Say hello to one of the most highly addictive things you will ever eat! These crispy smashed potatoes give you the best of both the fry and mashed potato worlds: crispy, craggy exteriors with a fluffy, light interior. 
I’m a bit of a potato fiend-I can never get enough! Who knows how much I actually eat before they hit the table, but let’s just say that if you are what you eat, I’m probably 25% potato. The world of smashed potatoes eluded me for quite some time. I could never get the timing right, as there’s a delicate balance between undercooking and overcooking the potatoes. Undercooked potatoes will be impossible to smash and overcooked potatoes will completely fall apart; they should be just starting to turn tender but still offer a little resistance when poked. They will finish cooking when you fry them so don’t be scared to undercook them slightly. We’re not looking for mashed potatoes!
Let the potatoes cool slightly as this will dry out the interior and help keep the potatoes together when you smash them. I like to use this meat pounder because you can get some good leverage on it, but any flat object will work. Just wipe the bottom off after each smash or it will cause the interior to stick like crazy to the pounder.
A pan-sear with olive oil (or chicken fat!) gives these that crispy, golden-brown crust. Fried onions and parsley are all you need to finish it off! Plus crème fraîche mixed with chives because all my potatoes must have some sort of sour cream/onion dipping sauce…I just don’t know how to do potatoes without that.
If you really want to do this right, roast a chicken and use the chicken fat (mixed with a little olive oil, if you don’t have enough) to cook the potatoes. You’ll have your entire meal done with the two recipes and it will most definitely be one of the most comforting, satisfying meal you could make.
[tasty-recipe id=”36676″]
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