Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Garlic

Smashed potatoes are what happens when a roasted potato and a hash brown have their best qualities combined: you boil baby potatoes until tender, flatten each one with a glass, then roast them hot until the rough, craggy edges turn shatteringly crisp while the centers stay fluffy. A garlic butter finish and a shower of herbs make them very hard to stop eating.

The method gives you far more crispy surface than any cubed roast potato ever could — every smashed disc is mostly edge. It is the same crisp-first thinking behind our Crispy Baked Potato Wedges, pushed further. Garlic goes on after roasting, not before, so it perfumes the potatoes instead of burning in the hot oven.

Serve them next to roast chicken, steak or our Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Thighs, or set out a tray with sour cream and chives as a game-day snack. They hold their crisp better than fries do, which makes them the rare hot potato side that survives a buffet table.

Small potatoes smash best

Baby Yukon Golds or small red potatoes, about 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) across, are the right size: big enough to smash into a satisfying disc, small enough to crisp through. Yukon Golds give the creamiest centers and the most golden edges; red potatoes hold together slightly better. Whichever you choose, pick potatoes of similar size so they all finish boiling at the same moment, and smash gently — you want a cracked disc, not mashed potato.

Dry potatoes and a hot pan

Water is crispness's enemy twice here: drain the boiled potatoes and let them steam-dry in the colander for a full five minutes before smashing, and roast on a generously oiled, preheated sheet pan so the undersides start crisping on contact. Crowding is the third enemy — leave space between discs so their edges roast instead of steaming each other soft.

Ingredients

• 2 lb baby Yukon Gold potatoes (900 g)
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt (18 g), for the boiling water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil (45 ml)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (6 g), for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (1.5 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (1.5 g)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (28 g)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced (about 6 g)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (8 g)
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan (22 g), optional
• Sour cream and sliced chives, to serve

Amounts are for the yield below. US customary measures first, grams in brackets for scale users.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Boil the potatoes. Put the potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water by 1 inch (2.5 cm), and add the tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 18 to 22 minutes, until the potatoes are completely tender — a knife should slide into the largest one with no resistance. Undercooked centers will crack apart instead of smashing.
2. Dry and heat the pan. Drain the potatoes and leave them in the colander for 5 minutes to steam-dry; this step is essential for crisp edges. Meanwhile heat the oven to 425°F (218°C) with a large rimmed sheet pan inside, so the pan is hot when the potatoes land.
3. Smash the potatoes. Tip the potatoes onto the hot, oiled pan — use 2 tablespoons of the olive oil on the pan itself. With the flat bottom of a sturdy glass or measuring cup, press each potato down to about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick. A slight twist as you press makes extra craggy edges, and craggy edges are where the crisp lives.
4. Season and roast. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the potatoes and sprinkle with the salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, without turning, until the undersides and edges are deep golden and crisp. Turning risks breaking the discs; the hot pan does the underside work for you.
5. Garlic butter finish. Stir the minced garlic into the melted butter. Brush or spoon it over the hot potatoes as soon as they leave the oven — the residual heat cooks the garlic just enough to take off its raw bite without any risk of burning. Scatter with parsley and Parmesan, if using.
6. Serve hot. Serve straight from the pan or piled on a warm platter, with sour cream and chives alongside. Eat them while the edges still crackle — they are at their absolute best in the first fifteen minutes.

Nutrition estimate

Nutrition figures are estimates calculated from standard ingredient data for the yield stated. Your actual values will vary with brands, substitutions and portion sizes — treat them as a guide, not a guarantee.

Storage & reheating

Leftovers keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat on a sheet pan in a 425°F (218°C) oven for 8 to 10 minutes or in the air fryer at 400°F (200°C) for 5 minutes and most of the crisp returns — the microwave softens them. Boiled, un-smashed potatoes can be refrigerated for a day, then smashed and roasted as written. Nutrition figures are estimates from standard ingredient data and vary with brands and substitutions.

Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Garlic

★★★★★★★★★★ FryDaily kitchen score 4.9/5 — our own editorial rating from testing, not reader reviews.

Shattering crisp edges, fluffy centers, garlic butter — the potato side that steals dinner.

Yield: 6 servings  ·  Scale: 1x2x3x

Prep10 minutes

Cook45 minutes

Total55 minutes

Servings6 servings

Calories210 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 lb baby Yukon Gold potatoes (900 g)
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt (18 g), for the boiling water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil (45 ml)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (6 g), for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (1.5 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (1.5 g)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (28 g)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced (about 6 g)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (8 g)
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan (22 g), optional
• Sour cream and sliced chives, to serve

Tick ingredients off as you prep, and tap a step below to mark it done as you cook. Scaling adjusts the listed amounts - seasoning to taste stays your call.

Instructions

1. Boil the potatoes. Put the potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water by 1 inch (2.5 cm), and add the tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 18 to 22 minutes, until the potatoes are completely tender — a knife should slide into the largest one with no resistance. Undercooked centers will crack apart instead of smashing.
2. Dry and heat the pan. Drain the potatoes and leave them in the colander for 5 minutes to steam-dry; this step is essential for crisp edges. Meanwhile heat the oven to 425°F (218°C) with a large rimmed sheet pan inside, so the pan is hot when the potatoes land.
3. Smash the potatoes. Tip the potatoes onto the hot, oiled pan — use 2 tablespoons of the olive oil on the pan itself. With the flat bottom of a sturdy glass or measuring cup, press each potato down to about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick. A slight twist as you press makes extra craggy edges, and craggy edges are where the crisp lives.
4. Season and roast. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the potatoes and sprinkle with the salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, without turning, until the undersides and edges are deep golden and crisp. Turning risks breaking the discs; the hot pan does the underside work for you.
5. Garlic butter finish. Stir the minced garlic into the melted butter. Brush or spoon it over the hot potatoes as soon as they leave the oven — the residual heat cooks the garlic just enough to take off its raw bite without any risk of burning. Scatter with parsley and Parmesan, if using.
6. Serve hot. Serve straight from the pan or piled on a warm platter, with sour cream and chives alongside. Eat them while the edges still crackle — they are at their absolute best in the first fifteen minutes.

Calories: 210 kcalProtein: 4 gCarbohydrates: 28 gFat: 10 gSaturated fat: 3 gSodium: 480 mgFiber: 3 gSugar: 1 g

Tested in the FryDaily kitchen, October 2026. Printing? This card is designed to print cleanly on its own.

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