Smashed Potatoes are so good you can crush ’em in one sitting!
Alanis Morissette has a funny definition of “ironic”. Her hit 1995 song has very few actually ironic situations in it and has become a source of lampooning for the years since. Miley Cyrus, too, has an inaccurate understanding of “the best of both worlds” as she attempts to live the double life of Hannah Montana despite spending much of the classic 2000s Disney Channel TV show trying to distance herself from her celebrity persona. Musicians may not totally grip these day-to-day phrases; however, if you’re suffering the irony of wanting mashed potatoes but only having tiny roasting spuds, you can have the best of both worlds with today’s recipe!
Stuck right between the silky goodness of mashed potatoes and the crispy wholeness of roasted potatoes is a dish that’s the best of both worlds: smashed potatoes! You can have your mashed potatoes and roast them, too, making them deliciously fluffy and smooth on the inside and perfectly crisped on the outside. Smashed potatoes make an interesting side for any dinner, especially if you can’t decide between mashing your spuds into thin white fluff or baking them into browned goodies! It’s the perfect collision (now that’s ironic!) of two favorites, so we’re calling them “crashed hot potatoes”!
Are Smashed Potatoes Healthy?
Everyone’s favorite tubers contain iron and fiber, while olive oil supports good cholesterol levels. The simplicity of our recipe today makes smashed potatoes an excellent gluten-free side-dish option that can easily be made vegan and dairy-free with the substitution of Parmesan cheese with vegan alternatives. A simple side like smashed potatoes abides by almost any dietary regimen!
Keto-conscious eaters, however, will need to make your potatoes a resistant starch before consuming! Resistant starch is formed by refrigerating cooked starches like rice and, yes, even our favorite spuds! That means fully cooking them as per our recipe’s instructions, refrigerating them overnight, and reheating them (for about 10 minutes in the oven). This creates resistant starch that doesn’t spike blood sugars and creates a prebiotic form of starch that serves further gut health! They still contain carbs, though, so it’s up to you whether you want to eat them on your keto diet.
That’s all there is to this recipe? How do I spruce up spuds?
Potatoes pair well with a wide array of herbs and toppings, from classic rosemary and chives to cheese and bacon. Smashed potatoes serve as an excellent foundation for your own choice of toppings and dips! When you serve your smashed potatoes at the dinner table, add a dollop of sour cream for that quintessential baked potato flavor! Top your smashed potatoes with melted cheddar and bacon crumble for a marvelously grubby (yet protein-packed) game-day snack!
If you’re looking for flavorful inspirations on dolling up your smashed potatoes, take a look at FoodFaithFitness’s other recipes for spectacular spuds like lemon Greek potatoes, mustardy roasted potatoes, or mixed-cheese baked potatoes!
INGREDIENTS
- 12 small round new potatoes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
- Rosemary, fresh, chopped, to taste
- Parmesan cheese, finely grated, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep
Preheat the oven and get those potatoes boiling until fork-tender.
Smash
After oiling the baking sheet, smash the potatoes and give them a good drizzle of olive oil.
Season
Sprinkle with salt, pepper, rosemary, and Parmesan to pack in the flavors.
Bake
Let them crisp up in the oven until they’re perfectly golden.
Enjoy
Serve these mouth-watering potatoes hot and enjoy the crunch with every bite.
Devour!
FAQs & Tips
How do I store these potatoes?
As mentioned earlier, storing your smashed potatoes to heat later technically makes them healthier! This makes them perfect for making ahead! Just keep your finished potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to reheat and, when you do, bake your smashed spuds for about 10 minutes at the original temperature to make starch-resistant smashed potato leftovers!
How smashed is too smashed?
Smashing potatoes sounds like you should Hulk-out on your spuds, but doing so will rob your potatoes of their fluffiness. A good method to ensure your smashed potatoes have a crispy texture and satisfying insides is to use a fork to press down on your spuds until they’re about a half-inch thick. The fork marks make interesting crisp patterns, too!
When should I put my flavorful fancies on my spectacular spuds?
It’s important to season your potatoes (and all of your food) while they’re hot! Potatoes fresh out of the oven will hold onto the herbs and spices you use to spruce up your spuds. Similarly, melted cheese on hot potatoes assures that neither gets cool too quickly!
Serving Suggestions
Smashed potatoes make the perfect side for any meal that you may have originally served with mashed potatoes or roasted potatoes! Serve ’em up alongside braised beef short ribs or slow-cooked beef brisket for a smashing dinnertime appetizer (or, if you’re going with the starch-resistant keto option, try a keto steak with butter and mushrooms!). Alternatively, try them as a substitute for the frozen tater tots in our loaded gameday favorite!
Ingredients
- 12 small round new potatoes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt to taste
- Black pepper freshly ground, to taste
- Rosemary fresh, chopped, to taste
- Parmesan cheese finely grated, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450°F to ensure it's hot and ready for the potatoes.
- Boil a pot of salted water and cook the potatoes until they’re tender enough to be pierced with a fork.
- Coat a baking sheet with olive oil and arrange the boiled potatoes on it, spaced well apart.
- Gently press each potato with a potato masher to flatten slightly, then give it a 90-degree turn and press again to create a criss-cross pattern. Drizzle more olive oil over each potato.
- Season the potatoes with kosher salt, black pepper, and chopped rosemary, then sprinkle generously with grated Parmesan cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they’re golden brown and crisp.
- DEVOUR!
Nutrition Info:
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
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