Potatoes are great in all forms, but when they are smashed and crispy, they are especially good! But why do they work so well? We first start by boiling the potatoes and in salted water. This both seasons the potatoes, par-cooks them, and takes away surface starch. Surface starch in white potatoes can make potatoes more soggy than crispy, so boiling them first will allow them to crisp up in the oven. By smashing them we are giving them more surface area to brown and become delicious in the oven. And of course if you want to make the garlic aioli like me, you have the perfect potato chip and dipping sauce! Here is how you make my parmesan crispy smashed potatoes!
Key Ingredients and Substitutions:
- Small Waxy Potatoes – Either use red or gold small potatoes. These are perfect size for smashing, while also having enough moisture content to dry out. Fingerling potatoes would also work well here.
- Olive Oil – I use olive oil to coat the potatoes for roasting. You can also use avocado oil, or grapeseed oil.
- Parmesan Cheese – This is totally optional, but I freshly grate parmesan and add to the olive oil to coat the potatoes before roasting. It adds a delicious flavor, and also helps them crisp up.
- Egg Yolks – This is for the aioli if you plan on making it, which I highly recommend you do! There are no substitutions for this, but you can use a whole egg instead of 2 egg yolks.
- Garlic – You need fresh garlic for the aioli. Do not use jarred minced garlic or garlic powder, it will not be good!
- Lemon – Fresh lemon juice is essential to balance the flavors in the aioli.
- Avocado Oil – This is what we will use in the aioli. Make sure you use a neutral flavor oil or it will taste bad. You can also use grapeseed oil here.
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SERVINGS: 4-6
- PREP TIME: 10 Mins
- COOK TIME: 1 Hr
- TOTAL TIME: 1 Hr 10 Min
These are great with roast chicken or Florentine butter chicken!
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs small round gold or red potatoes
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1.5 cups parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
Aioli:
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 2 large egg yolks
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup avocado oil
- ½ lemon, juiced
Preparation:
STEP 1.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
STEP 2.
Bring a pot of water up to a boil and season heavily with salt. Add the potatoes and boil for 10-20 minutes, until they are fork tender. Strain through a strainer and allow them to air dry for 5-10 minutes.
STEP 3.
On a cutting board or flat surface, smash the potatoes using a bench scraper or flat object. Place on a parchment lined sheet tray with an inch between each potato.
STEP 4.
In a bowl, mix together the olive oil, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, ½ lemon juiced and salt to taste. Brush this mixture onto each potato, on each side as well.
STEP 5.
Transfer to the oven and roast for 20 minutes, remove from the oven and flip each potato over. Roast for another 10-20 minutes until they are golden brown and crispy.
STEP 6.
While those are in the oven, make the aioli. Add the yolks, salt, garlic and lemon juice to a container that you can use with an immersion blender. Mix prior to adding oil.
Step 7.
Add your immersion blender and begin mixing, slowly add oil, a drizzle at a time to emulsify and then add more. Slowly adding oil allows the oil to mix with the yolks without the sauce “breaking.” Keep blending in the oil until the aioli is very thick.
Step 8.
Serve the potatoes with the aioli and enjoy!
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