New Potatoes: Smashed, Crashed, and Blistered

LUCY BURDETTE: Writers will understand what I mean when I say that sometimes the characters in my books take over and cook things that I haven't tried. Then I get these recipes lodged in my mind and sooner or later I can't help making them too. 

In Topped Chef, one of the characters who is judging the Key West Top Chef contest is an accomplished chef named Adam Boyd. This fellow also happens to own a nice restaurant in Key West, called Boyd's Nest. Naturally Hayley and some of her pals need information from him about the murder that has occurred--but she also needs to keep working at her food critic job. So they kill two birds with one stone by having dinner at Boyd's Nest and then asking to speak with the chef. Hayley fawns all over him about his crashed and blistered potatoes before she turns up the heat on her "investigation."



After perusing a number of recipes on the Internet for this kind of potato, this is the version I came up with for Chef Boyd. Be forewarned: It is very hard not to eat all of them, so don't make too many extra:).

Cheesy Crashed/Smashed/Blistered New Potatoes

New potatoes, red or white, 3-5 per person
Cheddar cheese--maybe a 2 ounce block
Parmesan cheese, about half as much as cheddar
Olive oil
Scallions
Kosher salt
Cracked pepper
Sour cream for serving

Wash the potatoes and boil them until soft, about 10-20 minutes, depending on their size. Poke them with a fork to test.  


Meanwhile, grate the cheeses and mix them with a dollop of olive oil, plus salt and pepper to taste. Sliver the scallions (I used 3 for 2 people) and mix them into the cheese topping.

Generously oil a baking pan, place the potatoes on it and press on them with a big fork or potato masher or even a heavy glass until they are squashed down. 

Top the potatoes with the cheese/scallion mixture and bake in a hot oven (400) until they are crispy. Serve with sour cream.




These potatoes are so special that I decided they should be served with other dishes that were a little plain. In this case, I chose roasted chicken and steamed spinach. 

Bon appetit from Chef Boyd and all the gang at TOPPED CHEF. Which will be in bookstores near you on May 7!

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