Smashed potatoes are one of my go-to meals to throw together when I’m running around the house doing a million other errands. They take about 10 minutes to make (prep time included!) and most of the cooking is done by the microwave.
I know microwave cooking sounds a little sketchy, but trust me here – they get perfectly tender in there with no babysitting, and all without having to preheat an oven or dirty a sheet pan.
The first step is to select your potatoes. You’ll want a starchy potato (no russets!) that’s no larger than the size of your fist. And by that, I really mean the size of my fist, because I have no idea how large yours is. Maybe I should have said a tennis ball?
Baby potatoes work really well, but since they’re pricier I usually just buy the 5lb bags of yukon gold or red potatoes and save the smallest ones of the bunch for smashing.
Once you have your potatoes hand, scrub them down good. We’re not peeling them, so you want to make sure to get all the dirt off the potatoes now. This is also a good time to cut out any really large eyes or gnarly bits. I leave most of the smaller eyes alone and don’t notice any difference once they’re smashed.
Arrange your potatoes on a plate and give them a gentle stabbing all around with a paring knife so you don’t accidentally make microwave bombs. I usually use no more than 5 small to medium sized potatoes at most. You’ll probably be able to add a few more if you’re using fingerling or baby potatoes.
Then just pop the whole plate into the microwave. My microwave takes 6 minutes to cook a plate full of potatoes, but your mileage may vary. You want your potatoes to be cooked to the point where they’ll give when you squeeze them.
When they’re at that point, grab a mug (and some oven mitts) and get to smashing your potatoes. If you find that they’re not smashing easily, you probably haven’t cooked your potatoes long enough.
Here comes the crisping part. Crank up a skillet to high heat and put in enough oil to generously cover the bottom of the skillet. Potatoes soak up a lot of oil, and you want to make sure that your potatoes crisp instead of burning or sticking to the pan.
Then drop your smashed potatoes in with a bit of salt and leave them alone until they’re golden-brown on the bottom. Flip them over and do the same to the other side.
Cover your plate with a few good dollops of sour cream and then slide your crispy, hot potatoes on top. I like to finish them off with a few grinds of black pepper and a sprinkle of coarse finishing salt. A sprinkle of cheese or a runny fried egg with sriracha are great topper options as well.
Happy eating!
Eat Your Heart Out 