Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes

These savory Smashed Potatoes are smothered in creamy roasted garlic butter and then oven-roasted to perfection. Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, they make a delicious, gluten-free choice any time you need a potato side dish. 

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What are Smashed Potatoes?

Smashed potatoes are what happens to boiled potatoes when they take the road less traveled.

Instead of being mashed with milk and butter after boiling, smashed potatoes are … well, smashed. Then they're tossed with olive oil, herbs, and seasonings, and roasted at high heat until they are golden brown; crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.

There are many variations on the smashed potato theme (e.g., cheesy smashed potatoes, herby smashed potatoes, spicy smashed potatoes, etc.), but these roasted garlic smashed potatoes are our absolute favorite! 

This post may contain affiliate links, but don't worry - they won't bite.

Recipe Updated September 15, 2021 (Originally published September 29, 2013)

How to Make Garlic Smashed Potatoes with Compound Butter

Prep the Compound Butter (up to a week ahead of time)

First, make the roasted garlic compound butter by mashing together one half cup of softened butter with 25-30 roasted garlic cloves. Roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate until solid. This step can be done up to a week ahead of time. 

Roasted garlic is one of the most versatile cooking ingredients you can have in your kitchen. It keeps for weeks in the fridge, and can be frozen for up to a year. (For more detailed instructions, visit our post about how to roast garlic in the oven.) 

Prep Potatoes

Preheat oven to 450°F [232°C].

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. (We think the potatoes ultimately turn out crispier when using parchment, and even crispier if you use a bare, well-oiled heavy baking sheet.)

Do not peel the potatoes. 

Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and add enough water to cover the tops plus about half an inch. Place the saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil.

Once the potatoes are boiling, add a generous pinch of salt to the water, reduce heat, cover and simmer until potatoes are tender; about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.

Drain the boiled potatoes into a colander and allow them to steam dry for 5-10 minutes. 

Why should you avoid adding salt to a cold pan?

Prolonged contact with salt can cause pitting on stainless steel surfaces, and salt placed in cold water takes longer to dissolve.

While it’s unlikely that adding salt at the beginning of the heating process will cause any real damage while boiling a single pot of potatoes, the process repeated time after time has the potential to affect your pan’s surface.

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Place the potatoes in a medium bowl (or just reuse the dry, drained saucepan) and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with a sprinkling of kosher salt.

Smash Potatoes

Arrange the potatoes evenly on the prepared baking sheet.

Using one of the following useful implements, carefully flatten the potatoes until they are about a half- to three-quarters of an inch thick, keeping them in one piece if possible.

Useful Implements for Smashing Potatoes:

• Potato masher
• Bottom of a Mason jar
• Hamburger press

We bought our little red hamburger press on a whim when we found it on sale awhile back. The one shown here is actually one of two that came with a "stuffed burger" set. I didn't really expect to use it all that much - we've yet to "stuff" a burger - but it has nevertheless come in surprisingly handy! 

Drizzle the smashed potatoes with a little more olive oil, and then place a slice of the Roasted Garlic Compound Butter on the top. (The slices in the image below are ¼-inch thick and the size of a half-dollar, cut in half.)

You can use a knife to distribute the butter over the top of the potatoes before putting them in the oven if you want. We prefer to let it sit on top and form a sort of a roasted garlic cap.

Place the prepared potatoes into the preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.

Remove from the oven and season with another couple turns of the pepper mill and a sprinkling of kosher salt to taste.

What kind of potatoes work best for Smashed Potatoes?

In our experience, the variety of potato doesn’t matter as much as the type and size of the potato you choose.

Generally, choose fluffy potatoes over waxy varieties. We most often use baby Yukon Golds for this recipe, but we enjoy baby red Smashed Potatoes just as well.

You want to choose small potatoes, about the size of a golf ball and no larger than a chicken egg.

We LOVE potatoes! Check out these amazing recipes for Loaded Baked Potato Soup and Hot German Potato Salad! 

Do you love garlic? Try our recipes for Roasted Garlic Spinach-Artichoke Dip, Spaghetti Squash with Garlic & Almonds, and Garlic Roasted Baby Squashes! 

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