It was the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, who started the craze of Crash Hot Potatoes in the US, but Ree herself credits Australian food writer Jill Dupleix with this brilliant creation. Essentially, they are small potatoes that are cooked, smashed, and then roasted in the oven with oil. The result is an amazing combination of an almost crispy french fry or potato chip on the outside and a fluffy, creamy potato on the inside. These make an awesome side dish to go along with just about anything you would normally eat with potatoes. In our family, we love them smashed extra thin and cooked extra crispy. You can pick them up with your hands! I once made these in my Instagram stories and I have been getting DM’s ever since for the recipe so I’m sharing how I make them here on Our Best Bites so you can always find it! Kate has previously shared an awesome Cheesy Pesto version, which you can find here.
What kind of Potatoes should I use?
I love the flexibility of this recipe because you can really use any variety of small, round potato. I usually buy the little bags of red new potatoes. The little yellow potatoes are fantastic, too.
How to Cook the Potatoes
I just pop mine in simmering water until tender, but you can use an instant pot if you prefer, or steam them. You just want them fork tender.
Smash the Potatoes!
This is the best part. After the potatoes are tender, remove them from the water. I usually just strain them and then lay them out on a clean towel. Cover a baking sheet with oil- olive oil works great, but you can use an oil of choice. I don’t line my pan with foil because I’ve found they have a tendency to stick, and they also crisp better when directly on the pan.
Place potatoes on the baking sheet and roll them around a little so they are coated with oil. Then take a clean glass, or a flat-bottomed measuring cup and smash them.
Bake the Potatoes
Once they are all smashed, drizzle or brush a little more oil on top of each one, sprinkle with salt and pepper and pop them into the oven to bake until they are golden brown and crisp on the edges. If you have a convection mode on your oven, I recommend using it to really brown the outside!
How to Serve Crash Hot Potatoes
Our favorite way to serve these is with homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. But feel free to sprinkle fresh herbs on top at the end or give them a dollop of sour cream or even butter. You can press them down thin and bake them long so they are like giant french fries that you eat with your hands, or leave them a little thicker and eat with a knife and fork like a fancy baked potato. They make a great side dish for beef dishes, like our Pepperoncini Beef, or a simple steak.
Crash Hot Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs baby/small red or yellow potatoes
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
- kosher salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
- Boil, steam, or pressure cook potatoes until fork tender, drain, and then lay on a clean towel to dry.
- Drizzle a rimmed baking sheet generously with oil (2-3 tablespoons) and place potatoes on it. Roll them around a bit to coat with oil and then distribute them evenly around pan. Use the bottom of a sturdy drinking glass or measuring cup to smash each potato. Tip: To avoid sticking, it helps to spray the glass with non-stick spray or brush with oil occasionally.
- Drizzle the tops of the potatoes with more oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper.
- Bake for about 10 minutes or until crispy golden brown on the outside. Thicker /larger potatoes will take longer and thinner smaller ones will cook more quickly. I like to use convection mode to get the outsides extra crispy!
- Serve alone or with a dollop of sour cream or a drizzle of Buttermilk Ranch Dressing.
Questions & Reviews
These are my family’s absolute favorite potatoes. Thanks for the recipe and all the delicious things. Yum!
One of our favorite sides. The little tips here and the higher baking temp make this recipe so good.
I’ve been making these since Ree put out the recipe. My favorite is to brush them with butter after smashing, then sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Sooo yummy.
My daughter calls these potato cookies because they are baked on a sheet pan and she can pick them up and eat them like a cookie. The name has stuck and everyone loves when potato cookie comes up on the menu!
I made these but sprinkled them w Parmesan and garlic before I smashed them. Oh my what a treat!!
Can’t wait to try these! Do these need to be flipped over in the middle of cooking at all?
No, they don’t have to be! But if you want them extra crispy, you can 🙂
I have been making these for years, but we call them roasted smashed potatoes. The easiest way to get the potatoes smashed so that they are equal in thickness is to use another sheet pan to smash them. Place the second sheet pan on top of the potatoes and press down. You get a nice even thickness on all the potatoes!!
great idea!
How long in the instant pot?
I usually do the baby potatoes with a cup of water for about 5 minutes.