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How To Make Smashed Potatoes

I love smashed potatoes because they are easy to make and delicious. They pair well with many meals also!

In this post, I will show you how to cook smashed potatoes in a frying pan and get good crispy skin.

Fried smashed potatoes in a frying pan.

Steps to cooking smashed potatoes

Smashed potatoes are easy to make and are also great served with your morning eggs, as a lunch side, or even as a side dish for dinner.

Yellow potatoes are great for this recipe as they are small in size, have thin skin, and have a creamy inside when they are cooked. The thin skin of these potatoes helps with making these nice and crispy on the outside without overcooking the middle.

Let’s dive into the step-by-step instructions on how to make smashed potatoes.

Wash

Always wash your potatoes before you cook with them. Even if you are going to be boiling them you want to wash them before you get started.

Just a simple rinse under cold running water with a light rub over them will be enough to remove any dirt or bacteria that could be lingering from transport or from harvest.

If you are unsure if your potatoes have gone bad or not, I have you covered with my post on how to tell if potatoes are bad!

Boil

Boiling baby Yukon potatoes in a stainless steel pot.

Place your potatoes in a pot and fill them with enough water to cover your potatoes. Bring them to a boil and then add a few pinches of salt to the water.

You just want to par-boil the potatoes which will take about 10 minutes. Once you can pierce the potatoes with a fork then they are done.

Learn more on how to tell if potatoes are done in this foolproof guide.

Be sure to watch the skin of the potatoes as you don’t want to boil them to the point where the skin is cracking.

Once you can pierce them with a fork, remove them from the water and allow them to cook on the counter.

When they have cooled enough you can stick them in the fridge to help them to continue to cool off a little faster.

Smash

Smushed baby Yukon potatoes on a cutting board

Here comes the fun part! You can either use the palm of your hand or the bottom of a cup or bowl. Press down gently to smash them to about 3/4 inch.

If you go beyond that they will start to crumble and fall apart. You want the skin to crack and the inside to mush while keeping them intact also.

Fry them

Smashed potatoes in a stainless steel frying pan.

Heat up a frying pan on medium/ low heat. Once you have preheated the pan add in your olive. You want enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan.

I use extra virgin olive oil as it has a high smoke point which allows me to fry the potatoes without burning the oil and causing a lot of smoke.

Once your oil is nice and hot go ahead and add your potatoes. Place any thicker ones in the middle of the pan so that they can crisp up and cook evenly with the surrounding potatoes.

Be sure you do not overcrowd the pan. Give them a few minutes to crisp up and then check on them. Once you see that the skin is browning you will want to flip them over and brown the other side.

After both sides have had a chance to brown add in your butter and garlic. Use a spoon to drizzle the melted garlic butter over the top of the potatoes.

After about a minute you can remove them from the pan and give them a try!

These smashed potatoes will go well with my baked bone-in chicken recipe!

You can cook smashed potatoes in an air fryer and get a good crisp on them but cooking them in the frying pan allows you to get that creamy moist inside with a buttery flavor added at the end.

FAQ

No, smashed potatoes are not the same as mashed potatoes. Smashed potatoes you will parboil with the skin on, smash, and then fry them up so that they are crispy on the outside but creamy on the inside.

It is better to boil them first so that you get the creamy inside with a crispy outside. Roasting them without boiling them first tends to dry them out.

Fried smashed potatoes in a frying pan.

How to make smashed potatoes

Bob
Learn how to make buttery, creamy smashed potatoes in just a few simple steps.
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Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 168 kcal

Equipment

  • Pot with lid
  • Frying Pan
  • Cutting board
  • Cup or bowl
  • Spatula

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 lbs Baby yellow potatoes
  • 1 tbsp Olive oil
  • 1 tbsp Butter
  • 3 Garlic clove minced

Instructions
 

  • Wash potatoes under cold water
  • Add potatoes to a pot and fill it with enough water to cover the potatoes.
  • Bring to a boil and add a few pinches of salt to the water.
  • Boil for about 10 minutes or until the parboiled. You can check the doneness with a fork.
  • Drain the water and allow the potatoes to cool enough to put them in the fridge.
  • Cool in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
  • Gently press each potato on a cutting board with the palm of your hand or use a cup or bowl. Press down smushing them to about 3/4 inch thickness.
  • Preheat the frying pan and then add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
  • Add the potatoes to the pan and let the skin brown up before flipping them to brown the other side.
  • Once both sides are browned, add a tablespoon of unsalted butter and chopped garlic to the pan.
  • Move the potatoes around the garlic butter and baste the potatoes.
  • Remove from the pan, let rest for a minute, and ENJOY!

Nutrition

Serving: 4gCalories: 168kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 4gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0.4mgSodium: 15mgPotassium: 730mgFiber: 4gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 10IUVitamin C: 34mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 1mg
Keyword crispy smashed potatoes, How to make smashed potatoes, Smashed potatoes recipe
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