Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Get ready to be obsessed with these Crispy Smashed Potatoes! They’re like french fries and mashed potatoes combined, but with less calories.

I admit that I’m not always great about side dishes. Most of the time, I’m heating up some rice or pasta along with a steamed veggie, and that’s about it. Side dishes tend to be an after thought, but I’m trying to be more creative about them. I’m realizing that a fun side dish can really liven up a meal.

So hello Crispy Smashed Potatoes! Y’all, these are SO GOOD. Like, addicting good. Think of the crispiness of a french fry with the creaminess of mashed potatoes. And they’re cheap to make with ingredients you might already have around.

The magic isn’t necessarily in the ingredients: potatoes, salt, and butter are nothing new. But the technique really take these from regular roasted potatoes to mind-blowing potatoes.

Technically, you can make this recipe with any kind of small potato. I prefer yellow/gold potatoes because they have a creamier texture than red or other varieties of small potato. By all means, try it with whatever you like, just know that other varieties might not be as creamy.

All told, the recipe takes about an hour to make. I know that seems like a lot, but most of that is hands-off time: boiling, air-drying, baking. It’s actually super easy!

The first technique that helps make these potatoes more than just a bland side dish is seasoning them in the boiling water. 2 tablespoons of salt might seem like a lot, but that goes for the entire pot of water, and of course most of it drains away. This seasons the potatoes from the inside out.

The second step is letting the potatoes air dry for about 5 minutes, to ensure that all the water has evaporated. You want them to be completely dry and somewhat cool before you smash them.

I use the bottom of a cup to push the potatoes down, but you could use a potatoe masher or fork if you want. Just make sure you don’t smash down too hard, just enough to break the skins slightly and flatten.

At this point, you’ll brush those potatoes with some garlic butter. I just put the butter and garlic in a small bowl and microwave for about 30 seconds. This infuses the butter with some garlic flavor.

I made the mistake of topping the potatoes with the garlic AND the butter, but the garlic burned. So make sure that as you brush the tops of the potatoes with the butter, you avoid the garlic pieces. I guess you could just use garlic powder, but I like the pungent flavor of the fresh garlic.

That’s it! Let them get all crunchy and delicious in the oven while you figure out the rest of dinner. May I suggest Tuscan Garlic Chicken or Creamy Mushroom Parmesan Chicken?

Not that I think these will last long in your house, but if you do find yourself with some leftovers, these reheat really well in an air fryer! If you don’t have one, just put them back in the oven at the same temp for about 5 minutes to reheat and crisp up again.

I’d love to hear from you if you make this recipe! It makes my day when you share your pics on Instagram and tag me (@litecravings). Don’t forget to use #litecravingsrecipes to make sure I see it. If I don’t get a chance to scroll through my tags quickly enough, I won’t see your post. I always make a point to look through the hashtags, though, so I’ll see it there.