Make a delicious and convenient meal for your family tonight with potatoes! And these delicious Smashed Potatoes are a good starting point.
Thank you Potatoes USA for sponsoring this post.
We’ve been doing potatoes all wrong. We boil them, we bake them, or we fry them. We pick one method of cooking and call it a day. But what if the key to the most amazing potatoes of your LIFE was in not one, but TWO cooking methods? (Hint: it is).
Today we’re using boiling AND baking to create the perfect potato side dish. Here’s how things will go for these Smashed Potatoes: boil potatoes, smash flat, bake til crispy, EAT. Going this route gives you potatoes that are tender on the inside but crispy and golden on the outside (plus it’s so easy and doesn’t require many ingredients!)
But before any of this deliciousness even kicks off, you’re gonna need to get yourself some potatoes.
For this recipe, I love using petite potatoes. This variety of potato is smaller than your average potato. It has similar color and texture as it’s big brother, but the flavors are more intense. Because of their size, they’re perfect for keeping on hand in your pantry to bake up as a side dish, throw into pasta (or in place of pasta), or cook into these delicious Smashed Potatoes!
You can find all sorts of useful potato variety info over on the Potatoes USA website or Facebook Page.
Ingredients
Smashed Potatoes
- 1 ½ lbs petite potatoes 680 g
- 1 Tbsp olive oil 15 mL
- ¼ tsp each salt and pepper
Avocado Pesto
- 1 avocado
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves large stems removed, 30g
- ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese 25 g
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice 15 mL
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 30 mL
- Pinch each salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Smashed Potatoes
- Boil: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the potatoes. Boil for 10 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender.
- Smash: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (232 C). Strain potatoes then set on a large parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Use a spatula or the bottom of a glass to firmly smash each potato so it is flattened (it’s okay if this is messy!). If your potatoes fall apart when you smash them, try smashing faster and with more force, using the bottom of a glass (or boil for a few minutes longer if too firm still).
- Bake: Drizzle potatoes with olive oil, brushing it in so that each potato is evenly covered. Sprinkle with salt and pepper then bake for 20 minutes, or until outsides are golden brown and crispy.
- Blend: While potatoes bake, make the Avocado Pesto. To a blender or food processor add avocado, basil, parmesan, garlic, and lemon juice. Blitz until smooth, then with the blender/processor running, pour in the olive oil. Add a touch of water if needed to reach a thick pourable sauce consistency, then season with salt and pepper to suit your taste. Serve over warm smashed potatoes.
Namita says
Made these and they were so easy! They turned out perfectly. Made a bunch of extra avo pesto and froze it 🙂
Sarah says
So happy to hear, Namita! And frozen pesto is the best for quick flavor! 😀
Roberto Sommella says
that was amazing. it will be my fav for the summer
Sarah says
Yay! So happy to hear it, Roberto! 😀
Bert Bauer says
Wow such great innovative recipe for some one usually turns up their geriatric nose to anything vegetarian. Well done Thanks