These beautifully seasoned crispy smashed potatoes are a side dish with a bit of a difference. Easy to prepare (no peeling needed!) we’re taking baby new potatoes to a whole new level. They’re lovely and fluffy on the inside with lots of crispy, crunchy edges.

A fork digging into a big tray of crispy smashed potatoes
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One of my favourite ways to whip up a really tasty potato side dish – with minimal effort.

No need to go to the effort of peeling and slicing potatoes – just bung a load of potatoes in a pan and boil until tender, then transfer to a tin, give them a quick smash with a spoon and drizzle in oil. Sprinkle with seasoning and spices, and let them crisp up in the oven.

These potato ALWAYS go down a storm.
I made them as a side dish lots many times over the past several weeks, when I’ve been testing steak and steak sauces, and they all get eaten, EVERY TIME.

Easy to prepare and far too easy to eat. Smashing them once boiled, turns all those ridges and knobbly bits into crispy, crunchy, tasty little mouthfuls of deliciousness that are great as a side to most dishes.

📋 What do we need?

A wooden table with all of the ingredients for smashed potatoes laid out separately
  • Baby New Potatoes Any baby white potatoes or fingerlings will work
  • Oil We used sunflower oil but you can use vegetable or olive oil, or any other flavourless oil that can be used for roasting.

📺 Watch how to make them

Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.

  1. Boil the potatoes in a large pan of water, until tender, then drain.
  2. Place the potatoes on a baking tray and squash each one down with the back of a spoon then sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic salt.
  3. Brush with oil, then roast for 20 -25 minutes until crispy and golden.
  4. Top with a little parsley before serving.
A tray of crispy smashed potatoes sprinkled with parsley

👩‍🍳PRO TIP Don’t be afraid of giving the potatoes a good squash. It doesn’t matter if they fall apart a bit – in fact the more they fall apart, the more crispy bits you get!

A plate of crispy smashed potatoes with a fork digging into a potato

🍽️ What to serve them with


They’d also be great on Bonfire night, served up with a big sausage casserole or chilli con carne


🍲 More fantastic Potato side dishes

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5 from 5 votes

Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Crispy smashed potatoes make a great side dish, Easy to prepare, they're lovely and fluffy on the inside with lots of crispy, crunchy edges.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: side dish
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp sunflower oil
  • kg (1.5 lbs) baby white potatoes or fingerlings, larger ones chopped in half
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
  • ¼ tsp garlic salt
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
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Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 200C/400F (fan).
  • Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender (a knife should easily go through them). Drain in a colander.
    2/3 kg (1.5 lbs) baby white potatoes
  • Brush a large metal baking tray with 1 tbsp of the sunflower oil.
    3 tbsp sunflower oil
  • Place the potatoes on the prepared baking tray, then squash each one down with a potato masher or the back of a spoon. Don't worry if some of them break apart – that means more crispy bits!
  • Sprinkle the salt, pepper, garlic salt, and paprika onto the potatoes.
    ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp freshly ground pepper, ¼ tsp garlic salt, ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • Brush the remaining 2 tbsp of oil on the potatoes and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes – until the potatoes are crispy and golden.
  • Take the potatoes out of the oven and sprinkle with a little fresh parsley before serving.
    1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

Video

Notes

Can I make them ahead?
Partial make-ahead:
You can boil the potatoes ahead of time, then cool and refrigerate until ready to finish off in the oven.
 A note on Oxidisation:
DON’T squash the potatoes or break the skin though. The skin acts as a barrier, and will ensure your potatoes don’t turn grey (sometimes potatoes turn grey after boiling due to an oxidisation process when the potato flesh is exposed to air. This can be prevented by keeping the skin on).
Full make-ahead:
Alternatively, you can make the whole recipe – including smashing, brushing with oil, seasoning and roasting – ahead.
Once cooked, cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, then reheat, on a  baking tray at 200C/400F for 18-20 minutes, until piping hot and crisp.
I like to cover with foil for the first 10 minutes (to prevent them going too dark), then uncover for the last 10 minutes to crisp up.
The potatoes shouldn’t go grey if you’re making the whole recipe ahead, as the oil and seasoning helps to act as a barrier against oxidisation (be sure to brush thoroughly in oil though).
Ingredient swaps:
  • Swap the paprika for curry powder and serve the potatoes topped with fresh coriander and some mango chutney for dipping.
  • Serve the potatoes topped with lemon zest and crumbled feta for a fab BBQ side dish.
  • Add crispy bacon and a drizzle of BBQ sauce for a meaty version.
Nutritional information is approx. per serving (this recipe serves 4).

Nutrition

Calories: 225kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 447mg | Potassium: 728mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 151IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.

Welcome to Kitchen Sanctuary

Hi, I'm Nicky and I love to cook! I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

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Comments

  1. Madeline says:

    5 stars
    So very tasty and a nice change

  2. Lynn Morgan says:

    5 stars
    This is a great (and flexible) recipe, thank you. Ideal for now when we are getting the new potatoes arriving in stores too. I’ve made them twice in a week now to rave reviews!

  3. Michael-paul says:

    5 stars
    thank you, iv made these in the past but they always come out hard in the middle. i see now that i should boil first, as iv tried that as well but must have over boiled because they were to soft, i see you say to bring to boil and then simmer,

  4. Miriam says:

    What garlic-free seasoning can you swap for the garlic salt?

  5. Steve says:

    5 stars
    My new favourite way of cooking potatoes😋

  6. Corina Blum says:

    5 stars
    Just wanted to let you know that I’ve just made these for the third time for my family and they absolutely love them!