Smashed Potatoes Recipe with Herbs
Oven Baked Crispy Smashed Potatoes Recipe is an easy gluten-free, Vegan side or appetizer made with baby potatoes, herbs and olive oil. Perfect finger food or bite size appetizer recipe for the holiday season, game nights or entertaining.
Servings 5 people
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Tray (13" X 11"with 0.5" height)
Ingredients
- 750 grams Baby Potatoes 50 baby potatoes (Read Notes below)
- 3 ½ tablespoon Olive Oil Read Notes Below
- ½ teaspoon Thyme
- ½ teaspoon Rosemary
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri Red chilli powder
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper Powder
- 1 tablespoon Spring Onion Greens finely chopped for garnish
- 2 teaspoon Garlic Chives finely chopped for garnish
- Sea Salt to taste
1 cup is 250 ml, 1 tbsp is 15 ml and 1 tsp is 5 ml measurement
Instructions
Prepping the Potatoes
- Soak the baby potatoes for 15-20 minutes and gently scrub the mud particles or dirt. This step is important as the peel / skin stays on.
- After the potatoes are rinsed and clean, cook them on stove top (takes 20 - 30 mins approximately) OR Pressure Cook Potatoes (2-3 whistles). Season with salt while cooking potatoes.
- To check if potatoes are cooked, insert a knife or a fork. If it easily penetrates, potatoes have cooked. If not, cook until done.
- Drain the water completely, wait until the potatoes cool down.
Making Smashed Potatoes
- Pre-heat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes.
- Grease the baking tray with ½ tablespoon olive oil.
- Using a potato masher or fork, smash the cooked potatoes. Note - Apply pressure gently, just enough to smash not "mash". Arrange the mashed potatoes on the greased baking tray carefully.
- In a bowl, add olive oil, herbs, red chili powder / paprika, pepper and salt to taste. Mix well. Note - Some quantity of salt is used while cooking potatoes and some sprinkled on top before baking, so add accordingly.
- Generously slather / coat the potatoes with olive oil and herb mixture.
- Sprinkle some sea salt on top (optional) and place the baking tray inside the pre-heated oven. Bake the potatoes at 180 degree Celsius for 30 minutes (or until they have crisped around the edges)
- Once the potatoes are out of the oven, garnish with chopped garlic chives and spring onion greens. Serve with dip of your choice.
Notes
Ingredients and Substitutes -
- 750 grams (26.4 oz.) or 50 baby/small potatoes, enough for 5 people (10 pieces x 5). I highly recommend baby potatoes as they are easy to work with. However, you can use medium size potatoes as well. Just cook and cut them into quarters (depending on size) and smash for bite size portions. The skin of baby potatoes are quite thin unlike the mature ones which gives it a crispy texture, upon baking. You can also use red potatoes or fingerling potatoes.
- Substitute Kashmiri red chili powder with paprika. Kashmiri Red chili adds color not heat.
- Replace Olive Oil with butter. Just melt, measure and proceed with the recipe. If using salted butter, adjust the quantity of sea salt in the recipe.
- I have used 3 & 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil for this recipe. Half tablespoon is used just to grease the baking tray so that the potatoes don't stick and the edges crisp up while baking
- Depending on the size of air fryer basket and potatoes, you can place maximum 6 - 8 pieces of smashed potatoes. Note - Rough estimate considering my Philips Air Fryer basket capacity.
- Preheat and spray oil in the air fryer basket to prevent the potatoes from sticking. Apply the spice and oil mixture, air fry at 180 degree Celsius for 15 mins / until crispy, golden.
- At regular intervals, open and check the air fryer basket. You don't have to turn the potatoes halfway or anything as air fryer circulates hot air which evenly cooks / crisps.
- Cooking Time as mentioned above includes 30 minutes of baking + 20 minutes of pressure cooking the potatoes.
- The recipe can be easily doubled or halved according to your preference and availability of ingredients.
- The recipe is Gluten Free and Vegan.