkie Party.
XoXo
~Iffy~
http://www.StayAtHomeNation.blogspot.com
Looks delish! During the first stage which rack do you have the potatoes on??
Top rack in your oven – hope you love them!
Just a question, couldn’t you just boil them first till their tender then smash and bake? Would this not work? Or was their a reason for cooking them in the oven with water first?
Great question from Angela! According to America’s test kitchen – you lose flavor when you boil, that’s why they recommend steaming in the oven!
One of my FAVORITE ways to have potatoes! Sometimes, I will sprinkle fresh grated Parmesan on them… and some garlic…. and other times some dry ranch dressing. 🙂 GREAT GREAT GREAT!!!
You can put these in the microwave to cook them first also. 🙂
I read a similar recipe for these the other week that I have been making nonstop. It’s a little different, though. Boil the potatoes until they are fork tender, then put on an oiled baking sheet, smash, brush on some oil (I like a little butter!), add your herbs/spices, and bake at 450 on the top shelf for 25 to 30 minutes. Bake longer if they are larger potatoes. They get better the longer they roast so you don’t have to worry about perfect timing! :]
I had to leave the potatoes in the oven for 1 hr and 10 minutes because when I took them out after 30 mins, they were still hard. I guess the potatoes were a little bigger than the recipe called for. They were good, but I just wished I left them longer in the oven so they really could get crispier.
Try using the little reds – about 1″ – 1 1/2 ” they work well!
Made these for dinner everyone liked them, my daughter-in-law even asked for the recipe. Excellent. I also had to leave them in the oven longer, about 1 hour. I used reds, maybe they were to big.
So glad you like them! The size of the potatoes does make a difference. I used the little 1″ ones. Thanks for following Caramel Potatoes – Have a declicious week!
I make these often but I do it simpler. I bake small reds or small yukon golds at 425 degrees. When the first one pops open (one always explodes but doesn’t get all over) I know they are pretty much cooked. I smush them with a potato masher to leave them bumpy, drizzle olive oil, place a small pat of real butter on each potato and season with sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper. It only takes about 45 minutes from start to finish.
Sounds like a great idea – thanks!
Can you make a big batch and then freeze 1/2 of them to eat later?
Adding cheese to these are a must! So good! Thanks for this recipe. It’s so easy!
I found these on pinterest. I barely ever cook but had to try these. They turned out great!! Thanks for the recipe!
I’ve made these twice for breakfast and my boyfriend and I are obsessed. The potato size does matter. If you follow the recipe exactly with the 1 1/2″-2″ potatoes you will not be disappointed. Thank you!
These look so amazing! I’m finally making them today, but have to modify a bit so I hope they turn out alright – I’m doing the initial “bake” in the microwave and will do the second on the grill. I’m also using some teeny potatoes as my options were either teeny or way too big.
Crista – sounds like a great idea to do them on the grill! Let us know how it goes!!
I just made these for our cook out! They were delicious! Thanks for the recipe!!
Made these last night, they. were. AMAZING. I def needed more olive oil though, they kept drying up. Next time I will put a bit of nonstick spray on the pan first, a delicious thin crispy layer was stuck to the pan. Wanted to eat it!
The red potatoes I have left in the bag are a bit too big, do you think it would be ok to cut them in half first?
Jessica- thanks for the feedback – glad you like them. I would try it cutting the large ones- they may not look as pretty but should still taste great!
I made these again last night I liked them so much lol.. I made waffles and eggs for dinner and thought these would be better than hash browns. Did not disappoint! I used both Red and Yukon Gold, I wasn’t quite sure if the Reds would be as good. I boiled them first (They were big) and just topped them with olive oil and salt and pepper.
I didn’t have the time to make these the right way, so I boiled mine like the packaged called for, then threw them around in some oil mixed with salt, pepper and seasonings, smashed them on the pan, covered with more oil, and baked about 20 minutes. They weren’t crispy, but they were still good.
Will try a small serving for tomorrows lunch. I like to test new recipes before I make for my family. It also gives me a chance to put my own spin on it next time. Wonderful.
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These are amazing. I made them last night for dinner and my boyfriend kept oooing and ahhing, and at one point he said, “you nailed it.” 🙂
500 seems high for that long would nothing start burning or smoking ?
Yes Shiri, 500 was too high for that long. I kept checking the recipe to make sure they didn’t turn down the temp, but no. I did the 15 minutes on the top rack, moved them down to the bottom and set the timer for 20 min. Luckily I checked them after 15 but some of them were already burnt. Next time I would do a total of 15 minutes top AND bottom at 500, or longer at maybe 425.
We love these! We call them Splat Potatoes, and the kids can’t get enough. A couple changes/tips: If I’m short on time, I use the microwave to bake the potatoes first…make sure they’re fully baked, or they’ll zing across the kitchen instead of smashing nicely. I use oil in a squirt bottle (like a ketchup bottle) to oil the cookie sheet first. Rub the bottom of the cup in the oil between potatoes, or it’ll stick. Also slide the cup off the smashed potato sideways. I also bake them at 450.
Kristi- great suggestions! Love the idea of using the microwave to speed things up!! Love the name too!
You all keep talking about top rack and bottom rack. I was assuming top rack was to get close to hear source in an electric oven? Am I remembering correctly that the heat source is at the top in an elec oven? Well I have a gas oven so I’m wondering if there would be a difference? Seems like if I put them on very bottom shelf at 500 then it’s going to burn the bottoms!?? Cooking them now! Can’t wait to try them!! 😉
I have never had a gas oven- any body out there made them in a gas oven??
Kyra, you’re a genius! I’ve made roasted baby potatoes before, but never thought to smash them. Made this recipe with baby yukon potatoes and they were amazing! Tender on the inside, deliciously crispy on the outside.
Thanks for sharing!
how are these as leftovers? has anyone tried baking these, and putting them in lunches the next day?
Also, has anyone tried doing the first part of this in an electric pressure cooker? I bet that would speed things up considerably!
I will try it and let you all know!
Is there a sweet potato variation?