When it comes to carbs, it doesn’t get better than a good potato recipe. Potatoes are so versatile, inexpensive, and easy to cook, so I have lots of potato recipes here on the blog. Whip up Mashed Potatoes with Rosemary or cook a batch of Red Potatoes in the air fryer for a classic Thanksgiving dinner, make a Caper Potato Salad for a cold side dish, or throw together Muffin Tin Potatoes for a party-ready appetizer.
Ingredients
Fingerling smashed potatoes are so buttery and creamy on their own that they don’t need many ingredients to jazz them up. In this recipe, we’re simply sprinkling on a little garlic powder and topping with fresh herbs to enhance their mild flavor.
To make this recipe, you’ll need a pound of fingerling potatoes (you can use colorful ones if they’re available), olive oil, garlic powder, fresh thyme, kosher salt, ground black pepper, and fresh chives (optional).
Substitutions and Optional Add-Ins
While you can follow this recipe exactly as written for a classic, great side dish, you can also customize it to suit the occasion or your preferences. Load them up with cheese and bacon for a great Game Day recipe, or top them with lots of fresh herbs for a holiday party. Here are some more suggestions:
- Potatoes: I used fingerlings for their small size and mild, buttery taste, but you can also substitute different types of potatoes in this recipe. Try Yukon Gold potatoes (also called Pee Wee potatoes), Honey Gold potatoes, or any other variation of a petite gold potato.
- Oil: The olive oil in this recipe helps the potatoes crisp up nicely, but you can also substitute butter for a richer, creamier taste. Just make sure to use melted butter so you can apply it evenly to the potatoes before baking.
- Herbs: If you have leftover herbs in your fridge from all your holiday cooking, feel free to add them to this recipe. You can substitute fresh rosemary in place of thyme and turn this recipe into delicious garlic rosemary smashed potatoes. Or use chopped green onions instead of chives if you can’t get your hands on them. Any other fresh herbs you have on hand, such as parsley, would also work.
- Garlic: We’re using a little bit of garlic powder in this recipe to enhance the buttery, mild flavor of the potatoes. I would not recommend substituting fresh garlic, as I found that it was prone to burning during the baking process. If you’d like to add extra garlicky flavor, whip up my Roasted Garlic Butter recipe and brush it onto the potatoes once they’re done baking.
- Other topping ideas: For a fun take on loaded baked potatoes, top your smashed fingerlings with parmesan cheese and chopped bacon bits. If you love turkey bacon, you can make my Oven Baked Turkey Bacon or Air Fried Turkey Bacon recipe, chop it, and sprinkle it over the potatoes.
How to Make Crispy Fingerling Potatoes?
This recipe requires minimal prep and baking time, making it the perfect easy, last-minute, and crowd-pleasing dish for any occasion. Plus, smashing the potatoes is oddly satisfying! Here’s how to make them:
- Boil the potatoes: Add the potatoes to a medium saucepan or large pot and fill with cold water until the potatoes are covered by an inch. Add a large pinch of salt to the pan, bring the salted water to a boil, and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are al dente and fork tender. Keep in mind that the potatoes may need more or less cooking time depending on their size. You should be able to easily insert and remove a sharp knife when done.
- Drain the potatoes: Use a colander to drain the potatoes and place them back in the pan to “dry” for a few minutes.
- Preheat the oven: While the potatoes are drying, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Season the potatoes: In the same pan, sprinkle the potatoes with olive oil, garlic powder, thyme, salt, and pepper. Gently toss to evenly coat the potatoes with the seasonings and oil.
- Transfer to a sheet pan: Transfer the potatoes to a rimmed baking sheet and arrange them in an even layer.
- Smash the potatoes: Use a ramekin, the bottom of a glass or jar, the bottom of a small bowl, or a potato masher to gently smash the potatoes until they’re all about ½ of an inch thick. If your smashing tool gets sticky, brush or spray it with a little oil.
- Bake: Bake the smashed potatoes in the hot oven for about 15-20 minutes until crispy and lightly golden brown. Make sure to flip them at the halfway mark.
- Serve: Transfer the smashed crispy fingerling potatoes from the large baking sheet to a serving plate or platter, sprinkle with chives (optional), and serve.
How to Make Ahead, Store, and Reheat?
