Roasted Smashed Potatoes

Name: Roasted Smashed Potatoes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 3 lbs small potatoes; 1/4 cup olive oil; 4-6 garlic cloves, minced; 1/2 Tablespoon dry herbs, such as Simply Organic All Purpose Seasoning and/or Trader Joe’s Onion Salt; salt, ground black pepper, to taste; 1 Tablespoon fresh herbs (parsley, green onions, dill, thyme, rosemary, etc.)

Roasted potatoes are amazing – crisp, golden and so delicious. Smashing them allows the potatoes to get SO much more flavor infused into every potato with garlic and herbs.

Roasted Smashed Potatoes with garlic and herbs

Roasted smashed potatoes are the ultimate deluxe version to prepare baby potatoes. They are so creamy on the inside and get the most optimal crispness on the outside after being flattened. The garlic and herbs really adds a ton of flavor into each bite.

With this simple method you can create many varieties of flavors by just switching up different herbs. Make the potatoes with parsley and chives one day and rosemary or thyme another. I also love adding finely grated Parmesan cheese. It melts into the olive oil and garlic mixture, coats the potatoes and adds another level of nutty flavor and makes the potatoes even more crispy.

Ingredients

potatoes
- the best potatoes to use for this particular recipe are small baby potatoes, aka petite potatoes or new potatoes. You can use either red, yellow or a combination of both.
olive oil (you can also use just about any other oil for this recipe too. Avocado oil is my other favorite, but most other oils will work too.)
garlic
- measure the garlic with your heart ❤️
dry herbs
- My favorite dry herbs to use are Simply Organic All Purpose seasoning and Trader Joe’s Onion Salt. You can use any dry herbs or seasoning blends that you like, such as Italian seasoning, Herbes de Provence, anything with garlic/onion powder, granulated onion/garlic, dry chives, parsley, thyme, rosemary, etc.
salt, ground black pepper
fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, green onions, chives, rosemary, etc.)

I highly recommend using an extra large rimmed baking sheet (affiliate link), so the potatoes can be spread out more and will get more hot air circulating around them. You can use a regular half sheet size to roast the potatoes too, they might take a bit longer to get really crisp.

How to Make Roasted Smashed Potatoes

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place an extra large rimmed baking sheet in the oven to heat up as the oven is preheating. (This is kind of like heating up the skillet before adding food to it to cook. You will get a better sear and the potatoes will roast faster.)
Prep the potatoes and boil the potatoes. (Start with cold water, so the potatoes will cook more evenly.)
- Wash the potatoes well, then place them in a pot, cover with water, just enough to barely cover the potatoes. Cover with a lid, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are just cooked through. (You should be able to pierce the potato through with a paring knife.)
- The potatoes need to be cooked through, but be careful not to overcook them, otherwise they will fall apart.
- Drain the potatoes.
Place the potatoes in a large bowl.
Now, season the potatoes. Add the olive oil, garlic, dry herbs, salt, pepper and gently mix to combine. (Sometimes I add a bit of the fresh herbs here too.)
Place the potatoes onto the hot baking sheet, leaving behind the excess garlic and olive oil in the bowl. Distribute the potatoes in a single uniform layer.
Here’s where the “smashing” comes in. Use the bottom of a flat bottomed drinking glass or cup to gently press down onto each potato, flattening it out.
- Don’t press too hard, otherwise the potato will fall apart. Use just enough pressure to flatten the potato. Do this with all the potatoes.
Brush the top of the potatoes with the garlic and oil that remained behind in the mixing bowl. This extra step will add so much more flavor to each potato.
Roast the potatoes in the preheated oven for 15-10 minutes on one side, then flip the potatoes over and roast for another 5-10 minutes. (If your potatoes are smaller or larger, you may need to adjust the roasting time.)
Garnish the potatoes with fresh herbs and serve hot.

Olga’s Tip

Use all the oil and garlic to coat the potatoes.

When tossing the potatoes in oil, garlic and herbs, leave most of the garlic at the bottom of the bowl. Evenly coat the potatoes in oil, salt, pepper and dry herbs. The garlic will naturally fall to the bottom of the bottom.

Leave it in the bowl, distribute the potatoes on the baking sheet, flatten THEN use the remaining oil and garlic on top of the potatoes. If you scrape out all the garlic onto the baking sheet, the garlic will burn. If you spoon it onto the potatoes, the garlic will nestle into the potatoes, add more flavor and won’t burn. Since the potatoes are cooked all the way through already, you just need to roast them long enough to crisp them up. (If there’s any garlic on the baking sheet, take a potato, press it into the garlic and flip the potato over, so most of the garlic is on the top of the potatoes.)

(If most of the oil was soaked up by the potatoes, add another spoonful to the garlic.)

Helpful Tips and Frequently Asked Questions for the Best Roasted Smashed Potatoes

Pre-cook the potatoes.

I like boiling the potatoes. It’s faster and the texture of the potatoes gives them a much fluffier texture than if you would roast them in the oven the whole time.

Can you cook the potatoes in the oven the whole time without boiling them first?

Yes. Place the washed potatoes into a rimmed baking sheet. Add about 1/4 cup water to the bottom of the baking sheet, cover it with foil. Bake until the potatoes are cooked through. The time will depend on the size of the potatoes. Uncover, toss the potatoes with oil, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper and continue with the rest of the recipe.

The best way to “smash”/flatten the potatoes:

I have tried many different ways to smash the potatoes and I liked using a glass drinking glass with a flat bottom. A metal measuring cup will also work well.
I also tried using a potato masher, and that worked well too, although sometimes it literally “smashed” the potatoes too much.

How to keep the potatoes from falling apart:

Don’t undercook OR overcook the potatoes. If you undercook the potatoes, you will have to press too hard to flatten them, and they are more likely to “smush”. If you overcook them, they will also fall apart and may resemble mashed potatoes. Be gentle with the potatoes when mixing them with the garlic and herbs.

Roasted Smashed Potatoes on a baking sheet

More Delicious Potato Recipes

Garlic and Herb Roasted Potatoes
Bacon and Chive Mashed Potatoes
How To Make the Best Homemade Mashed Potatoes
Salt Potatoes