Published by Sheena Strain, last updated
Recipe
Smashed Potatoes baked with garlic, olive oil and herbs, fluffy in the middle and truly crispy on the top!!
You guys, these are the PERFECT gluten free potato side dish, you won’t need anything else, I promise.
Whether it’s steak or chicken on the grill, or burgers in a bun, my crispy garlic smashed potatoes will go down a treat and everyone will love them!
We served them tonight with my Grilled Lamb Chops recipe and they went down a treat.
What are smashed potatoes?
Smashed potatoes are definitely not the same as mashed potatoes!
Mashed potatoes are typically peeled and all the potatoes are mashed together until they are relatively smooth, often with the addition of butter and sometimes milk.
Smashed garlic and herb potatoes are a little different as you can see from the photos.
The potatoes are not peeled, are parboiled, and then cooked again in the oven with herbs, garlic, and a little oil (or butter if you prefer) until super crispy and totally yummy!
What potato varieties are best for ‘smashing’?
I’ve tried them with several varieties, Yukon Gold, Red Potatoes, and Russet Potatoes, and they all worked well.
Generally speaking the fluffier varieties of potato rather than the more waxy potatoes work the best, but I think you could try it with whatever you have in your fridge if you don’t have floury potatoes on hand.
And don’t forget that whatever variety you have, the much maligned humble spud is a very good source of vitamin B6 and a good source of potassium, copper, vitamin C, manganese, phosphorus, niacin, dietary fiber, and pantothenic acid, so eat it all up!! 🙂
How to make truly crispy smashed potatoes!
There are several steps to ensure you cook truly crispy potatoes .
Step 1: Preheat the oven, you want it hot and at temperature as soon as the potatoes are ready to go in the oven.
Step 2: Parboil the potatoes, and make sure you DO NOT overcook them, we want them just cooked, not really soft and mushy.
Step 3: While the potatoes are cooking combine the oil, chopped garlic and herbs so you are ready to go when they potatoes are cooked.
Step 4: Drain the cooked potatoes, place them on a sheet pan and with a potato masher or a fork ‘smash’ the top of them and use a fork to break up the tops.
Step 5: Immediately spoon or brush on the garlic herb oil onto each potato while they are still hot and return them to the oven and cook until crispy
That’s it!
That’s the simplest way to get truly crispy garlic smashed potatoes that everyone will love.
Do remember to serve them hot as they may not stay crispy for long once they start to cool down.
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Related Potato Recipes
- Potatoes O’Brien
- duch*ess Potatoes
- Balsamic Chicken with Roasted Potatoes
- Paleo Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
- How to Cook Sweet Potatoes in the Instant Pot
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Truly Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Garlic
Smashed Potatoes baked with garlic, olive oil and herbs, fluffy in the middle and truly crispy on the outside!!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Total Carbs: 29 g
Protein: 6 g
Servings: 4
5 from 33 votes
Ingredients
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 425F or 225C
Bring a large pot of water to the boil, then add the potatoes to it and cook until just cooked but not super soft (they will continue to cook in the oven) it will take about 15-25 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes.
While the potatoes are cooking mix the oil and garlic together.
Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them and then place the potatoes on a baking sheet.
Using a potato masheror a fork ‘smash’ the top of the potatoes. I like to rough them up a little with a fork and remove a little of the skin on top, this ensures more crispy bits when they are cooked.
Evenly drizzle the olive oil (or use a silicone brush) on the top of the potatoes, then season with salt, pepper, and sprinkle on the fresh thyme leaves, then immediately place the baking sheet into the hot oven.
Bake for about 20-35 minutes, or until the top of the potatoes are good and crispy! Serve immediately, the crispiness will not be as good once the potatoes start to cool, or if they have to be reheated later on.
Nutrition Facts
Truly Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Garlic
Amount Per Serving
Calories 228Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value*
Fat 10g15%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 23mg1%
Potassium 948mg27%
Carbohydrates 29g10%
Fiber 5g21%
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin C 26.8mg32%
Calcium 73mg7%
Iron 7.5mg42%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutritional information on Noshtastic is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Author: Sheena Strain
Course:Side Dish
Cuisine:American
About Sheena Strain
Sheena Strain is the proud owner of Noshtastic, a gluten free website that specializes in easy family meals including Low Carb, Keto, Paleo, Whole30, and many pressure cooker recipes.
