Deliciously Cheesy Crispy Smashed Potatoes Recipe
This cheesy smashed potatoes recipe is an IRRESISTIBLE oven roast of melted cheese and CRISPY BACON over tender CRUNCHY baby potatoes! You will not find better!
Ingredients
- 1 kilo/2.2lb approxiamtely 20 baby potatoes, skin on, left whole
- 40 grams butter, melted (3 tbsps)
- salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, use your hands or a pastry brush to coat all the potatoes
- 250 grams bacon, chopped
- 1 ½ cups cheese, goud or cheddar
- fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Rinse the potatoes: Rinse the potatoes rubbing any dirt off and leave the skins on.
- Cook the potatoes: Add the potatoes to a large pot, top them up with regular cold tap water, add a tablespoon of salt, lid on and bring to the boil. Cook the potatoes for 25 minutes or until fork tender.
- Get the oven on: Preheat the oven to 190°C / 374°F and place the rack in the middle of the oven.
- Drain: Pour the potatoes into a colander and drain the water out. Place the colander over the now dry pot that they cooked in and place the lid over the colander. It wont fit the pot tightly, that's fine. Leave them there for 5 minutes, it helps them steam finish.
- Smash: Gently toss the potatoes onto the oven tray (sheet pan) and use either an egg lifter or fork to press down onto the potatoes. Remember the idea is to keep them smashed but in one piece so don't make mash! See notes below.
- Season and add oil: Use your hands to smear (rub) the olive oil coating all the potatoes. Season well with salt and pepper, pour melted butter over and bake for 25 minutes or until fork tender.
- Add bacon and cheese: Remove, add the bacon and cheese and bake for an additional 18 minutes or until the bacon is crispy and the cheese melted. Roughly a total of 45 minutes.
- Grill/Broil: If you want them more brown and crispy, turn the grill / broiler on and put them under, move the tray to the top rack and grill for 2 minutes but watch them closely to not burn!
- Garnish and serve: Serve warm with fresh chopped parsley and sea salt.
Notes
Cooking the potatoes: Lid on, bring to the boil assuming your lid has holes for the steam to escape and avoid the over bubbling. If not, wait for it to boil, then move to a slight slant.
Adding the oil: You can use a pastry brush or your hands to coat the oil over the potatoes.
Smashing: You will find what works best for you, personally, I find a fork takes longer but press down without making a mess and you get to control the pressure applied when smashing.
Roasting time: Why we don't add the bacon and cheese from the beginning? To avoid the bacon over crisping and drying out.
Grill/Broil: If the potatoes are not as crispy as you want, then turn the grill on. In South Africa, a grill is the top heating element inside the oven that browns the top of your food. Also known as a broiler or 'to broil' in America and possibly other names in other countries.
Cooking: Ovens are all different so when you take the potatoes out to add bacon and cheese, is a good time to see which side of the potatoes are browning quicker. In which case, rotate the oven tray for overall browning.
Prep: I would not suggest peeling the pototoes for a smashed potato recipe. You need the skin to hold the potato together. Besides, it has many benefits as well as additional texture and flavor to the meal.
What to use to smash potatoes? A fork, an egglifter, the bottom of a glass whatever works. Personally, I find that a fork gives me leverage on creating an opening on the flesh as opposed to flat but not open. Helps with the nestling of the bacon and crisps up better.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 392kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 9gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 354mgPotassium: 44mgFiber: 0.002gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 300IUVitamin C: 0.02mgCalcium: 249mgIron: 0.1mg
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