Potato Dishes
Smashed Potatoes
Crispy smashed potatoes: small potatoes boiled until tender, squashed flat, then roasted in olive oil until the craggy edges are deep golden and crunchy. Below: oven or frying pan, and garlic and Parmesan, loaded and lemon versions.
- Serves 4
- Prep 10 min
- Cook about 1 hr
- Vegan
- British and American
Oven or frying pan? Our verdict ↓
Variations: Garlic and Parmesan, Loaded smashed potatoes, Lemon and herb ↓
Method
Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan, gas 7, 425°F). Put the potatoes in a pan of cold, well-salted water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15–20 minutes, until a knife slides in easily.
Drain and leave them to steam dry in the colander for 10 minutes. Dry potatoes crisp; wet ones steam.
Pour 3 tablespoons of the oil into a large roasting tin or baking tray and spread the potatoes out with plenty of space between them. Press each one down firmly with a potato masher or the base of a mug until it is about 1.5 cm (⅝ in) thick and splits at the edges. Broken bits are good: they become the crunchiest pieces.
Drizzle with the rest of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes, then carefully turn them with a fish slice.
Scatter over the garlic and rosemary and roast for another 15–20 minutes, until the edges are deep golden and very crisp.
Sprinkle with flaky salt and serve hot, with soured cream and chives for dipping if you like.
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Oven or frying pan?
Two well-rated ways to crisp a smashed potato.
| Method | How | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Oven (this recipe) | Boil, smash on an oiled tray, roast at 220°C (200°C fan, gas 7, 425°F) about 45 min, turning once | Hands-off, with an even, craggy crunch. BBC Good Food’s smashed roasties (4.9 from 11 ratings) roast floury potatoes at 200°C (180°C fan) for 1 hour. |
| Frying pan | Boil, smash to about 1 cm (½ in), shallow-fry in hot oil about 6 min a side | The crispiest crust, but you have to fry in batches (Serious Eats). |
Our verdict: roast in a hot oven for an easy side dish; pan-fry when you want maximum crunch for a few people.
Read on 1 November 2026: BBC Good Food: Sophie Godwin, “Smashed roasties”; Serious Eats: “Crispy Smashed Potatoes”.
Variations
Ways to change the main recipe. Each uses the same method unless it says otherwise.
Garlic and Parmesan
Sprinkle with 30 g (1 oz) finely grated Parmesan for the last 5 minutes.
Loaded smashed potatoes
Top with grated Cheddar for the last 5 minutes, then add crumbled crisp bacon, soured cream and sliced spring onions.
Lemon and herb
Finish with the grated zest of a lemon, a squeeze of juice and chopped parsley or dill.
Useful kit
- Large heavy roasting tin: a big, heavy tin that can go on the hob, so the potatoes sit in one layer and the fat stays hot. Amazon UK · Amazon US
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See also
Chef’s notes
- Small waxy or all-round potatoes keep their shape when smashed; floury potatoes give a fluffier, more broken result (BBC Good Food uses Maris Piper or King Edward).
- You can boil and smash the potatoes up to a day ahead; keep them covered in the fridge and roast when needed, adding a few minutes.
- Brown, not black: the Food Standards Agency advises cooking potatoes to a golden colour to keep acrylamide down.
Sources for these notes
For the history and the food-safety advice in the notes.
How this recipe was developed
A new recipe: smashed potatoes are a fast-growing search in the US (about level with home fries and potato wedges on Google Trends), and a popular way to roast new potatoes in the UK.
- Boil until tender, dry, smash. BBC Good Food (15 minutes, then steam dry) and Serious Eats (about 10 minutes, then rest 10 minutes) agree on the method.
- Hot oven. We roast hotter than BBC Good Food’s 200°C, for a slightly shorter time, with olive oil, garlic and rosemary.
Sources we compared (ratings as shown on each site on 1 November 2026):
- BBC Good Food (Sophie Godwin): BBC Good Food: Sophie Godwin, “Smashed roasties” (4.9/5 from 11 ratings)
- Serious Eats: Serious Eats: “Crispy Smashed Potatoes”
- Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK): GOV.UK (Food Standards Agency): Acrylamide (“go for gold”; storing raw potatoes)
This is an original Cookeryonline recipe written in our own words. Ingredient choices and techniques are credited above; no source text has been copied.