The Step-By-Step Guide to Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Herby, crispy smashed potatoes are par boiled potates, that are smashed on a baking sheet, then brushed with butter and baked until crispy.

Try these potatoes once, and before you know it you'll be replacing french fries on your dinner menus.

Smashing potatoes may seem time consuming, but only a few minutes of active cooking time is needed to make and smash these perfectly crispy, delicious potatoes.

Smashed potatoes, smushed potates, squashed potatoes, whatever you call these crispy baked potatoes, they're a wonderful potato side dish, especially when entertaining.

All you have to do is boil your spuds, squish your spuds, drizzle them in butter and bake. That's all there is to it.

Well, not quite all. If it was that easy there would be no need for my tutorial on how to make the best crispiest smashed potatoes around.

We Irish love our spuds and these baked, smashed potatoes get a true Irish seal of spud cooking approval from my family.

Here's my spud cooking tutorial, with step-by-step photographic instructions.

Table of Contents

1: Sound The Alarm

Tasty crispy potatoes! That's what this recipe is all about.

Once you make these baked smashed spuds, you'll be inundated with requests to cook them again and again.

Ingredients for Smashed Potatoes

Here are the ingredients that you'll need.

• baby potatoes
• garlic cloves (peeled and kept whole)
• salted butter
• chopped fresh rosemary
• chopped fresh parsley
• salt
• pepper
• grated parmesan cheese

You can substitute cheddar cheese for the Parmesan and use it to garnish the potatoes at the end.

Remember to melt the cheddar for a few minutes under the broiler before serving.

2: Prep The Spuds

This cooking technique can be used on any sized potato, but I recommend choosing fairly small potatoes. I like to use potatoes that are about the size of a golf ball, so I recommend using baby potatoes.

Any size potato will work, but my rule is to stick with a spud that is smaller than a tennis ball.

Yukon golds work great for this recipe. Russets do too, but they tend to be a little big. I ususally choose baby potatoes - those small prewashed potatoes that are easy to find in the grocery store.

Red potatoes turn out beautifully when cooked according to this potato recipe.

3: Prep The Pot (Boil)

I like to boil the potatoes with some peeled garlic cloves to infuse flavor into the potato skins.

Place the potatoes in a large pot of lightly salted water with the garlic cloves.

Bring it to the boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, and simmer the potatoes until they are just beginning to get tender.

Be careful not to over boil the potatoes, since they will finish cooking in the oven.

4: Time to Smash (Crush And Coat)

Now it's time to reveal the inside of the potatoes, and have a little fun.

Drain the parboiled potatoes. Don't throw the garlic cloves away. We're going to use them for our butter sauce.

Line the potatoes up on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper - this helps to prevent your spuds from sticking and makes clean up a whizz.

Use the back of a spoon to smush the spuds. Don't press too hard, since you don't want them to fall apart completely.

One thing I love about this recipe is that you can boil the potatoes in their skins the night before, store them in the fridge, and then when you're ready for dinner line them up to smash and dress them.

To tell you the truth I always cook extra potatoes whenever I put a pot of spuds on to boil. It's an Irish thing to always have cooked spuds ready to go.

This way, I'm always ready to toss together some fried potatoes or smashed potatoes in double quick time.

5: Make a Butter Glaze

Next it's time to add some butter and herbs to take these little spuds to the next level altogether.

First of all, you need to mash the reserved garlic cloves that were boiled up with the potatoes.

Next melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the chopped rosemary and parsley.

If you like your herbs to be finely chopped, then be all means chop away to your hearts content. I like to leave a little extra bite in my rosemary.

Toss in the mashed garlic and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Some cooks just use olive oil sprinkled with dried spices like paprika and garlic powder, to liven up their smashed potatoes. But I like to cook them the good old Irish way, with a melted butter and fresh herb glaze. Simply scrumptious!

6: Brush The Spuds With Butter And Herbs

Now, you're ready to glaze your spuds with buttery goodness.

Take a kitchen brush, dip it into the butter and spread the butter and herbs all over the smashed potatoes.

Use a spoon to help spread the herbs and melted butter all over the top of the smushed potoates.

7: Bake Until Crispy

It's time to crisp up your smashed potatoes by roasting them. Pop the baking sheet into the pre-heated oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until crispy.

The oven is preheated to 425 degrees so it is good and hot to help crisp up the spuds.

This is the step that creates that soft tender insides, like french fries, but with a more crispy, rustic and interesting texture on the outside.

8: Sprinkle Parmesan Cheese

Just before serving I like to sprinkle the top of my smashed potatoes with grated parmesan cheese.

For a truly Irish version you could use cheddar cheese. Either way their delicious - simple rustic potatoes for a lovely taste of Ireland.

9: Delicious Crispy Smashed Potatoes!

These smashed potatoes truly are as easy as this tutorial demonstrates. Deliciously fluffy on the inside, the underside and top surface are ultra crispy.

Don't smash them flat. Nothing neat about smashed potatoes. You want those cracks and ridges on the surface to create that crispy crunch that's the hallmark of the best smashed potatoes ever.

Recipe Card for Smashed Potatoes

Here's the printable recipe.

If you're a potato fan, like me, then I think you're going to love these smashed potatoes.

Here are some other side dishes you might enjoy...

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts

Foil Packet Potatoes

Spiced Red Cabbage

Sweet Potato Side Dishes

Thanks for following my recipes and ramblings.