Smashed Potatoes recipe is an easy take on Pioneer Woman’s popular recipe. Creamy red potatoes are crushed, drizzled with a toasted browned butter, and baked up to gloriously crispy and brown in the oven.
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Easy Smashed Potatoes Recipe
There’s good reason why smashed potato recipes are all the rage. Although these potatoes are simple and easy to make, they consistently turn out mind-blowing amazing.
Pioneer’s Woman recipe put smashed potatoes on the map, causing an explosion of recipes and names. Whether you call them crushed, smashed, crashed, pair them with garlic, herbs, cheese, oil, or browned butter, they all have one thing in common.
No one can resist this comforting, ultra crispy potato heaven side dish. Your family is guaranteed to love this recipe!
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Flavor Twists Like No Other!
First, it starts with how the red potatoes are initially cooked.
Instead of simply boiling until tender, start with boiled salt potatoes. Not familiar?
Boiled salt potatoes cook in a significantly higher salt water concentration. This makes the potatoes’ insides extremely creamy and flavors the outside skins.
Next, rather than drizzling potatoes in olive oil, this potato recipe uses an quick browned butter for extra flavor.
Both of these steps are easy to pull off, but takes crushed potatoes to a whole new level of sublime.
Let’s Make This Together!
(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)
- Smashed potatoes start with a simple boiled potato. For this recipe, I boiled the potatoes in a large pot of water until fork tender using Salt Potatoes recipe, This makes the insides ultra creamy and flavored.
- Next, simply melt the butter on the stovetop. Heat it a few minutes longer to give the butter the nutty, browned butter flavor.
- Toss the cooked potatoes with the browned butter on a rimmed baking sheet and smash the potatoes with a fork, bottom of a cup, or potato masher.
- Bake until the potatoes 15 minutes, flip, and then bake for additional 10-15 minutes. Potatoes will be crispy and golden. Season with additional salt and pepper.
Smashed Potatoes with Cheese
If you love cheese (hello, we should get along very well), then take this recipe to the next level by sprinkling your favorite melty cheese over roasted potatoes.
Wait until they are fully browned and crispy, sprinkle on your favorite cheese and then return the oven for 3-5 minutes or broil for 1-2 minutes longer.
Try it with cheddar, colby jack, parmesan cheese, mozzarella, swiss, or pepper jack. It’s all good!
Smashed Potatoes with Garlic
After butter is browned stir in 3-4 cloves of minced garlic. Drizzle the browned garlic butter (doesn’t that just sound divine?!) over the smashed red potatoes and bake until crispy heaven is reached.
Alternatively, sprinkle crispy smashed potatoes with garlic powder before baking. Season to taste after baking with salt and black pepper.
If you love garlic, try these Garlic Hasselback Potatoes!
What are the Best Potatoes To Use?
For smashed potatoes recipe use a potato with a thin skin that holds it shape while boiling.
The best medium or low-starch potatoes to use are red, gold, baby yukon, or new potatoes. Make sure they are smaller and uniformly-sized so they cook evenly and quickly.
More Ways to Prepare
- After baking, sprinkle with cheese and broil for 1-2 minutes
- After butter is browned, stir in 3-4 cloves of minced garlic.Drizzle garlic butter over crushed red potatoes and bake.
- Try Loaded Smashed Potatoes – sprinkle with cheddar cheese, chopped bacon, chives, and dollop with sour cream
- Top with pesto and mozzarella
- Salt and Vinegar – drizzle with a splash of vinegar and kosher salt
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Smashed Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (907.18 g) red or gold potatoes, about 1 ½"-2" diameter
- ¾ cup (219 g) salt, , for boiling salt potatoes (trust me, it makes them ultra creamy inside)
- ⅓ cup (75.67 g) unsalted butter
- salt and pepper, , for seasoning
Instructions
- In a large pot place ¾ cup of salt and fill about halfway with warm water. Stir water to dissolve salt. Add washed, WHOLE potatoes to pot. Add more water to cover potatoes.
- Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until potatoes are fork tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain potatoes and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 425ºF. In a small skillet melt butter over medium heat. Once the butter is fully melted watch carefully and stir occasionally so butter doesn’t burn. First the butter will foam, then the milk solids will start to settle at the bottom. Watch for the milk solids to turn brown. Once that happens, immediately remove from heat. TIP: Pour browned butter into a bowl so it doesn’t cook more and burn from residual heat of pan.
- Place cooked, drained potatoes on a large baking sheet. Pour browned butter over the top, salt, pepper, and toss to coat potatoes. Use the bottom of a cup, fork, or potato masher to “smash” potatoes.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until potatoes are crispy and golden. If desired, season potatoes with additional salt and pepper.
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These were delicious!
Thank you, Lisa! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Best,
Melissa
thank you, for this aWESOME blog post, you really do a great job.
I am reader of your blog and i really appreciate your work
I really appreciate you saying that. Glad you are enjoying it! 🙂
Best,
Melissa