Directions
- 1Bring a pot of water to the boil and add 1 tbsp salt.
- 2Cook potatoes until soft; small ones take 20 to 25 minutes, medium ones might take 30 minutes (it's okay if the skin splits), or alternatively, steam or microwave them.
- 3Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan).
- 4Drain the potatoes and let them dry in the colander for 5 minutes.
- 5Place the potatoes on a tray, then use a large fork or potato masher to squish them, keeping them in one piece; thinner smashing results in crisper potatoes, thicker in fluffier insides, and a more nubbly surface yields better crunch.
- 6Leave the smashed potatoes on the tray to steam dry again for about 5 minutes to enhance crispiness.
- 7Drizzle the potatoes with melted butter, then olive oil.
- 8Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper.
- 9Bake for 45 minutes (for small potatoes) to 55 minutes (for medium potatoes) or until they are deep golden and crispy; do not flip them.
- 10Serve hot, sprinkled with finely chopped parsley if desired.
Ingredients
- 700 g small potatoes
- 1 kg medium potatoes
- 1 tbsp salt for boiling
- 30 g unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 0.75 tsp salt for sprinkling
- 0.25 tsp black pepper
- Finely chopped parsley, optional garnish
Equipment
potcolanderlarge forkpotato masheroven
Tips
- Let the potatoes steam dry a bit after smashing them for optimum crispiness.
- Use both butter and a touch of oil; butter for flavor and oil for even browning and crispiness, as butter alone can burn.
- More nubbly surface on the smashed potatoes leads to better crunch.
- For garlic flavor, smash 2 cloves of garlic and infuse in melted butter, then discard the cloves before drizzling.
- For herb flavor, add a generous amount of dried or fresh herbs to the boiling water when cooking potatoes.
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