Smashed Baby Red Potatoes

Beautiful from the inside out, these smashed baby red potatoes are an herby, garlic-coated dream come true. A cross between a baked potato and mashed potatoes, their creamy and tender center is wrapped in a buttery, crispy exterior. They look and taste like rustic, rebellious French fries that have maintained their crunchy golden goodness.

The aroma they'll send wafting through your home, combined with how pretty they look on the table without, will earn you bonus points at any meal.

Learn how to make smashed red potatoes, and discover your new favorite weeknight side.

How To Make Smashed Red Potatoes

This smashed baby red potatoes have the crispy, golden, crunchy, salty, savory, buttery, and sometimes caramelized bites you crave with good potatoes. Here's how they're made:

• Boil potatoes: The potatoes are boiled first in garlic- and rosemary-infused water to tender perfection.
• Smash potatoes: Once the potatoes are cooked, drained, and slightly cooled, use either the heel of your hand, or, if they’re too hot to handle, a sturdy water glass or a mason jar coated with cooking spray for even and optimal smashing. This simple yet genius two-step cooking process makes every single bite of these smashed baby red potatoes taste just like the memory of that very best bite of mom’s school night potatoes.
• Bake the potatoes: After boiling and draining the potatoes, be sure to use a sheet pan large enough to assemble the potatoes in a single layer to ensure even roasting. Once the potatoes have been smashed, they are brushed with oil and head straight into the oven to roast until golden brown and crispy.
• Top with butter-herb mixture: As if they don’t emerge from the oven already looking absolutely delicious and ready to eat, the final step is the cherry, or rather, the butter on top. The potatoes are brushed with a mixture of melted butter, chopped fresh herbs, and garlic to add another layer of intense flavor and creamy texture. Is your mouth watering yet? Same, friends.

How To Serve Smashed Baby Red Potatoes

Guests will be thrilled to see a platter of these smashed potatoes make an appearance on the table. These potatoes are perfect as a holiday or weeknight side dish paired with proteins like roast turkey, baked chicken, or grilled steak and fresh seasonal vegetables like asparagus, broccoli, or Brussels sprouts.

These smashed potatoes are also fun as a tailgating snack to share with a crowd of rowdy and ravenous fans, or as an end-of-summer barbecue dish served with a creamy mayonnaise-based dip or a bright chimichurri sauce.

How To Reheat Leftover Smashed Potatoes

Got leftovers? Crisp the potatoes up in a skillet with butter and then top them with poached or jammy eggs. Make a pan-fried hash with leftover meat and smashed potatoes, or enjoy some steak and eggs with a side of these smashed baby reds.

Substitutions

If you can’t find baby red potatoes, multicolored baby potatoes, new potatoes, or any small creamer potatoes will work just fine. One of these varieties is typically available at most large scale supermarkets.

No matter what time of day or year you serve them, these potatoes are going to be an unforgettable crowd pleaser and earn a spot on your roster of year round home cooking go-to’s. Let’s all give thanks for these smashed baby red potatoes, or as I now refer to them, the golden children of potato dishes.

Editorial contributions by Christine Fiorentino.