Crispy, Cheesy Smushed Potatoes

This recipe, from Sheeba at “Go Healthy Ever After”, has only two modifications from the original. I have added a comma in the title and changed it from smashed to smushed. Preloaded with butter and cheese melted before it reaches the plate. If Latkes traded Applesauce for Cheese and had a baby with Baked Potato, this would be it.

With no offense intended toward the recipe creator, smashing was not successful. Smashing the potatoes will destroy them. Instead, think of them as smushed.  Your flat faced tool (meat mallet, cup/jar bottom, bench scraper, even a fork) should be in even contact with the potatoes, squishing with pressure, not splattering with force.

Simple and flexible, smushed baby yellow potatoes are topped with cheese and oven-roasted. Depending on the size of your potatoes, 3 or 4 make a substantial side. For a party, make a large batch and serve with chilled ranch or sour cream-based dips.

They can be smushed, basted, and refrigerated until time to bake. Before topping with cheese, the potatoes remain delicate. Keep them on parchment so that they stay together in the interim and can be slid around, not lifted.

Bonus: requires only one bowl, one sheet pan, and a utensil (plus and air fryer or big oven).

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Ingredients

Potatoes

• 1.5 lb baby potatoes (yellow preferred)

• 5 cloves garlic (trust me)

• 2 TB salt (sea or earth-based)

• ½ tsp Italian seasoning, gently crushed

Baste

• 2 TB olive oil (or algae, avocado, etc)

• 2 TB unsalted butter

• ½ tsp Italian seasoning

• ½ tsp red chili flakes (optional)

• ½ tsp black pepper

• ½ tsp kosher salt

Topping

• 1-2 cups freshly grated cheese (pre grated typically has anti caking agents and will not melt properly; any cheese, swiss/provolone/asiago/parmesan used)

• ½ tsp dried rosemary (if you have it)

• salt and pepper

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

2. Melt 2 TB butter in a small, heat safe bowl. Add 2 TB olive oil, ½ tsp each Italian seasoning, chili flakes, pepper, and salt. Mix well and set aside.

3. Scrub, rinse, and then

   1. Microwave Steam: Place potatoes in microwave-safe bowl, add 1 cup water, cover loosely, and cook on high until easily pierced with a fork (6-12 minutes, depending on potato size and oven Wattage)

      
      

      OR

      
      

   2. Boil: Place potatoes in pot, fill with water until several inches are covering the potatoes. Add garlic, ½ tsp Italian seasoning, and 2 TB salt. Cover pot and bring to boil, cooking 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender.

      
      

4. Smush potatoes.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Dry potatoes and space evenly. Using your choice of flat tools (fork, cup bottom, mallet, bench scraper, forehead), apply even downward pressure and smush potatoes until about ¼ inch thick, or until edges begin to crumble and break off like ice shelves.

   
   

5. Baste and bake potatoes.  Brush each potato with the seasoned butter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges begin to brown.

   
   

6. Sprinkle and Season.  Sprinkle potatoes evenly with cheese; then finish with rosemary, salt, and pepper. Roast in still-hot oven for 5 mins or until cheese melts.

   
   

7. Serve.  Rest until potatoes can be moved easily. Serve alongside something that needs a starch and cheese. They feel like they are best picked up, so a hotdog or sweet corn will show your guests they can use their hands.

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Thanks for cooking with me today.

I hope your friends and family like this as much as we did. If you're just cooking for one or two people, do not cut the recipe. They reheat well and can be topped with a fried egg for an almost-sandwich. Leftovers conquered!