Smashed potatoes look like a restaurant move but take one pot, one sheet pan, and about 45 minutes. The technique is foolproof: boil them soft, smash them flat, roast them hot, finish with herbs. Every serving has a creamy center with a crispy, golden, almost chip-like exterior. Serve with roast chicken, steak, eggs, or a big green salad — it's the side dish that makes any meal feel intentional.
Side
Easy
American
Smashed new potatoes with herbs
Baby potatoes boiled tender, smashed flat, and roasted to crispy golden edges with garlic, butter, and fresh herbs — the viral side dish, done right.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 4
Smashed new potatoes with herbs
Serves
4
Scaled 1×. Ingredients adjusted — but cook time, pan size, and oven temperature don't scale linearly. A bigger batch usually needs a bigger pan and a few extra minutes; a smaller batch often finishes sooner. Trust your eyes, not the timer.
Ingredients (15)
Herb finish
You'll need
- Large pot
- Sheet pan
- Potato masher or drinking glass bottom
- Small saucepan (for garlic butter)
Instructions
0 of 10
Nutrition
Estimated per serving · 1 serving (about 6 oz)
290
Calories
5 g
Protein
32 g
Carbs
17 g
Fat
4 g
Fiber
2 g
Sugar
520 mg
Sodium
What to look for when you shop
Best varieties
- Baby Yukon Gold — creamy, buttery flesh; the ideal smasher
- Baby Red — waxy, pretty red skins; holds shape beautifully
- Fingerling — long and narrow; smash lengthwise for elegant shapes
- Purple Peruvian — baby purple-fleshed potatoes; striking presentation
- Mixed "marble" or rainbow baby potato medley — visual impact
Ripeness
New potatoes should feel firm, have tight unwrinkled skins, and feel heavy for their size. Tiny potatoes with slightly peeling skin (a paper-like outer layer) are fresh-dug — this is normal and desirable for true new potatoes. Avoid sprouted, green, or soft potatoes.
Imperfections are fine
Slight blemishes, mud clinging to the skin, and irregular shapes are all fine. A dry, rough patch where the potato sat on the ground can be scrubbed off or left. Small size variation within a pound is normal.
Good substitutions
- Larger Yukon Golds, cut into 2-inch chunks — same technique, slightly longer boil
- Fingerlings — work beautifully; halve lengthwise before smashing
- Sweet potatoes (small) — 1-for-1 swap; reduce roast time by 5 minutes
- Baby beets (not potatoes, but lovely) for a variation
In season
True new potatoes are a spring harvest — April through June. "Baby potatoes" (small-variety potatoes) are available year-round from local farm storage.
How much to buy
About 1 1/2 lb — 1 1/2 quarts of baby potatoes.
From a grower near you
Find your new potato grower on CollectiveCrop
True new potatoes are a spring-only thing — young, thin-skinned, creamy, dug before the plant has fully matured. Supermarkets rarely sell the real version; what they label "baby potato" is usually just a small cultivar of a mature spud. CollectiveCrop is how you find the farm digging actual new potatoes in April through June. Boiled, smashed, and roasted hot, the texture is entirely the point.
- In season New potatoes: April – June. Baby potatoes: year-round
- For this recipe 1 1/2 lb / 1 bag
- Freshness Picked within this week
- Imperfects welcome Second-grade produce works great here
- Diet-friendly vegetarian · gluten-free
- While you're there Fresh dill, chives, parsley, thyme · Butter from a local dairy · Garlic · Fresh lemons · Spring onions and scallions
At the market
About 1 1/2 lb — 1 1/2 quarts of baby potatoes.
Best varieties
- Baby Yukon Gold creamy, buttery flesh; the ideal smasher
- Baby Red waxy, pretty red skins; holds shape beautifully
- Fingerling long and narrow; smash lengthwise for elegant shapes
Good to know
Tips
- Dry the potatoes thoroughly after boiling. Wet potatoes can't crisp no matter how hot the oven is.
- Smash with firm, confident pressure. Too-gentle smashing leaves you with flat round potatoes that don't crisp; aggressive smashing creates ragged edges where all the magic happens.
