Crispy Garlic Butter Smashed Potatoes

Don't leave me. It feels good. Embrace it. The garlic butter, that is. 

Hello and welcome to your new favorite side dish! These smashed potatoes are YUMMY, a word that honestly should be used to describe as many of your foods as possible. You only live once, potatoes are a vegetable, and garlic butter is the savory icing on the potato cake that we all need to use whenever we possibly can. 

I wrote on Instagram yesterday how much I love this Southern-style cabbage for a quick weeknight side dish. These garlic butter potatoes, I'd argue, go perfectly with said cabbage, add some fish and chicken and here we go not sorry about two side dishes that use butter, know what I mean? These Crispy Garlic Smashed Potatoes are simple to make in just a few steps and the end result is a fluffy-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside cross between mashed potatoes and french fries that is REALLY yummy. Trust.

I use baby potatoes, 2 inches in diameter or so. Any small to medium potatoes are fine, just be sure they're nearly the same size so they cook in about the same amount of time.

How to Make Garlic Smashed Potatoes

Start by covering the potatoes in a large pot with water + salt - a tablespoon or two to really flavor the water. Bring the water to a boil and boil the potatoes uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Poke one with a fork to check! They should be nearly cooked through.

Drain the potatoes in a colander, then scatter them on a large baking sheet to cool just slightly and completely dry out. Preheat the oven to 400F while the potatoes are resting.

Now, we smash! I got this method straight from Bon Appetit - I've been obsessing over their videos recently. I've smashed potatoes like this before using the bottom of a glass, which works well but takes time. Instead, grab a second baking sheet and put it over the potatoes, then press down to smash all the potatoes at once!

BOOM. So simple and v satisfying from the pop of the potatoes. Press down on the baking sheet until the potatoes are about ½ inch thick or less, and scoot any around that were too close and ended up smashing one another. When the potatoes are flat on the baking sheet, sprinkle them with salt and pepper and drizzle them with olive oil.

Toss the potatoes in the oven for 40 minutes so they can roast and get crispy at the edges. While the potatoes roast, chop some parsley and melt some butter with minced garlic. You're welcome.

Take the potatoes out of the oven - they should be crispy at the edges but still tender in the center. Drizzle them allllll over with the garlic butter, then back in the oven they go for 10 minutes.

I mean.

Taste a potato. More salt? Go for it. Scatter the parsley over the pan, and we're ready for action!

The garlic just barely cooks, balancing creamy, salty, buttery potatoes that are just out of this world.

I love these as alone with a side dish, particularly something that has a gravy - these chicken meatballs and gravy would be delicious with crispy garlic smashed potatoes on the side.

OR OR OR they could definitely for sure be an appetizer, served with...ranch? bbq sauce? ketchup? All of the dips, please and thank you.

I adore these. They are wonderfully crispy + buttery, and obviously garlic butter all over our entire lives is the way to go henceforth. I've seen lots of tiny potatoes at the farmer's market recently, so I'm calling Crispy Garlic Butter Smashed Potatoes the vegetable of summer.

Enjoy!

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