Let me introduce your new favorite side dish, my Crispy Smashed Potatoes recipe. These twice-cooked potatoes are first boiled until tender. Then they’re crushed and brushed with olive oil and fresh herbs followed by baking in a hot oven until the edges are crispy and golden brown.
Coming up with interesting side dishes is always the hardest part of planning a meal, isn’t it? I mean, really, you can only eat so many canned green beans.
Well, how about something completely different? These Crispy Smashed Potatoes are the perfect combination of crunchy, crispy, and just plain yummy. I might have eaten one (ok, two) straight out of the oven.
These lovelies are everything you want from a potato. A crunchy exterior with perfect creaminess on the inside. They’re a huge step up from French fries and plain baked potatoes. Give them a try alongside my marinated pork loin, butter roasted chicken, or the perfect grilled ribeye steak.
— This post was originally published on October 24, 2021. It has been updated with new photos and additional information.
Recipe Snapshot
Cuisine: American
Cooking Method: Oven and Stovetop
Total Time: 40 Minutes
Servings: 8
Primary Ingredient(s): Red potatoes, olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper
Skill Level: Easy
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING …
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Love smashed potatoes. They can be used at a casual or formal dinner. Tasty, so very tasty!”
— Mary Stepleton-Hitt
What Makes This Recipe Special
These potatoes deliver the best of both worlds. Boiling makes them tender all the way through, and smashing them before baking creates plenty of surface area for crisp, golden edges.
A generous brushing of olive oil and fresh rosemary gives them lots of flavor. The result is potatoes that are creamy inside, crisp outside, and sturdy enough to hold their own with anything from roast chicken to grilled steak.
They’re simple, dependable, and far more interesting than the usual baked or mashed version.
Ingredient Notes
This post contains affiliate links. Lana’s Cooking is reader-supported and earns a tiny commission at no extra cost to you when you shop from our links.
- Small Red Potatoes — Use any kind of small potato that you like. I typically use red-skinned potatoes because they’re inexpensive and always available. However, tiny golden potatoes are a good choice as well.
- Olive Oil — Pick a good, flavorful extra virgin olive oil since its taste is prominent in the finished recipe.
- Fresh Rosemary — My herb of choice for this recipe. Any fresh herbs that you like may be used.
The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Crispy Smashed Potatoes
- Place the potatoes in a large pot with salted water and bring them to a boil. Cook until fork tender. Remove from heat and drain.
- Generously drizzle olive oil on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Pro Tip
Line the baking pan is optional, but it does makes clean up easier. If you have a dark baking pan and use it unlined, the potatoes will crisp up even better.
- Place cooked potatoes on the sheet pan leaving a good amount of space between them.
- Using a potato masher or the bottom of a measuring cup, gently press down on each potato until it slightly mashes.
- Brush the top of each potato generously with olive oil. Sprinkle potatoes with salt and pepper and fresh chopped rosemary.
- Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
Recipe Tips
- Line the baking sheet with either parchment paper or foil for easy cleanup.
- If you have a dark baking sheet, use it unlined to encourage even more crispiness while baking.
- Any kind of potato works for this recipe. However, starchy potatoes will have a fluffier inside and waxy potatoes are more creamy.
Recipe Variations to Try
- Use half oil and half melted butter.
- Substitute any fresh or dried herb. Thyme, oregano, basil, chives, and dill are all good choices. Dried herbs are generally substituted at 1/3 the quantity of fresh (i.e., 1 tablespoon of fresh herb is equal to 1 teaspoon of dried).
- Use oregano and add a drizzle of lemon juice after cooking.
- Use fresh or dried thyme and add crumbled bacon and shredded cheddar cheese.
- Add finely diced garlic (or garlic powder) and finish with a dusting of Parmesan cheese.
- Make a version topped with sour cream, parsley, and dill.
- Make fried smashed potatoes by cooking them in oil in a frying pan instead of in the oven.
How to Serve
Smashed potatoes are an easy side for almost any meal. Serve them with roast chicken, pork loin, or grilled steak for a classic dinner pairing.
They also make a great addition to holiday meals, pairing well with roast turkey or ham when you want something a little different from mashed potatoes. For a lighter option, serve them with a fresh green salad or simple roasted vegetables.
How to Store Leftovers
These are best served hot from the oven. However, they can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 400 until warm. Freezing is not recommended.
Questions About Crispy Smashed Potatoes
To get a head start on making crispy roasted potatoes, you can do all the preliminaries in advance. Go ahead and boil and flatten the potatoes up to 8 hours in advance. Store them on the pan in the fridge. When you’re ready to bake, let them come back to room temp, coat with oil and seasonings and bake.
You can make your potatoes in an air fryer. Place the seasoned, flattened potatoes evenly in the basket and cook for approximately 20 minutes. Depending on how large your fryer is, you may need to do them in batches.
There are two basic broad types of potatoes – starchy and waxy. Starchy potatoes are one that have a fluffy interior when cooked (russet, yukon gold, and Idaho potatoes are examples). Waxy potatoes hold their shape better and have a creamier interior when baked (red-skinned potatoes, and fingerling potatoes are good examples of waxy potatoes.)
More Popular Potato Recipes
Easy Mashed Potatoes
Lemon Dill Potato Salad
Traditional Irish Boxty (Potato Pancakes)
Crispy Roasted Potatoes
Have a question or thought to share?
If you have a question about the recipe or if you’ve made it and want to share how it turned out, I would truly enjoy hearing from you. Just scroll down to leave a comment or add your star rating.
Thank you for stopping by. It means a lot to have you here.
Do More With ChatGPT
Recipe
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox.
Crispy Smashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 pound small red potatoes or other small round potatoes
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary finely chopped
Instructions
- Place the potatoes in a large pot with salted water and bring them to a boil. Cook until fork tender. Remove from heat and drain.1 pound small red potatoes
- Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil on a foil-lined sheet pan.
- Place cooked potatoes on the sheet pan leaving a good amount of space between them.
- With a potato masher or the bottom of a cup, gently press down on each potato until it slightly mashes.
- Brush the top of each potato generously with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and fresh chopped rosemary.2 teaspoon Kosher salt, 1 teaspoon Black pepper, 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
- Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
Notes
- Line the baking sheet with either parchment paper or foil for easy cleanup.
- Best served hot from the oven. However, they can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 400 until warm. Freezing is not recommended.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
I’m Lana Stuart, an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, and lifelong cook raised deep in Southwest Georgia. I started Lana’s Cooking in 2009 to share the tried-and-true recipes I grew up with. Around here, the food is full of flavor, the traditions run deep, and there’s always room at the table.
Love smashed potatoes. They can be used at a casual or formal dinner. Tasty, so very tasty!
Yes, and so easy, right?!?