This flavorful, smashed potato recipe has a lovely crispy texture that nobody will forget. With a lighter, more delicate flavor than mashed potatoes, this dish has more possibilities and more flexibility then most potato recipes. This quick and easy-to-make meal is soft and warm on the inside, while crispy and crunchy on the outside. You can adjust the recipe to include your favorite herbs, and it will still have the same scrumptious taste. While still crumbly before cooking, trust your oven! It will transform these morsels from normal mashed potato in oil to an amazing, crisp gourmet side dish! Drizzle with fresh parsley oil for extra pizzaz.

Adapted for a smaller sized potato, from chef Alejandro Morales’ recipe in Bon Appetit, if you have nothing but large sized potatoes just cut them in half.

This recipe was written up and photographed by Caroline W. and Tess M.—6th graders at The Girls’ Middle School

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds small to medium red-skinned or Yukon gold potatoes, about 3 ounces each
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Wrap each potato in aluminum foil.  Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until tender, about 35 to 40 minutes.
2. Raise oven temperature to 450 degrees.
3. Unwrap potatoes (save the foil for another batch, later) and arrange on the same baking sheet.  Place a second rimmed baking sheet (of equal size) on top of the first, rimmed side up, covering the potatoes.  Press gently on the baking sheet “smashing” the potatoes with even pressure to a height of about 1/2 to 3/4 inch.  Be careful not to press so hard that the potatoes completely fall apart into pieces.
4. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with half the oil.  Move potatoes around in the oily patches on the pan so that the undersides become coated with oil too.
5. Roast potatoes for 15 minutes.  Drizzle with remaining oil then carefully turn each flattened potato over and continue roasting for another 15 minutes, until crisp and gold brown on the outside.