Extra Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Smashed Roast Potatoes

I know I do a lot of stuff that might be considered ‘extra’ here on the blog, but you know it’s always for a good cause 😂 ‘why do you need to smash a potato?’ I hear you cry! Well, I’m here to tell you exactly why.. The best part of a roast potato is the crispy parts, right? We’re all in agreement here?? Okay good. By gently smashing the potato you’re essentially increasing the surface area and adding more texture to it. Therefore, there’s more opportunity for the potato to flake and become crispy. You’re also making the potato thinner, which also increases the crispiness. For these smashed potatoes you’re going to want to use baby potatoes aka new potatoes because 1. They’re nice and small, so easy to work with and 2. The skins are will help keep the smashed potato in tact. Just look and that golden gorgeousness 😍

CRISPY Smashed Potatoes

Okay, so many of you have seen smashed potatoes before. So what makes these different?

My number 1 tip for getting outrageously crispy smashed potatoes is to use goose or duck fat * There, the secrets out. Here’s why it works: Goose and duck fat have high smoking points, which essentially means they can withstand high temperatures without smoking out the kitchen and burning what they’re supposed to be cooking. In terms of smashed potatoes, which are already crispier than your average, it means you can crank up the heat and use more fat/oil than you’d usually be able to. Therefore – extra crispiness.

How to make crispy smashed potatoes (quick summary)

Can I use Olive Oil?

Short answer – yes. They’ll still work great, but they won’t be quite as crispy/flavoursome. If olive oil is all you’ve got, here’s a summary of what changes you’d have to make:

Preheat oven to slightly lower temp. Place baking tray in the oven without oil until scorching hot. Brush/toss the potatoes with olive oil after they’ve steamed. Continue recipe as stated, using a tiny bit extra oil to brush the tops once smashed.

Can I use other potatoes?

New potatoes/Baby Potatoes are best as they’re completely coated in skin, meaning they stay in tact better. I have tried with sliced regular potatoes and they don’t work quite as well and more likely fall apart. The smaller the potato the crispier the smashed potato.

EXTRA Crispy Smashed Potatoes

And there we have it! Extra crispy smashed baby potatoes are yours for the taking. Just remember:

Leave the spuds to steam. Make sure you use goose/duck fat and make sure it’s HOT. Space them out. Add salt at the end to draw out the final bit of moisture.

Hey, whilst you’re here why not check out my other recipes?