Smashed Red Potatoes are the easiest potato side dish recipe ever! And if that’s not enough, they’re extra crispy and buttery on the outside, and fluffy on the inside!
Smashed potatoes are amazing as an appetizer or served with almost any main dish!
FAST! EASY! INSANELY ADDICTING!
I’m in LOVE with French fries! But, I don’t live near fast-food and sometimes I’m just too lazy to make my own fries.
Crispy smashed potatoes are the answer! They satisfy my fries cravings without making a mess with oil, or driving 60 miles to buy them.
I seriously can’t wait for you to try them! If you decide to make them as a finger food for a party, make lots because they will go fast!
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- Quick and easy! This recipe takes about minutes of hands-on time.
- Simple ingredients are all you’ll need for this recipe. I bet you already have most of them on hand.
- Make-ahead Boil the potatoes, smash them and drizzle them with butter and olive oil, season, refrigerate, then bake later.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED:
3 ingredients + salt and pepper! That’s it!
- Potatoes: Use little potatoes, about the size of a golf ball. My favorite is baby red potatoes because the skin is soft and thin. You can also use fingerlings or any small potatoes really.
- Butter: This gives the potatoes the BEST flavor
- Olive Oil: Helps the potatoes to get crispy without burning.
- Seasonings: Salt and pepper. Garlic salt and onion salt are optional if you want more flavor.
Little Dairy on the Prairie Pro Tip: I’ve used potatoes the size of a lime before and they work too. Smash them flatter for a crispier potato, smash them a little less for a potato that’s a bit more like a baked potato.
HOW TO MAKE SMASHED POTATOES
Easy!
Three steps! Boil. Smash. Butter. Bake.
STEP 1: Boil Potatoes. I like to use the instant pot but stove-top is fine too.
STEP 2: Smash with potato smasher or fork.
STEP 3: Brush with butter/olive oil mixture. Season.
STEP 4: Bake for about 20 minutes. Or until they’re roasted and crispy!
Little Dairy on the Prairie Pro Tip: To give them a nice garlic butter flavor you can use my Garlic Butter Recipe in place of the plain butter in this recipe. Or you can smash garlic into a paste and add it to the melted butter. Garlic burns easily so you don’t want chunks of it!
RECIPE FAQs
Smashed potatoes are whole potatoes that are slightly smashed and baked until crispy. Mashed potatoes are soft and are creamy and mixed with butter, cream, etc.
The most important thing is that the potatoes are small. About the size of a golf ball. Red, Yukon gold, and fingerling are all great options.
HOW TO SERVE CRUSHED POTATOES
This really is the BEST potato side dish recipe!
It literally goes with almost any kind of meat. Serve them with BBQ Pork Chops, Slow Cooker Cube Steaks, Citrus Grilled Chicken, Skillet Filet Mignon, Hawaiin Burgers, and Slow Cooker Roast Beef.
They also make an addicting snack or an easy party appetizer.
TIPS FOR SERVING SMASHED RED POTATOES
- Make sure they’re HOT!
- Load them top them with bacon, cheese, and sour cream.
- Sprinkle fresh herbs over them. Parmesan is great too!
- Serve them with ranch dressing, Chipotle Ranch Dip, Dilly Dip, or sour cream. Some people love them with ketchup or marinara sauce. I’m a ranch kind of a girl!
OTHER POTATO RECIPES
- Parmesan Baked Potato Chips – so easy and delicious
- Cheesy Mashed Potatoes – make-ahead recipe
- Healthy Potato Salad – made with Greek yogurt
- Ham and Potato Soup – best leftover ham recipe
- Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole – perfect make-ahead holiday breakfast
- Other Easy Side Dish Recipes
I love it when you make my recipes and give me feedback! If you have a minute please comment below and leave a star ranking! Also, be sure to follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook!
Crispy Smashed Red Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds red potatoes The size of a golf ball
- 3 Tablespoon butter
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Pressure Cooker: Add cleaned and unpeeled potatoes to the pressure cooker. Add 1 cup water. Set valve to seal. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.Stove-top: Add cleaned, unpeeled potatoes to a pot. Cover with water. Bring water to a boil. Turn heat down to medium-high. Boil for 10 minutes or until fork-tender. Cooking times may vary a little depending on the variety and size of potatoes. This is a good average! Just make sure they are fork-tender.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Spray a half sheet baking pan with nonstick baking spray. For easier cleanup the pan can be lined with aluminum foil first, then spray the foil.
- Remove potatoes from the pressure cooker and drain. Let sit for a minute until they are dry. Smash potatoes with a potato masher or a large fork. I usually smash them until they are about 1/2 inch thick. The flatter and thinner the potato the crispier it will be.
- Melt butter. Add olive oil. Generously brush on top of potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden and cripsy.
- Serve exactly as they are or, garnish potatoes if you would like. See notes below.
Notes
- Loaded: Add fried and crumbled bacon, scallions, and cheddar cheese during the last minute of baking.
- Parmesan: Add grated parmesan cheese and rosemary during the last minute of baking.
- Garlic Butter: Add garlic paste, or 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, to the melted butter and olive oil.
- Herbs: Any fresh herbs will give them a fun pop of color and flavor.
- Baby red potatoes
- Fingerling potatoes
- Small Yukon Gold
Love the green plate, it is to pretty with the potatoes.
I am a farm girl, and I have a lot of memories about working in the potato fields. From seeing the trucks of potato seed delivered to the farm and riding on the seat of the planter in the spring, to pulling weeds in the summer, to picking mud clods off the harvester as the spuds moved up the belt and into the trucks in the fall.
I wish everyone in America could experience raising fields and fields of potatoes, you know, the law of the harvest.
Needless to say, I grew up eating a lot of potatoes, and to this day, they have a very special place in my heart. I could eat them three times a day as well, and I prefer them over rice or pasta.
What a slick and easy way to make a loaded baked potato. I agree, simple enough for everyday, but pretty enough for company. I like that.
Mom
This looks like a simple, tasty recipe! Thank you for sharing! I don’t see, however, the amount of olive oil to use in the ingredients list. Could you please let me know how much you typically use?
I’m so glad you noticed that! I’m not sure why but the recipe card didn’t update with the correct amount of butter and omitted the olive oil. It’s fixed now. You’ll need 3 Tablespoons of butter and 1 Tablespoon of olive oil! I know you’re going to love them!
Wonderful! Thanks so much, Amy! 😀
You can’t beat potatoes!
Great idea. Trying them tonight. Thanks for the easy recipe.
You’re going to love them! They’re so easy and tasty!
Microwaved my potatoes for 5 minutes in covered dish with a little water, drained and smashed.
That’s a great idea! I love using my pressure cooker for boiling potatoes so I always forget to use the microwave!
These were amazing! I added some ranch powder on top of the butter/oil mixture and then sprinkled cheddar cheese over that, and topped it off with green onions. This will be my new go-to potato recipe. Thank you so much!!!
That sounds amazing! Ranch and potatoes are perfect together! I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Hi Amy, I love the recipe! Wonder if they can be frozen?
I’m so glad you love them! They are such a fun side dish! I’ve never tried freezing them before. If I did, I think I’d smash the potatoes, then freeze them on a cookie sheet, remove to an airtight container. Thaw the smashed potatoes in the fridge. Then brush with melted butter and cook them just before serving so they’d be nice and crispy. Or you could try baking them, freezing. Then thawing and broiling for a few minutes to crisp them up just before serving. Let me know if you try it. It’s always handy to have a headstart on meals.