Pohhh-tayyy-toesssss. What is it about potatoes that just says, “I am the perfect food for you to eat all day every day”? I really can’t put my finger on it, but I’m pretty sure I’d be okay with eating potatoes 3 meals a day for at least a few days in a row.
Recently, smashed potatoes are quite a hit. You can find a new recipe for them any day of the week. But, I’m pretty lazy and kind of snub my nose at any recipe that requires cooking in a pan first, then in the oven later.
I mean, can’t we just get it all done with one cooking method?
Most smashed potatoes require boiling the potatoes first and then sticking them in the oven to crisp. Aside from using two cooking methods, this also requires that I turn my oven on in the heat of summer… which is not ideal.
So what did I do? I simplified.
First, we start by boiling the whole baby red potatoes. You can buy giant ones, but I don’t recommend it. Babies cook quicker, smash better, fit in the pan better… You get it. Get small ones.
Anyway, you boil them, then drain. Then you toss them with the above delicious olive oil-mustard-shallot mixture and put them back into the pan you boiled them in.
Then you smash them. This part is kind of fun, but don’t go too gung ho on ’em.
Finally, you put that there pot right back on the stove and brown them in the pot. Flip each one over and brown the other side, and you’re a winner.
Note: Just for the photos, I put these in a cast iron skillet so that you could see them. I normally make them in the same stock pot I boiled them in, and it’s perfect!
You’re probably wondering if they taste exactly like the boiled-then-baked kind. Well, no. They don’t. They’re not the exact same, but they’re pretty darn close.
And the ways they are different actually make them even better in their own way. All in one potato you get the crispy skin but plenty of mushy potato insides that you love.
And can we talk about the dijon dressing? it’s not really a dressing because they are cooked in it but IT IS SO GOOD. I made these babies twice and each time I was just impressed with how much a little bit of dijon and rosemary can elevate a dish.
If you are doing a smaller celebration for the holdiays, definitely give these a go. Due to their in-pot nature you can’t really make a huge batch at one time unless you use multiple pots or a really, really large pot.
If you do that, please send me photos.
But these really are perfect for a smaller celebration, or any time you want to have dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes and make people think you spent twice that much. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
This delicious recipe for Cheater Smashed Red Potatoes is the easy, one-pot, no-bake way to make smashed potatoes.
Ingredients
Scale
1 1/2 lb small red potatoes (about 15)
1 Tbsp minced shallot
1 Tbsp minced rosemary
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
Instructions
Place the potatoes in a single layer in the bottom of a large pot. Don’t cram them – give them some room to breathe.
Add enough water to cover the potatoes by about a half inch of water, then bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, cook the potatoes for about 15 minutes, until they are easily pierced by a fork but are not falling apart. Drain.
While the potatoes boil, combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
Place the potatoes back into the pot, then add the dijon mixture. Toss to cover the potatoes.
Use the bottom of a pint glass or other flat object to gently smash the potatoes until they burst.
Place the pot back over the heat and cook over medium-high heat for about 4-5 minutes, until nicely browned and crispy. Use a fork or spoon to turn the potatoes over one-by-one, then cook for another few minutes to brown that side.
Remove from the heat and serve immediately!
Notes
– Just for the photos, I put these in a cast iron skillet so that you could see them. I normally make them in the same pot I boiled them in, and it’s perfect!
Prep Time:5 mins
Cook Time:25 mins
Category:Side Dish
Method:Stove Top
Cuisine:Comfort Food
Keywords: smashed, red potatoes, cheater, easy, side dish
If you love your potatoes, then try out some of these tasty recipes:
Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Raquel Smith
Raquel is a whole foods enthusiast, an avid mountain biker, and a dog lover. She works by day at Food Blogger Pro and formerly maintained her food blog "My California Roots" (now merged into Foodal).
Red potatoes are great for roasting, cooking in soups, or boiling or steaming for potato salad. The waxy nature of the flesh means they'll maintain their shape, but it also means they will get gluey when overworked, so you'll want to choose a different potato for mashing.
Gordon Ramsay begins by boiling the potatoes in salted water.Next, he drains the potatoes.After that, he stirs in butter, sour cream, herbs, and seasoning. This is Gordon Ramsay's version of smashed potatoes, which differs from the one in this recipe.
Smashed potatoes will fall apart if they are overcooked or if you try to mash them while they are still hot. Long story short - cook the potatoes until al dente (slightly firm). Don't overcook the potatoes! Last - cool the potatoes completely before smashing them.
While some people might use the terms smash and mash interchangeably, they are not the same. 'Smash' is when you merely break something into pieces.However, "mash" means you reduce a food to a soft, pulpy mass.
Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes. Cold water is used because hot water would react with the starch activating it, making it harder to separate from the potatoes.
A potato ricer is widely regarded as the best tool for mashed potatoes that are smooth and fluffy. Built like a big garlic press, it works by pushing cooked potatoes (one or two at a time) through a perforated grate, creating stringy, broken-down potato bits without releasing a ton of starch.
On average, one person will eat 3/4 cup of mashed potatoes. If you're making this mashed potato recipe, you might want to dial it up to 1 cup per person! They are that good!
Boil, roast or bake a red potato, include some fresh herbs and seasonings, add fresh veggies, and it's still delicious and fat free. Naturally sodium free and high in potassium, red potatoes are a major contributor of maintaining a healthy blood pressure.
With popular diets like Ketogenic, carbs and starchy foods like potatoes have been deemed unhealthy. However, just like most food groups, mashed potatoes can be healthy if eaten in moderation, and depending on how they are cooked.
Option 1: Turn up the heat on your stovetop to draw out the moisture. Option 2: Add a teaspoon of a thickening agent like cornstarch, flour or powdered milk until you reach the desired thickness. Option 3: Mix in 1 tablespoon of dehydrated potatoes until mashed potatoes are thicker.
Instead of regular milk, pro chefs generally use a generous helping of buttermilk and plenty of half-and-half or (even better) heavy cream in their potatoes. If you think the bartenders up front are pouring heavy, they've got nothing on the cooks in the back who are in charge of the mashed potatoes.
Mashed potato or mashed potatoes (American, Canadian and Australian English), colloquially known as mash (British English), is a dish made by mashing boiled or steamed potatoes, usually with added milk, butter, salt and pepper. It is generally served as a side dish to meat or vegetables.
What is the KFC mashed potatoes recipe? Dried potato flake powder reconstituted with hot water and then a small amount of butter added. Likely seasoned with MSG, table salt, and black pepper.
These waxy potatoes are the darlings of the salad set because they look great, keep their shape, and offer a creamy texture. They're low in starch and high in moisture so they're perfect when boiled or roasted.
Russet or Idaho potatoes are "starchy" and tend to lose their shape and absorb more moisture as they cook. Red-skinned potatoes and fingerling potatoes have a "waxy" starch that helps them keep their shape as they cook. However, they don't absorb moisture as well as Russets do.
After taking into account the mineral density, the vitamin density, the macronutrient balance, the sugar-to-fiber ratio, the sodium-to-potassium ratio, and the phytochemical profile, red potatoes are the healthiest potato with data from the USDA Food Database.
Red Potatoes have a thinner skin and a subtle, sweet flavor. Their waxy texture helps them stay firm throughout cooking, making them ideal for stews, soups and salads. They roast beautifully and are a colorful addition as a side dish.
Introduction: My name is Horacio Brakus JD, I am a lively, splendid, jolly, vivacious, vast, cheerful, agreeable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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