Crispy Smashed Potatoes With Pesto (Vegan)

Not to be confused with mashed potatoes, smashed potatoes are eaten individually, with the skin on, and after baking in the oven.

Smashed potatoes are incredibly easy to make and SO worth the time involved. While they take a bit of time to cook, the active cooking time is really not that long or complicated!

Any type of white potato should work, but I would recommend choosing smaller or mini potatoes. They cook faster, and you’ll have more bite-sized bits rather than a few really large potatoes.

I used mini red potatoes for this smashed potato recipe.

To make smashed potatoes, you begin by giving the potatoes a good wash (since you’re leaving the skin on).

Next, add the potatoes to a large pot, submerge them in water, and bring them to a boil. Continue to cook them for about 20 minutes, until they’re fork tender.

Drain the potatoes and place them in a large bowl to toss with olive oil and salt.

Then, spread them on a baking sheet (no need to line it) and “smash” each potato down with a potato masher or a fork.

TIP: Be gentle here and make sure not to push your fork all the way down to the tray – you don’t want them to fall apart.

As well, you want to make sure there’s a bit of space between the potatoes so that they will get a bit brown and crispy! Pop them in the oven at 425F and bake for 25 minutes.

You’ll ideally want to eat these smashed potatoes hot from the oven, but they do taste good leftover, too. Drizzle them with sauce, or dunk these little guys in your favourite dip.

While I chose to pair them with a pesto (inspired from a recent brunch), feel free to experiment with different sauces to eat them with. I love this version with a herby yogurt sauce. Even just a drizzle of olive oil, garlic powder, and fresh herbs would taste excellent.

You can’t really go wrong with hot, crispy potatoes, can you?!

If you have any leftover, simply store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Cooked potatoes can keep for about 3-5 days, but there’s a high chance they’ll be gone by then!

If planning on reheating the potatoes, do not add pesto or other sauce until immediately before eating. The best way to reheat these would be at a low temperature in the oven.

NOTE: leftover reheated potatoes will NOT be as crispy as the fresh ones. They still taste good though!

I’ve talked about this before, but YES – white potatoes are full of nutrition! Their bad rap is totally undeserving.

A 100-gram serving (2/3-cup) provides a THIRD of your daily vitamin C needs.

Potatoes are also high in vitamin B6 and potassium.

Because you’re leaving the skin on in this recipe, you’re also going to pack in tons of fibre. Fibre is good for your gut, heart health, blood sugar control, and weight management.