Crispy smashed potatoes give you the best parts of roasted potatoes and mashed potatoes in a single side dish: deeply golden, crunchy edges surrounding soft, fluffy centers.
The technique is wonderfully simple. Small potatoes are boiled until tender, drained and allowed to steam-dry, then gently flattened on a baking sheet. Olive oil settles into every crack and crag before the potatoes go into a very hot oven, where all of those rough edges turn crisp.
A quick garlic-herb butter added near the end brings plenty of flavor without giving fresh garlic enough time to burn.
Serve these potatoes with roast chicken, steak, pork chops, fish, burgers, or a vegetarian main course. They are equally at home on a weeknight dinner table, beside eggs at brunch, or as part of a holiday meal.
🥔 Crispy Smashed Potatoes Recipe
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: About 50 minutes
Total time: About 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 6
🛒 Ingredients
- 2 pounds small Yukon Gold, red, or baby potatoes
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the cooking water
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, finely grated or minced
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or chives
- 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, optional
- Flaky salt, for finishing, optional
🥔 Choose Small Potatoes
Baby Yukon Gold potatoes and small red potatoes are ideal.
They hold together during boiling and smashing while developing creamy interiors.
Aim for potatoes about 1 1/2 to 2 inches across.
Very large potatoes can be used, but smaller ones are easier to smash cleanly and naturally create more crispy edges.
Try to choose potatoes of similar size so they finish boiling at roughly the same time.
💧 Start in Cold Salted Water
Scrub the potatoes thoroughly.
Place them whole in a large saucepan or Dutch oven.
Cover with cold water by about an inch and season the water generously with salt.
Starting the potatoes in cold water allows their centers and exteriors to heat more evenly.
Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer.
🔥 Cook Until Completely Tender
Simmer the potatoes for approximately 15 to 25 minutes, depending on their size.
They should be very tender.
A paring knife should slide through the center with almost no resistance.
This is one place where smashed potatoes differ from potato salad.
You do not want firm potatoes that merely hold their shape. They need to be soft enough to flatten without splitting into hard chunks.
Food Network’s smashed-potato method similarly simmers baby potatoes until tender before flattening and crisping them.
💨 Let the Potatoes Steam-Dry
Drain the potatoes thoroughly.
Return them to the empty warm pot or spread them on a clean towel-lined tray.
Let them stand for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Surface moisture works against crispness.
Allowing steam to escape before adding oil helps the potatoes roast rather than immediately steaming on the baking sheet.
Do not rinse the potatoes after boiling.
🔥 Preheat a Hot Oven
While the potatoes dry, preheat the oven to 450°F.
Place a large rimmed baking sheet in the oven for about 5 minutes while it heats.
A hot baking sheet helps the undersides begin browning as soon as the potatoes touch the pan.
Carefully remove the sheet from the oven and brush it with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
🥔 Smash the Potatoes
Arrange the potatoes on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a couple of inches between them.
Use the bottom of a sturdy glass, measuring cup, potato masher, or small skillet to gently flatten each potato until it is about 1/2 inch thick.
Press straight down rather than twisting.
It is fine if the skins split and the edges become ragged.
In fact, those irregular edges are exactly what you want.
Every exposed ridge can turn crisp in the oven.
🫒 Season Before Roasting
Drizzle the potatoes with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Use a pastry brush if necessary to distribute the oil across their cracked surfaces.
Season with kosher salt and black pepper.
Make sure some oil reaches the outer edges rather than collecting only in the centers.
Do not add the fresh garlic yet.
At 450°F, finely minced garlic can become bitter before the potatoes have enough time to crisp.
🔥 Roast Until Deeply Golden
Place the baking sheet in the hot oven.
Roast for about 25 to 35 minutes.
Do not disturb the potatoes during the first 20 minutes.
Leaving them alone allows the bottom surfaces to develop a proper crust.
Continue cooking until the edges are dark golden and visibly crisp.
For even more browning, move the pan to the upper third of the oven during the final several minutes.
