These Crispy Smashed Potatoes are not your average side dish! They also make a great appetizer drizzled with our garlic-herb oil or topped with your favorite toppings.
Move over mashed potatoes.
These Crispy Smashed Potatoes are about to steal the show. With their tender insides and crispy edges, they’re anything but average. The best part is all of the nooks and crannies you get when you smash the cooked potatoes – this is where you’ll find all of that herbed ghee or olive oil puddling making every bite just as fabulous as the last.
To cook the potatoes you can either boil them on the stovetop until they’re tender and easily pierced with a fork or toss them into an Instant Pot and let them cook while you make the garlic-herb oil.
Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner.
Like our nearly famous Crispy Garlic Ranch Roasted Potatoes, these Crispy Smashed Potatoes are a perfect addition to any meal. Try them alongside your favorite egg muffins, homemade sausage patties or even just a couple eggs fried your way. For lunch, add a few to a salad to add substance and flavor. And for dinner? Serve them with everything and anything.
We’re particularly fond of them with this One-Pan Pork Loin with Brussels and Apples or Slow Cooker BBQ Beef (you haven’t lived until you’ve topped these crispy little gems with slow-cooked barbecue beef).
Crispy Smashed Potatoes do double duty as a side dish or appetizer. #realfood #whole30 Click To TweetAlso makes a great appetizer.
These crispy smashed potatoes aren’t just for meals, in fact, they’re the perfect appetizer because the potatoes can be cooked ahead of time then smashed and roasted just before serving. They’re even addictingly delicious served at room temperature. Serve the garlic-herb oil on the side for some serious dipping, or drizzle over the top and sprinkle with red pepper flakes or flaked sea salt and watch your guests go wild.
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Crispy Smashed Potatoes
- Prep Time: 15 min.
- Cook Time: 50 min.
- Total Time: 1 hr. 5 min.
- Yield: Serves 4 as side (8-10 as an appetizer) 1x
- Cuisine: Whole30, Paleo

Ingredients
For the Potatoes:
- 1 lb. small red potatoes (about 1½ – 2 inches in diameter)
- 1 Tbsp. ghee (may sub olive oil, but ghee makes them crispier)
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil or avocado oil
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. onion powder
- Coarse salt & cracked black pepper to taste
For the Garlic-Herb Oil:
- ¼ cup olive oil or avocado oil
- ½ cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves
- 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary
- 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme
- 1 small clove garlic
- ¼ tsp. salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450℉.
- Add 1 cup water to the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add metal rack/trivet or a steaming basket and add potatoes on top. Potatoes may also be boiled on the stovetop until tender and easily pierced with a fork.
- Secure lid and cook for 15-17 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- Remove potatoes from Instant Pot. Lightly pat them dry using a clean kitchen towel or paper towel and transfer to a large parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet.
- Toss hot potatoes with ghee, oil, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Use a glass with a flat bottom (an old-fashioned or low-ball glass works well), gently press down on potatoes to flatten them to about ½-inch thick.
- Sprinkle potatoes with salt and pepper and bake 28-30 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the underside and crisp on the edges.
- While the potatoes are baking, combine garlic-herb oil ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
- Drizzle potatoes with garlic-herb oil just before serving or serve on the side for dipping.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ~3 oz. potatoes + 1½ Tbsp. oil
- Calories: 301
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 312mg
- Fat: 21g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
Pin it now and make it later!
Photo Credit: The photos in this blog post were taken by Jess of Plays Well with Butter.
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Katherine says
This looks delicious, but what if I don’t have an Instant Pot? Would you recommend that I bake or boil the potatoes?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Katherine,
Boiling the potatoes on the stovetop until they’re easily pierced with a fork works really well.
Corrinne says
I am going to make these potatoes this weekend! I’ve already made the chicken dijon drumsticks and will have these potatoes to have with them instead of mashed pots! Oh, yum! I cannot wait for dinner!
Amy Price says
Made these last night to pair with a pork tenderloin. I don’t own an Instant Pot, so I just boiled the potatoes for about 15 minutes before tossing and smashing. These potatoes are so easy but feel special…my husband called them “fancy.” I didn’t have enough herbs to make the dipping oil, but the potatoes are plenty flavorful on their own. Saved the leftovers to eat with a fried egg on top today! Thanks for another healthy, wholesome winner!
Jessica Beacom says
We love this!!