These Crispy Smashed Potatoes are the perfect side dish! They are soft and fluffy on the inside, but super crisp on the outside. You won't want to make boring roast potatoes ever again.
The humble potato
Potatoes are a staple ingredient for people across the world. They were originally found in Peru and between 7,000 and 10,000 years ago they were domesticated and started to be grown across the Americas. Eventually they found their way to Europe and the rest of the world. They are now grown in 125 countries and are super easy for you to grow at home.
The reason they are such a popular ingredient is because they are super versatile and healthy too! Although they've decreased in popularity in recent years because people think you need a tonne of fat to make them taste good and people think they are really calorific.
In the UK people have traditionally enjoyed a diet of meat and two veg with a side of potatoes. Growing up I ate them boiled, mashed, or roasted. And, of course I ate chips! But thanks to the internet there are now a wide range of different ways to enjoy this simple ingredient and I want to share another potato recipe with you today.
This recipe is for crispy smashed new potatoes. They are delicious bite-sized morsels that are both soft and fluffy, crispy, and full of flavour! But let's start at the beginning. First you're going to need to get your hands on some new potatoes...
What are new potatoes?
New potatoes are simply young potatoes that haven't fully grown yet. Because they are harvested while they are still so small, they have thin, flaky skins and a crisp, waxy texture. Because they are small they also have a higher sugar content than fully grown potatoes which have converted that sugar to starch.
In the UK, Jersey Royals are the best known new potato variety. You can buy them from late April, all the way through to mid-summer.
When I was growing up we would enjoy new potatoes simply boiled and served with melted butter. They also make a great potato salad. But today we're going to smash them then roast them to crisp them up.
What are smashed potatoes?
Smashed potatoes are the "new" hasselback potato. They're a little bit trendy but for good reason.
They are simply potatoes that have been boiled until soft and fluffy inside, mashed with a fork and then drizzled with oil, seasoned liberally and baked in the often until the potato skin and exposed fluffy potato ridges become perfectly crisp!
You don't need any special equipment - in fact I find a fork is better than a potato masher for this particular task.
The recipe
Crispy Smashed New Potatoes
Ingredients
- 500 grams new potatoes
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- salt and pepper
- 4 tablespoon chives finely chopped
Instructions
- Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the new potatoes to the pan.
- Boil the potatoes for 15 minutes until they are just tender.
- Drain the well and leave in the colander over the hot pan to steam dry.
- In the meantime, pre-heat your oven to 190C/375F/ gas mark 5.
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon oil on to your baking tray or roasting tin.
- Add the potatoes to the tray and then squash them with a fork - they should still hold together but have lots of new edges and ridges.
- Drizzle the potatoes with the remaining oil and season liberally with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 40 mins until golden and crispy.
- Serve with a sprinkling of freshly chopped chives.
Nutrition
Serving suggestions
These crispy potatoes smashed potatoes are the perfect side dish for everything from a steamed fillet of fish to a full on roast dinner.
But, perhaps one of my favourite ways to serve these is with a drizzle of (vegan) hollandaise as shown in the photo below. Full disclosure: I ate the whole plate within minutes. Why not give them a try?
More potato recipes
If you love potatoes as much as I do, why not try one of these alternative ways for enjoying potatoes!
To explore the full range of recipes on the blog, check out the full recipe archive which you can sort by keyword, meal, season, diet, or which country the dish originated from. There are hundreds of recipes to choose from! Enjoy.
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