🧄 Make the Garlic-Herb Butter
While the potatoes finish roasting, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat.
Add the garlic and rosemary.
Cook gently for about 30 to 60 seconds, just until fragrant.
Do not let the garlic brown deeply.
Remove from the heat.
Stir in the parsley or chives.
🌿 Finish the Potatoes
When the potatoes are crisp, remove them from the oven.
Immediately brush or spoon the garlic-herb butter over the tops.
If using Parmesan, sprinkle it over the hot potatoes.
Return the baking sheet to the oven for another 3 to 5 minutes, just until the Parmesan melts and the garlic butter sizzles into the potatoes.
Finish with flaky salt and additional fresh herbs.
Serve immediately.
🥔 What Are Smashed Potatoes?
Smashed potatoes are whole small potatoes that are first boiled until tender and then flattened before roasting or broiling.
Smashing dramatically increases the amount of potato surface exposed to hot air and fat.
Instead of the smooth exterior of an ordinary roasted potato, you get thin edges, torn skin, exposed flesh, and numerous cracks.
Those rough surfaces brown and crisp while the thicker center remains tender.
Food Network describes the same basic technique: simmer small potatoes until tender, flatten them, coat with oil, and crisp them under high heat.
🥔 Smashed Potatoes vs. Mashed Potatoes
Despite the similar names, the two dishes are completely different.
Mashed potatoes are peeled or unpeeled cooked potatoes crushed into a soft mixture with ingredients such as butter, milk, or cream.
Smashed potatoes remain individual potatoes.
They are only flattened enough to create more surface area for roasting.
Think of them as extra-craggy roasted potatoes rather than rustic mashed potatoes.
🥔 Smashed Potatoes vs. Twice-Baked Potatoes
Twice-baked potatoes are baked whole, hollowed out, mixed with ingredients such as cheese, butter, and sour cream, and then refilled and baked again.
Smashed potatoes are far simpler.
They are boiled, flattened, and roasted without removing the interior.
If you want the loaded, cheesy version, try Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes with Cheddar & Bacon.
🥔 Yukon Gold vs. Red Potatoes
Both are excellent.
Yukon Gold potatoes have a naturally buttery flavor and especially creamy centers.
Small red potatoes are slightly waxier and tend to hold together extremely well after boiling.
Baby potatoes sold as mixed yellow and red potatoes also work beautifully.
The important thing is size and texture rather than a specific color.
🥔 Can You Use Russet Potatoes?
Yes, although they are less convenient.
Russets are starchier and generally much larger.
If using them, choose smaller russets or cut large potatoes into thick pieces before boiling.
Their fluffy interiors can become exceptionally crisp around the edges, but they are more prone to breaking apart during smashing.
For the easiest method, small waxy or all-purpose potatoes remain the better choice.
💨 Why Steam-Drying Matters
Water and crispness are enemies during the beginning of roasting.
A potato covered in surface moisture has to lose that water before the exterior can brown efficiently.
Draining the potatoes and giving them several minutes to steam-dry helps remove that obstacle.
The same principle is useful with many roasted vegetables.
Drier surfaces brown faster.
🔨 How Hard Should You Smash Them?
Enough to flatten them but not enough to turn them into loose mashed potatoes.
About 1/2 inch thick is a good target.
Thicker potatoes retain more fluffy interior.
Thinner potatoes create more crisp surface.
If you press too hard and one falls apart, do not throw it away.
Push the pieces together on the baking sheet and roast them anyway.
The broken edges may become the crispiest part of the batch.
🫒 How Much Oil Do You Need?
Enough to coat the surfaces thoroughly but not so much that the potatoes are swimming.
About 3 tablespoons for 2 pounds of potatoes is a good starting point.
Add a little more if the potatoes are especially large or absorbent.
Fat conducts heat across the uneven surfaces and encourages browning.
It also helps salt and seasonings adhere.
🧈 Olive Oil vs. Butter
Olive oil is excellent for the high-temperature roasting stage.
Butter provides wonderful flavor but contains milk solids that can brown rapidly in a 450°F oven.
