Smashed potatoes are the side dish I make most often, and the one most often praised by people who watched me make them and were unimpressed by how easy they looked. The technique relies on a small surface-area trick: boiling small potatoes makes them creamy inside, smashing them creates ridges and crags, and roasting them in a hot oven crisps every one of those edges into a chip-like shell.
The right potato
Baby potatoes — gold or red, around the size of a walnut. They cook quickly, smash neatly, and have thin enough skins to crisp without peeling. Russets and large potatoes don't work; they fall apart when you press on them.
The three steps
1. Boil until just tender
Cover the potatoes with cold salted water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 15-18 minutes. They should slide off a knife with no resistance. Drain and let them steam-dry for 2 minutes — surface moisture is the enemy of crisp.
2. Smash gently
Place the potatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced apart. Press down on each one with the bottom of a glass or a flat-bottomed measuring cup. You want them flattened to about 1/2 inch thick — held together but with rough edges. If one falls apart completely, eat it now and don't tell anyone.
3. Oil heavily, roast hot
Drizzle generously with olive oil — more than feels right. Sprinkle with flaky salt, cracked pepper, and fresh thyme or rosemary if you have it. Roast at 450°F for 25-30 minutes until the bottoms are deeply golden and the edges are crackling.
The dipping option
A bowl of garlic aioli on the side turns these from a side dish into the actual point of dinner. Just whisk a small clove of grated garlic, a squeeze of lemon, and a pinch of salt into 1/3 cup of mayonnaise. Done in 30 seconds.
What to serve them with
Anything roasted. They're the perfect partner for the lemon herb chicken from this site, but they also stand on their own as a snack with cold beer.
