One:
And two:
My husband is a huge – huuuuuge - fan of potatoes. Loves ’em spuds. All types. All ways of cooking. Well, some more than others, but ultimately – any. Fried, sautéed, boiled, roasted. Mashed and smashed. Grated in latkes. Grilled on skewers. As a side dish as well as in soups and salads. The more the better.
So, I cook potatoes quite often. And if you’re crazy about them too, I have some good recipes for you. Today it is smashed potatoes. Two ways. A traditional one, where you roughly mash skin-on boiled potatoes. And a relatively recent one, where you boil whole small potatoes, smash them by pressing each one flat and then roast of fry them till the crispy exterior.
(1) For the first method, you will need:
- About 1 lb Yukon gold, Dutch or red potatoes (the smaller the potatoes the more skins you’ll have in your smashed potatoes. For me, the more the tastier.)
- 2 green onions, both green and white parts thinly sliced
- 1 large or 2 medium garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
- 2 Tbsp grape seed/vegetable/refined sunflower oil
- 3-4 Tbsp sour cream (I used non fat from TJ’s)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Thoroughly wash and scrub the potatoes. Cut them into about ¾ inch pieces, put in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, salt the water to taste and reduce the heat to medium to maintain light simmer. Cook until very tender, about 5-6 minutes, more or less depending on a potato kind.
Once the potatoes have cooked through perfectly, ladle out about ½ cup of the cooking water and drain the rest. To the hot potatoes add green onions, garlic, dill and oil and give a good stir. Smash with a potato masher or a fork or in a stand mixer using a whip attachment. Add sour cream and then, gradually, cooking water until the potatoes have reached the desired consistency. Season with black pepper and more salt if needed.
We like these potatoes the most with braised cabbage. Though you can serve them with anything you would serve regular mashed potatoes with.
(2) For the "flat smashed" potatoes you will need:
- Baby potatoes, Yukon gold, Dutch, red or other not super starchy kinds, preferably of the same size for even coking
- Cooking oil or butter, as needed
- Toppings: fresh herbs, garlic, sautéed mushrooms, sautéed onions, cheese (grated or sliced), hot pepper flakes, spices and dried herbs, bacon bits (or take pancetta or prosciutto instead)
Wash and brush the potatoes. Don’t peel. Put in a pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium or medium low to maintain light simmer and cook until tender all through. Check the doneness by piercing one of larger potatoes with a thin sharp knife all the way to the center.
Drain the potatoes and put them on a cutting board. Press each carefully with a side of a large knife until flat but not super thin - about 3/8 - ½ inch thick.
Now you have several options. You can pan-fry the potatoes on both sides until crisp. Or you can arrange them on a greased baking sheet and roast or broil them.
If using a pan, heat several tablespoons of oil/butter and add the smashed potatoes. Cook on both sides, turning them over very carefully with a spatula, until golden brown and crispy. Sprinkle with minced garlic, chives, fresh dill or cilantro. Serve with some flavorful aioli like with chipotle or curry.
If broiling, line a baking dish/sheet with foil and spray/brush it lightly with oil. Place the potatoes on top, brush with more oil/melted butter and place under broil for several minutes or until golden brown. Carefully flip the potatoes over with a spatula, brush the top with oil/butter and broil until golden brown again.
Take the potatoes out of the oven, sprinkle with salt, black pepper, minced garlic, fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary, parsley, chives etc. You can add some cooked bacon/prosciutto bits as well. Or some sautéed onions and/mushrooms. Top each with a small slice of cheese or a tablespoon of grated cheese and place back under the broil. Cook until the cheese has melted.
You can also roast the potatoes. This way, garlic and the herbs will cook and crisp up together with potatoes. Preheat the oven to 430-440F (or 425F plus convection mode). Place the potatoes on a baking sheet/dish lined with foil and lightly sprayed/brushed with oil. Drizzle/brush with more oil, sprinkle with chopped garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and fresh herbs (for instance, rosemary or small sage leaves). You can use some uncooked prosciutto as well. Chop it in small bits or better cut each slice into several larger pieces and place one on top of each potato.
Put the baking dish in the oven and cook until lightly golden brown, about 12-15 minutes or so.
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