I’ve made these enough times to know the crisp is decided before the pan goes in the oven. Two things do it: how rough you leave the tops and what pan they go on.
Get those right and you get a little potato with a crunchy edge all the way around, a soft middle and the skin still on. Whole potatoes, despite what the name suggests. Miss them and it comes out soft the whole way through, more like a small baked potato.
Read Before You Start
If you want to make these smashed potatoes ahead of time, I’d recommend boiling the potatoes the day before you put them in the oven.
The oven part of this recipe is quick. It’s the boiling that takes the time, and you can get that done a day early. Boil the potatoes, drain them, and keep them covered in the fridge.
Before you smash them, leave the boiled potatoes on the counter until they come to room temperature. Cold potatoes will likely break into more pieces instead of spreading.
You Can Work With The Potatoes You Have
I buy the smallest baby Yukon golds or any yellow mini potatoes I can find. I also look for a bag where they’re all about the same size.
If the store is out of yellow mini potatoes, red mini potatoes smash the same and crisp the same. The color comes out duller than a gold potato, and that’s the only difference you’ll notice once they’re on the table.
Big potatoes work too, but cut them up before they go in the water. Quarter them, boil the pieces until they’re tender, then smash them cut side down. They won’t sit in tidy rounds on the pan and the edges come out messier, which is fine.
Put Them Straight On The Pan
Oil against hot metal is what makes the bottom crisp. Each potato sits in it and fries there while the top roasts.
Put anything between the potato and the metal and you lose that. Parchment and foil both trap steam underneath, and what you get instead is a potato that’s cooked and seasoned and soft on the bottom.
Leave The Tops Bumpy
When you smash a potato, you get a thin outer rim and a “torn-up” surface on top. You want those tears and ridges. They’re what will crisp up.
Butter pools in the rough spots and they darken first, so the more bumps and torn edges you leave, the more crisp edge you end up with. A potato pressed smooth won’t give you the same effect.
I use a potato masher but a measuring cup, drinking glass or even a small skillet all work. If the potato starts to stick to the masher, I just brush a little oil or nonstick spray on it.
How To Tell When They Are Done
Open the oven at the early end and look at them. You want the thin edges dark brown and the flat parts still lighter. That’s what done looks like.
Dark edges are what you came for, so don’t rescue them early. The thin bits go dark well before anything is actually burning.
I don’t brush more butter on after they come out because it soaks straight in.
What To Serve Them With
These go with anything off the grill or out of a skillet. Steak, pork chops, chicken thighs, a roast sitting on the counter while the potatoes finish.
Reheating Leftovers
Leftovers won’t be crispy the next day. The potatoes are still good, but the outside softens up in the fridge.
I use a skillet to bring them back. Heat it over medium, lay the potatoes in flat side down, and let them sit a few minutes without moving them. You don’t need to add oil because there’s still butter on them.
They won’t be as crispy as they were the first day, but they get close, and it’s quicker than heating the whole oven for a few potatoes.
More Crispy Potato Recipes
- Baked Potato Skins are the other crispy potato you eat with your hands and a bowl of dip.
- Loaded Crack Potatoes start with frozen hash browns and feed a crowd with no boiling and no smashing.
- Air Fryer Potato Wedges go in raw, so there is no boiling and no oven to wait on.
Crispy Smashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds baby Yukon gold or other yellow potatoes (24-ounce bag)
- 3 teaspoons salt, divided (2 teaspoons for the boiling water and 1 teaspoon for the seasoning mix)
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided (2 tablespoons for the butter mixture and 2 tablespoons for each of the 2 baking sheets)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Garnish
- Fresh parsley, finely chopped
- Flaky sea salt (Maldon or fleur de sel)
Instructions
- Put the baby Yukon gold or other yellow potatoes in a large pot with 2 teaspoons of the salt. Add cold water until the potatoes are covered by at least 1 inch.
- Set the pot over medium-high heat and bring it up to a boil. Boil the potatoes 20 to 25 minutes, until a fork slides into one with no resistance.
- While the pot works, heat the oven to 400°F. Brush 2 tablespoons of the olive oil across each of 2 large baking sheets, corner to corner, so no bare spots are left.
- Set a colander in the sink and drain the potatoes into it. Give them 3 to 4 minutes, long enough to handle but still warm. Warm potatoes flatten without tearing.
- Move 6 to 9 potatoes onto each oiled sheet, depending on their size, leaving at least 2 inches of space around every one.
- Press each potato flat on the sheet with a potato masher or a large fork, pushing straight down with steady pressure. Leave the smashed potatoes alone for another 3 to 4 minutes so the steam works its way out, which is what lets them crisp in the oven.
- Stir the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the melted butter together in a small bowl.
- In a second small bowl, mix the remaining 1 teaspoon salt with the garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper.
- Spoon the butter mixture over the potatoes, dividing it evenly between the two sheets so every potato gets a share, and spread it to the edges with the back of the spoon.
- Divide the seasoning mix evenly among the potatoes, about ⅛ teaspoon on each.
- Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges have gone deep brown and the surfaces are crisp. Let the pans sit 3 to 4 minutes, then finish with flaky sea salt and chopped parsley.
- Serve them warm, straight from the pan or piled onto a platter.
Notes
- Baby Yukon golds sit between a starchy russet and a waxy red potato, which is why they flatten without falling apart and still go soft inside.
- If all you have is red baby potatoes, you should check out my recipe for Smashed Red Potatoes.
- If all you have on hand are russet potatoes, Crispy Fried Potatoes are the skillet version, and they are what I use the russets for.
- Bag sizes vary by brand and by batch. Look for potatoes that run about 2 inches across.
Nutrition
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