Chili Smashed Crispy Potatoes
Baby potatoes boiled, smashed flat and roasted until craggy and crisp, finished with a bold chili garlic soy dressing and pools of chili oil.
Some product links are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
The crispiest roasted potato is not actually roasted. It's boiled first, then smashed, then fried. Each step does a specific job, and skipping any one of them gives you an inferior potato. Home cooks who struggle to get roasted potatoes crispy are usually trying to shortcut past these steps.
Boiling makes the insides fluffy and gelatinous, which is what lets the skin crisp up hard later. Salt the water like pasta water and cook the potatoes all the way through. A knife should slide in with zero resistance. Undercook them and they won't smash properly. Overcook them and they fall apart.
Smashing is where the texture comes from. Use the flat bottom of a cup or a rigid container, not a fork, and press each potato until the skin splits and the edges fan out into jagged, craggy pieces. The more irregular the surface, the more real estate you're creating for crispy edges. Smooth-smashed potatoes are an aesthetic crime here.
The fry is where most recipes go wrong. Drizzle oil generously into every crevice, season with salt, and leave them alone in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes. Don't flip. The bottom crust only builds undisturbed, and flipping halfway kills it. When the undersides are deep golden and shatteringly crisp, they're done.
The dressing is the other half of the dish. Chili oil, sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar, whisked together. You spoon it over the hot potatoes the moment they come out of the pan so the craggy surfaces drink it up. Scallions, sesame seeds, one more drizzle of chili oil for drama. It's a side dish that people will remember better than the main.
Boil
- 01Roughly poke a few holes on the side of your potatoes with a fork. Add potatoes to a pot of well-salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until completely tender and a knife slides through with zero resistance, 15-20 minutes. Drain and return to the pan.
Smash
- 02Using the flat bottom of a cup or rigid container, press each potato firmly until it splays out flat. You want the skin to split and the edges to fan out into craggy, jagged pieces. The more irregular the better.
Roast
- 03Drizzle neutral oil, chili oil, and sesame oil generously over each smashed potato, making sure to get into all the crevices. Season with salt. Pan fry for 10 to 15 until the edges are deep golden and shatteringly crisp. Don't flip. Let the bottom crust build undisturbed. Remove from the pan.
Dressing
- 04Add garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar directly in the pan. Stir well and cook for 1 minute. Return the potatoes to the pan and stir for a few seconds, coating the potatoes in the sauce. It should be bold, garlicky, and punchy.
Plate
- 05Transfer potatoes to a plate or board craggy side up. Finish with a heavy chili oil drizzle, scallions, and sesame seeds.