Using olive oil for roasting and garlic butter for finishing gives you the advantages of both.
If you prefer all olive oil, simply replace the finishing butter with another tablespoon or two of oil.
🧄 Why Add Fresh Garlic Near the End?
Fresh garlic burns easily.
A 25- to 35-minute roast at 450°F is plenty of time for small garlic pieces to go from golden to bitter.
Adding garlic in butter near the end gives you fresh garlic flavor without blackened bits.
If you want garlic flavor from the beginning, use garlic powder instead.
It distributes evenly and is much less likely to burn.
🧀 Make Garlic-Parmesan Smashed Potatoes
Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan during the final few minutes.
Use finely grated cheese rather than thick shreds so it melts into the cracks and develops crisp edges.
Parmesan already contains substantial salt, so taste before adding extra finishing salt.
Fresh parsley works especially well with the garlic-Parmesan version.
🌿 Rosemary Smashed Potatoes
Rosemary is one of the best herbs for roasted potatoes.
Finely chop fresh rosemary so large woody pieces do not end up on the finished dish.
You can add a small amount before roasting, but I prefer most of it in the finishing butter.
Thyme is an excellent alternative.
🌿 Lemon-Herb Smashed Potatoes
Add finely grated lemon zest to the garlic-herb butter.
Finish the roasted potatoes with a small squeeze of fresh lemon juice just before serving.
The acidity is particularly good when the potatoes are served alongside fish, chicken, or a rich sauce.
Do not add lots of lemon juice before roasting because extra moisture works against crispness.
🌶️ Make Them Spicy
Add 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika and a pinch of cayenne to the potatoes before roasting.
Another option is red pepper flakes in the finishing butter.
For smoky chile flavor, use chipotle powder.
Serve spicy smashed potatoes with a cooling yogurt, ranch, or sour cream dip.
🌶️ Add Cajun Seasoning
Replace some of the salt and pepper with Cajun or Creole seasoning.
Check the seasoning blend’s salt content before adding additional salt.
Finish with green onions and serve with remoulade or a creamy dipping sauce.
🧀 Make Loaded Smashed Potatoes
Once the potatoes are crisp, top them with shredded cheddar.
Return them to the oven just until the cheese melts.
Finish with:
- Crisp bacon
- Sour cream
- Chives
- Green onion
- Pickled jalapeños
These work especially well as a game-day appetizer.
For more tang and heat, add Quick Pickled Jalapeños.
🍯 Try Honey Mustard on the Side
Crispy potatoes are excellent for dipping.
Our Honey Mustard Dressing can be made slightly thicker to turn it into a dipping sauce.
The sweet mustard flavor pairs especially well with potatoes seasoned with rosemary, black pepper, or smoked paprika.
🧄 Make a Garlic Yogurt Dip
Mix plain Greek yogurt with fresh lemon juice, finely grated garlic, salt, pepper, and chopped herbs.
Let it stand for about 10 minutes before serving.
The cool, tangy dip contrasts particularly well with hot, crisp potatoes.
Dill, parsley, mint, or chives all work.
🌿 Serve with Pesto
Drizzle a small amount of pesto over the potatoes after roasting.
Do not add pesto before the high-temperature roast because the fresh basil and cheese can darken excessively.
A spoonful over hot potatoes immediately before serving is enough.
🍅 Serve with Marinara
Crispy garlic-Parmesan smashed potatoes are surprisingly good dipped in warm marinara.
This makes them feel almost like a potato version of garlic bread.
Add mozzarella during the final few minutes if you want to take the idea further.
🥩 Serve Them with Steak
Smashed potatoes are a natural alternative to steakhouse mashed or baked potatoes.
Use rosemary, garlic, black pepper, and butter for the seasoning.
Serve them alongside steak and a green vegetable or salad.
Because they are already rich and crisp, they need very little extra sauce.
🍗 Serve Them with Chicken
Roasted or grilled chicken works particularly well.
For a rich dinner, pair the potatoes with Baked Chicken Parmesan.