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Joyce says
I did quickly discover that the potatoes make fantastic potato salad once cooled. I love them as originally done, but can’t possibly eat them all, so I put them into the fridge and next day made potato salad. OH. MY!Reply
Meghan says
I save a lot of time with smashed potatoes by boiling them till fully soft, smashing them with a glass, and then putting them on broil for around 10 minutes. Perfect crispy outside achieved! Way less time.
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Jenni A says
I did a lot of things wrong and these still turned out tasty. They were a big hit at a family party. I’m sensitive to fresh garlic so I subbed in rehydrated minced garlic. I also topped with some fresh Parmesan. Very tasty!Reply
Diana says
Live this recipe. Added shredded parm cheese at the last minute and it was fantastic
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Laura Goucher says
Delicious! I just generously drizzled the olive oil and sprinkled with seasoning salt, garlic and thyme. I love how they crisped up real wellReply
Sonja says
These were incredible! Of course I added Amish butter on top before baking. They were a crowd pleaser and a perfect, easy bbq side.Reply
Mal-Lee Gong says
OMGOSH! Easy and delicious! I left out the thyme to concentrate on the garlic. At the table we added Nooch-It! Perfect. Thank you for this gem.Reply
Karen says
Can potatoes be parboiled ahead?
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Sheena Strain says
Yes you could do that
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Jayne says
Will dried thyme work instead of fresh?
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Sheena Strain says
Yes that will work!
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Becky says
Could I bake them on the same pan with chicken breast? Like a sheet pan meal? Thanks!
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Sheena Strain says
Hi Becky, yes that would work really well. I would start to cook the chicken first as it will take longer and then add the potatoes later.
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Gail Conder says
I made these tonight for my husband and I. Was very good and will diffidently make these again. I may add extra garlic or some garlic powder next time.
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Dana says
I’m just wondering if you can parboil ahead of time and then smash and bake later, or if it needs to go right from pot to oven hot.
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Sheena Strain says
I think it’s better going straight in the oven hot. But, you probably could give it a go if you boil them ahead of time, I would try and have them at least at room temp before putting in the oven if you have time rather than straight from the fridge.
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Lee says
We absolutely loved this recipe and it’s so easy to make. Didn’t have any thyme, but made it anyway using bacon and green onions. There are so many different variations we are planning on trying. Thanks for this recipe. 🙂Reply
Alissa says
This is a straighforward, easy recipe that is great with roast chicken. I use baby potatoes from trader joe’s (more like fingerlings). They are great that night but not great as leftovers.Reply
Sheena Strain says
yes, they lose their crispiness and are not great reheated, but we don’t usually have leftovers, lol!!
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Susan says
Did you fry like home -fries to reheat? That might make a difference
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Nicole says
Excellent, simpler recipe. I think this is one fo those no fail delicous recipes. Thank you for posting this. I was delighted that mine came out as beautiful as yours.Reply
Sheena Strain says
I’m glad they worked for you and sometimes the simplest recipes are the best!
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Amanda says
I cannot rate the recipe because I do not have all the ingredients listed to make it exactly as posted. That being said, I LOVE this technique for making potatoes now. I’m so glad you shared! I used what I had and the cooking style worked great. So easy! We hadn’t any small potatoes. I quartered baking potatoes before boiling. We had olive oil, a bunch of fresh chives, and seasoned salt-so that was the mix on top after having boiled the potatoes. Because mine were cut they didn’t turn out as pretty as yours, but oh my goodness-SO GOOD! I loved the combination of crunch outside, soft inside. My meat and potatoes husband who seldom compliments my potato recipes told me that he hopes I’ll make this one often! We live in bush Alaska and don’t get to the stores that often, but as soon as I can I’ll get the ingredients to try your recipe exactly. This one definitely goes in the rotation!
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Sheena Strain says
Hi Amanda, thank you for your kind comment! I’m glad they worked out for you with other types of potatoes and that your husband maked them, they are one of our favorites too.
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Ceci says
Potatoes may be gluten free, but they are NOT part of the Paleo or Whole 30 diets.
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Sheena Strain says
Hi Ceci,Actually they have been part of the Whole30 diet for the last three years.
Paleo experts such as Robb Wolf and Mark Sissons have weighed in on the subject and recognise that potatoes are a healthy, nutritious, whole food. I know some others don’t eat potatoes as part of their Paleo diet, but there are plenty that do.Reply
