Smashed Potatoes @LucyBurdette

 

LUCY BURDETTE: in my last post which featured an asparagus and white bean salad, I mentioned that I had served that dish with a roast chicken and smashed potatoes. After I wrote it, I remembered that I’d done a similar potato recipe 12 years ago! But that was a fancier version made by a professional cook in Topped Chef. It was loaded with cheese and scallions, and you can find that here.

But meanwhile, the new version is easy while still being delicious.

Ingredients

New potatoes, any color, 3 to 4 per person

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

Handful of fresh chives

Salt.

Preheat the oven to 390

Wash the potatoes and cut out any bad patches. Simmer the potatoes in boiling water that has been salted until just soft, 20 to 25 minutes, depending on the size.

Drain the potatoes and let them dry.

Transfer them to a baking sheet covered by parchment paper. Spread the potatoes out and mash them with a potato masher. Paint each potato with the mixture of butter and oil and sprinkle with coarse salt.

Bake the tray of potatoes until they are starting to get brown and crispy, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and fresh chives. Serve with a bowl of sour cream and watch them disappear!

Next time I might try adding in some shredded cheddar for the last five minutes or so of the baking.

Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including USA Today bestselling A POISONOUS PALATE and A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS.

Book 15 in the Key West series, THE MANGO MURDERS, will be in bookstores on August 12!

And the new trade paperback edition of A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS is out now!