For simpler grilled chicken, make the lemon-herb potato variation and serve a green salad alongside.
🐟 Serve Them with Fish
Crispy potatoes provide a welcome textural contrast to tender fish.
Try them with baked cod, salmon, halibut, or Baked Pacific Rockfish.
Use lemon, parsley, or dill in the finishing butter when serving with seafood.
🍤 Serve Them with Shrimp
Spicy smashed potatoes work beautifully with Blackened Shrimp.
Keep the potato seasoning relatively simple if the shrimp is highly spiced.
Garlic, butter, chives, and lemon are plenty.
🥗 Add a Fresh Salad
Because smashed potatoes are rich and crisp, something fresh makes a good contrast.
A leafy green salad with Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette works with almost any main course.
For summer meals, cucumber, tomatoes, or fresh herbs help lighten the plate.
🍳 Serve Smashed Potatoes for Breakfast
These are essentially extremely crisp breakfast potatoes waiting to happen.
Serve them beside fried or scrambled eggs.
Add bacon, sausage, avocado, or sautéed spinach.
For brunch, top individual potatoes with smoked salmon, sour cream, and chives.
Leftover smashed potatoes can also be reheated in a skillet for breakfast.
🥚 Top Them with an Egg
Make the potatoes into a simple meal by adding a fried or poached egg.
The runny yolk creates its own sauce.
Add avocado, sautéed greens, hot sauce, or feta.
A few smashed potatoes with eggs and vegetables make an easy meatless dinner as well as breakfast.
🎉 Turn Them into an Appetizer
Use especially small baby potatoes.
Smash and roast as usual.
Arrange them on a platter and add a small topping to each.
Try:
- Sour cream and chives
- Cheddar and bacon
- Goat cheese and herbs
- Smoked salmon and dill
- Pesto and Parmesan
- Guacamole and jalapeño
Small smashed potatoes make excellent two-bite party food.
🦃 Serve Them for the Holidays
Smashed potatoes are a good alternative when you want something crisp rather than another soft potato dish.
They pair naturally with turkey, roast beef, pork, or ham.
For a holiday meal, boil the potatoes earlier in the day and leave the final smashing and roasting until closer to dinner.
That saves stovetop space without giving up the freshly crisp texture.
⏰ Can You Make Smashed Potatoes Ahead?
Yes, up to a point.
Boil the potatoes earlier in the day.
Drain and let them cool completely.
Refrigerate them in a covered container.
When you are ready to cook, place them on the baking sheet, smash, oil, season, and roast.
You may need a few extra minutes because the potatoes are starting cold.
This is the best make-ahead method because the final crisping still happens immediately before serving.
🥔 Can You Smash Them Ahead?
Yes.
Boil and smash the potatoes, arrange them on the baking sheet, and refrigerate uncovered briefly until cool.
Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Brush with oil and season immediately before roasting.
Do not add garlic butter until the end.
🔥 Can You Air-Fry Smashed Potatoes?
Yes.
Boil and smash them as directed.
Brush with olive oil and season.
Arrange them in the air-fryer basket in a single layer.
Cook at approximately 400°F until crisp and deeply golden, checking and turning as needed.
You will probably need to work in batches because overcrowding prevents good air circulation.
Finish with garlic-herb butter after cooking.
🍳 Can You Cook Them in a Skillet?
Yes, although it is more hands-on.
Boil and smash the potatoes.
Heat a thin layer of oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the potatoes without crowding.
Cook until deeply browned on the first side, then carefully flip and brown the second.
Work in batches if necessary.
This method creates excellent crust but requires more oil and attention than oven roasting.
🔥 Should You Flip Smashed Potatoes in the Oven?
You can, but it is not always necessary.
If the baking sheet is hot and sufficiently oiled, the bottom should become deeply crisp while the top browns from the hot oven air.
Flipping halfway through can produce more even crispness on both sides, but delicate potatoes may break apart.
For the simplest method, leave them alone and let the bottom develop a strong crust.
If your oven browns unevenly, rotate the entire baking sheet instead.
