Crispy Smashed Potatoes (Crunchy Outside, Fluffy Inside)

Boil the baby potatoes whole until a fork slides in with no resistance, then let them sit five minutes so the steam escapes before you flatten them. That bit of cooling matters. A wet potato pressed onto the pan will steam instead of crisp, so I drain them well and press each one to about half an inch with the bottom of a glass. Plenty of ragged edges means plenty of crunch once they hit the 425F oven.

By Nora Calloway

Swaps & Substitutions

• Baby potatoes → larger Yukon golds work if you halve them after boiling; you want pieces that smash to roughly the same thickness so they crisp evenly.
• Olive oil → swap in avocado oil or melted ghee, both take the high heat well and brown the edges nicely.
• Fresh rosemary or thyme → use half the amount dried, and scatter it on partway through roasting so it doesn't scorch.
• Garlic → if raw minced garlic burns for you at this temp, use 1/2 tsp garlic powder in the oil instead, or stir fresh garlic into the oil after roasting.
• Salt → these are seasoned for fine salt; if using flaky or kosher, add a bit more and taste, since it's coarser by volume.
• Paprika → smoked paprika gives a deeper, slightly bacon-like edge, or leave it out entirely with no real loss.

Questions & Answers