Best Smashed Potatoes (Golden & Crispy)
The best smashed potatoes are boiled until fork-tender, flattened on an oiled tray, brushed with butter, then roasted at 200°C (392F) until the edges turn deeply golden and crisp. You get the two textures everyone actually wants from a potato: a shatteringly crisp, craggy crust on the outside and a soft, fluffy interior. They work as a side for almost any main, or on their own with a good dip.
This is a classic, no-fuss recipe with a short ingredient list you almost certainly have on hand. The trick is not in fancy technique but in a couple of small steps that most people skip: letting the potatoes dry before they go in the oven, and giving them enough heat and fat to crisp up properly.
Why You’ll Love These Crispy Smashed Potatoes
These smashed potatoes hit every texture note at once. The flattened shape means more surface area touching the hot tray, so more of each potato turns crisp and golden instead of just the top. Underneath that crust the middle stays creamy and fluffy, and the finish of fresh green onion and dill keeps them from feeling heavy.
- Only seven everyday ingredients, no special equipment needed.
- Crisp edges and a soft centre in every bite.
- Easy to scale up for a crowd or a holiday table.
- A blank canvas for whatever herbs, spices, or dips you like.
The Ingredients You’ll Need
Here is what goes into the tray, and why each part matters:
- Potatoes (800 g, medium): medium potatoes hold their shape when boiled and smash into a nice craggy disc. Aim for pieces of a similar size so they cook evenly.
- Olive oil (2 tablespoons): used to coat the baking tray so the potatoes crisp from underneath and lift off cleanly.
- Butter, melted (4 tablespoons): brushed over each smashed potato before baking for rich flavour and a golden top. This is what makes the recipe vegetarian rather than vegan.
- Salt and pepper (½ teaspoon each): season the boiling water and the potatoes before roasting so the flavour goes all the way through.
- Green onion and dill (1 tablespoon each, chopped): scattered on at the end for a fresh, aromatic lift.
Want to keep them plant-based? Swap the melted butter for extra olive oil or a good vegan butter. The method stays exactly the same and the potatoes still crisp up beautifully.
How to Get Them Perfectly Crispy
There are a few ways to coax crisp edges out of smashed potatoes, and the boil-then-smash-then-roast method is the one I keep coming back to. Personally, I prefer this method because it gives the most reliable crunch without any deep frying. A handful of small details make the difference:
- Boil until truly tender. Cook the potatoes with the lid on for 30 to 35 minutes, until they pass the fork test. If they are still firm in the middle, they will not smash cleanly.
- Let the moisture evaporate. After smashing, leave the potatoes on the tray for about 5 minutes. Surface steam is the enemy of crispness, so give it time to escape before they bake.
- Do not crowd the tray. Leave a little space around each potato so hot air circulates and the edges brown instead of steaming against each other.
- Brush every potato with fat. A coat of melted butter over each one helps the top turn golden and carries the salt and pepper into the crust.
- Trust the high heat. A hot 200°C (392F) oven for about 30 minutes is what sets the crisp crust. Pull them once the edges are golden and lightly crunchy.
What to Serve With Smashed Potatoes
Because they are crisp, buttery, and mild, these potatoes slot in next to almost anything. For a cosy vegetarian dinner, serve them alongside basic stuffed portobello mushrooms or a bowl of warming mushroom curry to soak up the sauce with those crunchy edges.
They are also made for dipping. Set out a bowl of creamy hummus or a pour of vegan nacho cheese sauce and let everyone help themselves. If you love a crispy potato in any form, my spicy batata harra is a great next recipe to try.
Storing and Reheating
Smashed potatoes are at their crispiest fresh from the oven, but leftovers keep well. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To bring back the crunch, reheat them in a hot oven or air fryer rather than the microwave, which softens the crust.
To get ahead, boil the potatoes earlier in the day and keep them covered in the fridge, then smash, brush, and roast just before serving. That way the crisp edges are always at their best when they reach the table.
If you make these crispy smashed potatoes, I’d love to know how they turned out. Leave a star rating and drop a comment below to tell me which dip or herb combo you paired them with.
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Best Smashed Potatoes (Golden & Crispy)
Ingredients
- 800 g potatoes medium
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon green onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon dill chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 200°C (392F).
- Put the potatoes in a large pot with water and salt.
- Bring to a boil and leave to cook, with the lid on, for 30-35 minutes, or until they become soft and pass the fork test.
- Drain the potatoes from the water.
- Oil the tray lined with baking paper. Arrange the potatoes and smash them with the flat bottom of a glass or a potato masher, enough to flatten them.
- Leave the smashed potatoes on the tray for another 5 minutes so that the excess moisture evaporates.
- Brush each potato with melted butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake them for about 30 minutes, or until they become golden and slightly crispy.
- Sprinkle the baked potatoes with green onions and fresh dill.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most common culprit is trapped moisture. After smashing, let the potatoes sit on the tray for about 5 minutes so surface steam can evaporate, and avoid crowding them so hot air can circulate. A hot 200°C (392F) oven and a proper brush of fat on each potato are what set the crisp crust.
This recipe uses about 800 g of medium potatoes, which hold their shape when boiled and smash into a nice craggy disc. Choose pieces of a similar size so they cook evenly and reach fork-tender at the same time.
Yes. Boil the potatoes with the lid on for 30 to 35 minutes, until they are soft and pass the fork test. Only fully tender potatoes will flatten cleanly and turn fluffy inside once roasted.
Absolutely. As written the recipe is vegetarian because of the melted butter, but you can swap that butter for extra olive oil or a good vegan butter. The boil, smash, and roast method stays exactly the same and the edges still crisp up.
Bake the smashed potatoes at 200°C (392F) for about 30 minutes, until they are golden and lightly crispy at the edges. Roasting them tender first, then finishing at high heat, is what gives the crisp crust and soft centre.
You can boil the potatoes earlier in the day and keep them covered in the fridge, then smash, brush with butter, and roast just before serving. Cooked leftovers keep for up to 3 days and are best reheated in a hot oven or air fryer to bring back the crunch.
So crispy! Loved them!