- Don't overcrowd the pan. Spacing between potatoes is what creates browning surface; touching potatoes steam each other.
- Use the biggest, hottest sheet pan you have. Cast iron sheet pans crisp even better than standard aluminum.
- Save some of the herb butter to spoon over the potatoes right as they come out of the oven — the hot potatoes absorb it.
- Leftover smashed potatoes make an excellent base for breakfast hash — dice and crisp in a pan with onions.
Storage
- Refrigerator: 4 days in an airtight container. Reheat to re-crisp.
- Raw potatoes: 2 to 4 weeks in a cool, dark place (not the fridge — cold turns starch to sugar).
- Freezer: not recommended for smashed — texture suffers.
Reheating
- Oven: 425°F (220°C) for 6 to 8 minutes.
- Air fryer: 375°F for 3 to 4 minutes — arguably better than fresh.
- Skillet: 3 minutes per side in a hot dry pan.
- Avoid the microwave — softens all the crisp edges.
Make ahead
- Boil potatoes up to 24 hours ahead; refrigerate in the pot.
- Make the garlic butter up to 3 days ahead; reheat gently to melt.
- Chop herbs up to 4 hours ahead; refrigerate covered.
- Smash and roast just before serving for best results.
Variations
- Parmesan crusted: sprinkle 1/2 cup grated Parmesan over the potatoes before the last 5 minutes of roasting.
- Everything bagel: toss with 2 tablespoons everything bagel seasoning before roasting.
- Lemon-caper: after roasting, toss with 2 tablespoons capers, more lemon juice, and extra parsley.
- Greek-style: swap the herb mix for dried oregano; top with crumbled feta and olives.
- Smoky paprika: replace red pepper flakes with 1 teaspoon smoked paprika.
- Chipotle-lime: rub with 1 teaspoon chipotle powder; finish with lime and cilantro instead of lemon and herbs.
- Miso butter: swap half the butter for 1 tablespoon white miso whisked into the rest.
- Bacon and cheddar: crumble cooked bacon and shredded cheddar over the last 5 minutes of roasting.
Swaps
- Vegan: use vegan butter or olive oil throughout; skip the Parmesan.
- Dairy-free: same — use olive oil in place of butter.
- Lower-fat: reduce butter to 2 tablespoons; finish with a simple herb sprinkle, not the full mix.
- No fresh herbs: use 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb blend in the butter.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are new potatoes?
New potatoes are young, small potatoes harvested before they reach full size — typically in spring. They have thin, delicate skin that doesn't need peeling and creamy, slightly sweeter flesh than mature potatoes. "Baby potatoes" in the supermarket are a similar category but may be simply small varieties, not truly young.
Why boil before smashing?
Boiling cooks the inside; smashing creates maximum surface area for the oven to crisp up. Skipping the boil means you have to roast much longer, and the insides never get creamy the same way. Boiling first is what makes this recipe work.
What's the best way to smash them?
The bottom of a drinking glass, a potato masher, a measuring cup, or even a meat mallet — anything flat and wider than the potato. Smash firmly but not too hard; you want the potato flattened to about 1/2 inch thick, still holding together in one piece.
Why aren't my smashed potatoes getting crispy?
Three reasons: they weren't boiled long enough (they need to be fork-tender), too much liquid from the boil water wasn't drained/dried, or the oven wasn't hot enough. 450°F, dried well, and fully cooked before smashing = guaranteed crisp.
Can I make smashed potatoes ahead?
Partially. Boil and smash up to 24 hours ahead, store covered in the fridge. Drizzle with oil and roast fresh for best crispness. The final 25 minutes in the oven can't be made ahead — it has to be just before serving.
What kind of potato is best?
Baby Yukon Gold, baby red, or fingerling potatoes are ideal — small, thin-skinned, and with creamy flesh. Avoid full-size russets, which fall apart when smashed. A mix of colors (purple, red, yellow) looks gorgeous on the plate.
Can I do this in an air fryer?
Yes. Boil as directed, smash, drizzle with oil and herbs, and air-fry at 400°F for 15 minutes until crispy. You may need to work in batches depending on basket size.
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