Smashed Potatoes

These smashed potatoes are both crispy and creamy, and full of flavor. They are the perfect side dish for roasts or steaks. 

It is made with baby potatoes that are first roasted in a small amount of water, and then coated in olive oil, "smashed," brushed with more oil, seasoned, and then roasted again. We served these with beef tenderloin. Let's just say, I had a hard time sharing.

This recipe serves two to three, but can easily be doubled by using a half sheet pan. I used a quarter sheet pan so I could roast the potatoes in the toaster oven while the tenderloin roasted in the oven.

The potatoes are creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside. 

Smashed Potatoes

Ingredients

1 pound of white or red baby potatoes. I used "California Gold" potatoes. The potatoes should be no larger than two inches in diameter.

6 T water

4 T of extra virgin olive oil

Kosher or sea salt

Fresh ground pepper

Chopped fresh thyme, rosemary, or chives, or a combination

Freshly grated parmesan cheese to taste

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.
• Scrub the potatoes and place them on a quarter sheet pan (a 9 by 13 inch cake pan would work here too).
• Add the water and cover tightly with foil.
• Bake for 30 minutes, until a sharp knife can be easily inserted and removed.
• Remove from the oven, uncover, and let sit for ten minutes.
• Dry the pan and the potatoes, add half of the oil to the pan, and toss the potatoes in the oil.
• Smash each potato down with a potato masher, rotating the masher a quarter turn once, until the potatoes are about 1/2 inch thick. If you have a second quarter sheet pan, you can place it on top of the potatoes and smash them all at once.
• Brush the tops of the potatoes with the rest of the oil.

• Sprinkle with the salt, pepper, herbs, and parmesan.

• Roast uncovered in a 450 degree F oven for 30 minutes, until golden brown and crispy on the outside, but still soft on the inside.
• Serve hot

Make ahead tip: You can make these the day you are serving them (e.g. in the afternoon of an evening dinner party), cover them, and then rewarm them uncovered in your 350 degree F oven for about 10 minutes while your roast rests.

While I changed the recipe somewhat, I found the following two techniques from the November, 2010 issue of Cook's Illustrated. The first technique was roasting the potatoes in a small amount of water rather than boiling them. The second technique was placing one pan on top of the other to smash the potatoes, which is what I did. A potato masher works just fine if you don't have a second pan.