💨 Why Aren’t My Smashed Potatoes Crispy?
Several things can interfere with browning.
The potatoes may still be wet after boiling.
The oven may not be hot enough.
The baking sheet may be overcrowded.
There may not be enough oil on the surfaces.
Or the potatoes may have been moved before the crust developed.
Give each potato space.
Let it steam-dry.
Use enough oil.
Roast at high heat.
Then leave the potatoes alone long enough for browning to happen.
🥔 Why Did My Potatoes Fall Apart?
They may have been extremely overcooked, or you may have smashed them too aggressively.
The potatoes should be very tender but not dissolving in the pot.
Press down gently with a broad, flat object.
Even if some pieces break loose, keep them on the pan.
Broken pieces often become deliciously crisp.
Smashed potatoes are supposed to look rustic rather than perfectly uniform.
🔨 Why Won’t My Potatoes Smash?
They are probably undercooked.
If the center is still firm, pressing on the potato will split the exterior without flattening the middle.
Boil until a knife enters the center very easily.
When properly cooked, a small potato should flatten under gentle pressure.
🔥 Why Is My Garlic Burnt?
Fresh minced garlic was probably exposed to high oven heat for too long.
Use garlic powder before roasting when you want early garlic flavor.
Save fresh garlic for a finishing butter or oil added during the last few minutes.
You will get a cleaner, sweeter garlic flavor without bitter black specks.
🧂 When Should You Salt the Potatoes?
At several stages.
Salt the boiling water so the potatoes are seasoned internally.
Add salt again after smashing and before roasting.
Taste after they come from the oven and add flaky finishing salt only if needed.
Layering the seasoning creates much better flavor than dumping a large quantity of salt over the finished potatoes.
🥔 Should You Peel Smashed Potatoes?
No.
The skins are one of the best parts.
They help the potatoes stay together after boiling and become crisp during roasting.
Simply scrub them thoroughly before cooking.
Thin-skinned baby, Yukon Gold, and red potatoes are especially well suited to this method.
❄️ How to Store Leftover Smashed Potatoes
Let leftovers cool and transfer them to an airtight container.
Refrigerate promptly.
Use refrigerated cooked leftovers within about 3 to 4 days.
They will soften in the refrigerator because moisture migrates back into the crisp surfaces, but reheating them properly can restore much of the texture.
🔥 How to Reheat Smashed Potatoes
The oven or air fryer is much better than the microwave.
Spread the potatoes on a baking sheet and reheat at 400°F until hot and crisp.
An air fryer works especially well for small portions.
The microwave heats them quickly but produces softer potatoes.
USDA recommends reheating leftovers to 165°F.
🧊 Can You Freeze Smashed Potatoes?
You can, although freshly made is better.
Freeze cooled roasted potatoes in a single layer until firm, then transfer them to a freezer container.
Reheat from frozen in a hot oven or air fryer.
The texture may be slightly less creamy than freshly cooked potatoes, but high heat can restore much of the exterior crispness.
If you are planning ahead, refrigerating boiled unsmashed potatoes for a day and roasting fresh is preferable to freezing.
🥔 The Secret Is More Crispy Surface
There is no complicated trick behind great smashed potatoes.
The entire technique is designed to create more opportunities for browning.
Boiling makes the interior tender. Steam-drying removes surface moisture. Smashing exposes the fluffy center and creates irregular edges. Oil carries heat across all of those newly exposed surfaces. A hot oven turns them golden and crisp.
Then the garlic-herb butter goes on at the end, where it can flavor the potatoes without burning.
Keep the potatoes small, give them enough room on the pan, and resist the urge to move them constantly.
When the edges are deeply golden and the centers are soft enough to break apart with a fork, bring them straight to the table.
They may start as one of the simplest ingredients in the kitchen, but properly smashed and roasted potatoes rarely feel like an ordinary side dish.
🔗 Related Articles
- Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes with Cheddar & Bacon
- Quick Pickled Jalapeños
- Honey Mustard Dressing
- Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Blackened Shrimp
