These beautifully seasoned crispy smashed potatoes are a side dish with a bit of a difference. Easy to prepare (no peeling needed!) we’re taking baby new potatoes to a whole new level. They’re lovely and fluffy on the inside with lots of crispy, crunchy edges.
One of my favourite ways to whip up a really tasty potato side dish – with minimal effort.
No need to go to the effort of peeling and slicing potatoes – just bung a load of potatoes in a pan and boil until tender, then transfer to a tin, give them a quick smash with a spoon and drizzle in oil. Sprinkle with seasoning and spices, and let them crisp up in the oven.
These potato ALWAYS go down a storm.
I made them as a side dish lots many times over the past several weeks, when I’ve been testing steak and steak sauces, and they all get eaten, EVERY TIME.
Easy to prepare and far too easy to eat. Smashing them once boiled, turns all those ridges and knobbly bits into crispy, crunchy, tasty little mouthfuls of deliciousness that are great as a side to most dishes.
📋 What do we need?
- Baby New Potatoes Any baby white potatoes or fingerlings will work
- Oil We used sunflower oil but you can use vegetable or olive oil, or any other flavourless oil that can be used for roasting.
📺 Watch how to make them
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Boil the potatoes in a large pan of water, until tender, then drain.
- Place the potatoes on a baking tray and squash each one down with the back of a spoon then sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic salt.
- Brush with oil, then roast for 20 -25 minutes until crispy and golden.
- Top with a little parsley before serving.
👩🍳PRO TIP Don’t be afraid of giving the potatoes a good squash. It doesn’t matter if they fall apart a bit – in fact the more they fall apart, the more crispy bits you get!
🍽️ What to serve them with
- Pan-Fried Steak with Peppercorn Sauce
- Garlic Bread Crusted Salmon
- Easy Roast Chicken with Gravy
- Rich and Tasty Beef Bourguignon
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken
They’d also be great on Bonfire night, served up with a big sausage casserole or chilli con carne!
🍲 More fantastic Potato side dishes
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Crispy Smashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- ⅔ kg (1.5 lbs) baby white potatoes or fingerlings, larger ones chopped in half
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic salt
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F (fan).
- Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender (a knife should easily go through them). Drain in a colander.2/3 kg (1.5 lbs) baby white potatoes
- Brush a large metal baking tray with 1 tbsp of the sunflower oil.3 tbsp sunflower oil
- Place the potatoes on the prepared baking tray, then squash each one down with a potato masher or the back of a spoon. Don't worry if some of them break apart – that means more crispy bits!
- Sprinkle the salt, pepper, garlic salt, and paprika onto the potatoes.½ tsp salt, ½ tsp freshly ground pepper, ¼ tsp garlic salt, ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- Brush the remaining 2 tbsp of oil on the potatoes and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes – until the potatoes are crispy and golden.
- Take the potatoes out of the oven and sprinkle with a little fresh parsley before serving.1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
Video
Notes
Once cooked, cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, then reheat, on a baking tray at 200C/400F for 18-20 minutes, until piping hot and crisp.
I like to cover with foil for the first 10 minutes (to prevent them going too dark), then uncover for the last 10 minutes to crisp up. The potatoes shouldn’t go grey if you’re making the whole recipe ahead, as the oil and seasoning helps to act as a barrier against oxidisation (be sure to brush thoroughly in oil though). Ingredient swaps:
- Swap the paprika for curry powder and serve the potatoes topped with fresh coriander and some mango chutney for dipping.
- Serve the potatoes topped with lemon zest and crumbled feta for a fab BBQ side dish.
- Add crispy bacon and a drizzle of BBQ sauce for a meaty version.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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thank you, iv made these in the past but they always come out hard in the middle. i see now that i should boil first, as iv tried that as well but must have over boiled because they were to soft, i see you say to bring to boil and then simmer,
What garlic-free seasoning can you swap for the garlic salt?
My new favourite way of cooking potatoes😋
Just wanted to let you know that I’ve just made these for the third time for my family and they absolutely love them!