Garlic and Shallot-Topped Smashed Potatoes

One potato, two potato, three potato, four, five potato, six potato, seven potato, more. This popular children’s counting rhyme really resonates with me at Passover time. Eaten frequently during the eight days of Passover, potatoes get a bad rap. But this recipe for garlic and shallot-topped smashed potatoes by Miriam (Pascal) Cohen in her inimitable cookbook, Real Life Kosher Cooking: family-friendly recipes for every day and special occasions, is here to change that. With a simple ingredient list and a mostly make-ahead technique, these delicious potatoes are perfect for the busy holiday season.

Garlic and Shallot-Topped Smashed Potatoes

Smashed potatoes are boiled first, then flattened and roasted. This two-step cooking process yields potatoes that are soft and creamy on the inside and perfectly crisp on the outside. Baby Yukon golds are the best potato for this recipe. Not only do they bake to a shattering crunch, they also have a buttery tenderness that provides the ultimate texture contrast. Look for baby potatoes that are no more than two inches in diameter. Topped with a heady mixture of fresh garlic and shallots before roasting, these potatoes are anything but humdrum. So don’t fight the potatoes. Embrace them!

Assemble your ingredients. Preheat the oven to 425 F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Although any baby potatoes including fingerlings will work with this recipe, my preference is for yellow potatoes (Yukon Gold or other gold types) because they become especially creamy, almost buttery, in the middle. 

After finely mincing or microplaning the garlic and shallots, combine them with the olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper. Set this mixture aside.

After boiling the potatoes in salted water until they can be pierced with a knife, drain them and allow them to dry off in the hot pot that you used to boil them. Spread the potatoes out on the prepared baking sheet. Cover the potatoes with a sheet of parchment paper and press down on each potato with the bottom of a glass or measuring cup until you feel the potato smash. Don’t press too hard. Remove the top piece of parchment and drizzle each potato with a spoonful of the shallot and garlic oil. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the potatoes are crispy. Serve hot.

Print Recipe

Garlic and Shallot-Topped Smashed Potatoes

Vegetables and Sides

By Miriam (Pascal) Cohen – Serves: 6

Prep Time: 10 minutes – Cooking Time: 20 + 25 minutes – Total Time: 55 minutes

Topped with a heady mixture of fresh garlic and shallots before roasting, these smashed potatoes are anything but humdrum.

Ingredients

• 25–30 baby potatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated with a microplane grater or 2 cubes frozen garlic
• 2 shallots, minced finely or grated with a microplane grater
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 425 F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2

Put the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with at least an inch of water. Add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt to the water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook the potatoes until they are completely tender and can be easily pierced with the tip of a knife. Make sure they are cooked through but don’t overcook them. Check the potatoes after 20 minutes.

3

While the potatoes are boiling, finely mince or grate the garlic and shallots. Place them into a small bowl. Add the oil, salt, parsley and pepper. Stir until a loose paste forms.

4

Drain the potatoes in a colander and return the potatoes to the hot pot to allow the excess moisture on the outside of the potatoes to evaporate.

5

Spread the cooked potatoes on the prepared baking sheet. Spread a piece of parchment paper over the cooked potatoes and using the bottom of a glass or the bottom of a measuring cup, press down lightly on each potato until you feel the potato smash. Don't press too hard.

6

Remove the upper piece of parchment paper. Top each potato with a spoonful of the garlic and shallot mixture. Bake for 25 minutes until the potatoes appear crisp. Serve hot.

Notes

Do the busy work, boiling and flattening the potatoes, up to 8 hours ahead. Let potatoes cool completely, and store them on the pan, lightly covered, in the fridge. Then all you have to do at the last minute is coat with the oil mixture and roast. Reproduced from "Real Life Kosher Cooking" by Miriam Pascal with permission of the copyright holders, ArtScroll / Mesorah Publications, Ltd.