How to Make Crispy Smashed Potatoes (and Keep Them Crisp)

This makes about 3 to 4 servings:
1. Boil about 1½ pounds of small potatoes in well-salted water for 15 to 25 minutes, depending on their size, until a knife slides in easily.
2. Drain them and leave them in the colander for 5 minutes so the steam escapes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 425°F.
3. Put the potatoes on an oiled baking sheet. Press each one with the bottom of a glass or a potato masher until it is about half an inch (1 to 1.5 cm) thick. Don’t worry if some break apart: the rough edges are the crispiest part.
4. Brush or drizzle both sides generously with oil, then season with salt and pepper.
5. Roast for 35 to 45 minutes, flipping once after about 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges are deep golden brown and crisp.
6. Add minced garlic, herbs or grated Parmesan in the last 5 to 10 minutes so they don’t burn, then serve straight away.

Ovens vary, and recipes use anywhere from 400°F to 450°F, so go by color: you want deep golden edges, not pale ones.

Small, waxy potatoes work best: baby potatoes, creamers, or small red or yellow potatoes. They hold their shape when you press them, and they cook through before the edges overbrown. Red potatoes are often described as crisper than other types, though they can take a little longer to cook. Choose potatoes of a similar size so they finish together, and leave the skins on, because the skin crisps beautifully.

Four things matter most. First, dry potatoes: steam is the enemy of crunch, so let them sit in the colander before you smash them. Second, thin potatoes: the more surface you expose, the more crispy edge you get, so press them to about half an inch. Third, plenty of oil: it browns the surface and fries the edges in the oven, so coat both sides and don’t skimp. Fourth, space: crowded potatoes steam instead of roasting, so leave gaps between them and use two pans if you need to. For an even crisper bottom, some cooks heat the oiled pan in the oven first and lay the potatoes on it so they sizzle on contact. And don’t over-boil them: a waterlogged potato that falls apart won’t crisp, so stop as soon as a knife slides in easily.

Francis Mallmann teaches nine ways to cook the potato in his Potatoes, A Love Affair lesson, including his smashed potatoes, papas aplastadas. He boils the potatoes, presses them flat by hand and cooks them slowly in clarified butter on a plancha, a round flat grill, until they have a thick, crunchy crust and a tender inside. Don’t have a plancha? Francis says a cast-iron pan does the same job at home. His method and the oven version above share the same idea: cook the potato through first, flatten it, and give it plenty of fat and heat.

You can do the first half ahead. Boil the potatoes, let them cool completely so no condensation forms, and refrigerate them for a day or two. Then smash, oil and roast them just before you serve. Refrigerate any leftover smashed potatoes within two hours of cooking and eat them within four days. To bring the crunch back, reheat them in a hot oven, around 400°F for 10 to 20 minutes, or in an air fryer. A microwave will soften the crust.

Smashed potatoes are a crispy side dish for steak, fish or chicken. Garlic butter, rosemary, thyme, paprika or Parmesan all suit them. Once you have the technique down, see our roundup of potato side dishes, which covers the main potato types and holiday recipes, and our guide to baking the perfect potato.