CRISPY SMASHED POTATOES

Crispy smashed potatoes drizzled with a tangy lemon-parsley dressing. Easy, golden, irresistible — the ultimate comfort side!

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Crispy smashed potatoes with chimichurri, topped with flaky salt and herbs

Crispy smashed potatoes drizzled with a tangy lemon-parsley dressing. Easy, golden, irresistible — the ultimate comfort side!

Hello friends and newcomers, Rita here!

I think we can all agree on one thing: no one, and I mean no one, would ever turn down a serving of crispy smashed potatoes. Right? RIGHT?! How the simplest, most humble of ingredients — a potato — can transform into a golden, crunchy, savoury beauty never fails to flabber all my ghasts. From modest spud to irresistible mouthful. Talk about a glow-up!

There isn’t a household in Portugal where potatoes like these haven’t often graced the dining table. We call them, quite literally, “punched” potatoes. We boil them until tender, smash (ahem, punch) them open to create those lovely cracks and crevices, drench them in olive oil and sea salt, and roast them until golden and crispy in all the right places.

To step things up a notch, we whip up a simple dressing that makes them even more delicious — with olive oil, lemon juice, minced shallot and garlic, and a handful of chopped parsley. The acidity and freshness of this dressing made our taste buds spark like fireworks (remember Remy from Ratatouille? Kind of like that!), and by the end of recipe testing and shooting, our brain chemistry was forever altered. “Must. Have. Dressing.” Do not skip it!

If you’re anything like me, potatoes cooked in different ways occupy about five of my top ten foods of all time. Check out our 4-Spice Hasselback Potatoes for another glorious take on this staple ingredient. Not that you need to choose — just have ALL the potatoes! But let us know in the comments which of these two recipes is your favourite. Or better yet: is there another potato method you’d like us to tackle? We’re all ears!

Boiled baby potatoes on a baking tray, lightly smashed and drizzled with olive oil

Smashed baby potatoes in progress, using a glass for pressing

Oven-roasted smashed potatoes, crispy and golden

Close-up of golden roasted potatoes with green herb sauce and olive oil

Rustic smashed potatoes topped with vibrant green herb sauce

Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Potatoes

1 kg medium-sized new potatoes
water
sea salt
extra virgin olive oil

Dressing

Juice of ½ lemon
125 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, very finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
½ tsp fleur de sel
¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

Start by gathering, preparing and measuring all of the ingredients. This will improve your dynamic in the kitchen.

Preheat your oven to 190ºC (375ºF).
Prepare the dressing: combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Gently wash the new potatoes and check that they’re all roughly the same size. Cut any larger ones in half to ensure even cooking.
Place the potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water, and add a generous pinch of sea salt (about 1 scant tablespoon).
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium–high and cook until the potatoes are fully tender — about 20 minutes, depending on their size.
Drain the water and transfer the potatoes to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil.
To smash the potatoes, coat the bottom of a glass with a bit of olive oil and press down on each one until it flattens slightly — you want a cracked, craggy surface but the potatoes should still hold together.
Drizzle with a little more olive oil, making sure it gets into all those lovely cracks and crevices, and sprinkle with sea salt.
Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until crispy and golden. Flip the potatoes about two-thirds of the way through to ensure even crisping on both sides.
Drizzle the dressing over the potatoes and enjoy!