For a perfectly timed holiday dinner party or gathering, you can make these potatoes ahead of time and bake them right before the rest of your dishes are ready. They’re also super easy to store and reheat so that you can look forward to leftovers the next day. Here are some tips:
- Make-ahead: If you’re busy juggling multiple recipes for a big dinner or event and don’t have much time, you can prep the potatoes earlier in the day so you can pop them in the oven when you’re ready. Simply boil and smash the potatoes, let them cool, and store them on a covered baking sheet in the fridge. When it’s time to bake the potatoes, brush them with oil and follow the instructions above for roasting in the oven.
- Storage: Let the roasted smashed fingerling potatoes cool to room temperature and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.
- To reheat: To reheat, you have two options:
- Skillet method: For extra crispy potatoes, reheat the smashed potatoes over medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet with hot oil until they’re cooked through and golden brown.
- Oven method: Reheat in a 350-degree F oven until cooked through and golden brown (make sure to flip halfway through reheating). If they are too dry, brush them with a bit of oil before reheating.
What to Serve Them With?
There are endless ways to serve these melt-in-your-mouth, crispy smashed fingerling potatoes. Pair them with dipping sauces for a Game Day appetizer, serve them with your favorite main dish, or get creative with leftovers. If you’re still wondering what to serve with fingerling potatoes, here are a few suggestions:
- As a crowd-favorite appetizer: These crispy fingerling potatoes will fit right in with all your favorite Game Day Foods. Serve them as grown-up french fries with an herbed sauce, such as Basil Tomato Sauce, Yogurt Dill Sauce, Blue Cheese Dressing without Sour Cream, or Yogurt Ranch Sauce. Or, simply top with a drizzle of Pesto Dressing.
- To serve with main dishes: With a sprinkling of fresh herbs, you can transform these crispy smashed potatoes into a sophisticated side dish to serve with an elegant main for an impressive family dinner. These potatoes pair beautifully with a holiday classic like Baked Turkey Tenderloin or chicken dishes such as Air Fried Chicken Legs, Greek Yogurt Chicken, or Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken. You could also serve them with this next-level Porchetta recipe for an impressive meal.
- Got leftovers?: If you have leftover potatoes, why not turn your fingerling smash into a fingerling hash? Use them as breakfast potatoes and add them to a breakfast hash (don’t forget the bacon and lots of cheese), or throw them in a frittata for extra flavor.
Expert Tips
These crispy fingerlings are a breeze to make for even a beginner chef, but following my tips will eliminate guesswork and help you achieve pro results on your first try. Here’s what I recommend:
- Aim for equal-sized potatoes: If you can, try to buy fairly equal-sized potatoes to ensure even roasting.
- Smash with care: While you may be tempted to smash the potatoes with all your might (I was tempted, too), doing so may break the skin of the potatoes or cause split fingerling potatoes. I recommend using the bottom of a ramekin or jar (or a potato masher) to gently smash the potatoes down so that their surface area measures about ½ inch in thickness. Here is a quick visual.
- Arrange in a single layer: When arranging the crushed fingerling potatoes on your baking sheet, make sure they form an even layer without overlapping. This will help them roast evenly and get nice and crispy on the outside.
- Let them dry: After boiling, it’s important to drain the potatoes and return them to the still-warm pan to let them “dry” for a few minutes. Don’t skip this step, as it makes a world of difference in preventing the potatoes from retaining excess moisture and helping them get crispy in the oven.
- Use extra oil for maximum crispiness: If you prefer extra crispy skin with crispy edges, oil is your best friend. Once the potatoes are done baking, remove them from the oven and brush them with an additional tablespoon of olive oil (or avocado oil) for the crispiest results. Broil them for 1-2 minutes, keeping a close eye on them so that they don’t burn.
FAQs
Fingerling potatoes are miniature, oblong-shaped potatoes that come in different colors and sizes. These waxy potatoes usually have thin skins, and they have a mild, buttery flavor when roasted.
Fingerling potatoes are unique, finger-shaped small potatoes that are harvested when they are fully mature. They are usually confused with new potatoes or baby potatoes, which are also smaller potatoes but are harvested before they’re fully mature.
Yes, you can easily make smashed fingerling potatoes ahead of time. On the day you plan to bake them, boil and smash them, let them cool, and store them on a covered baking sheet in the fridge. Brush them with oil and pop them in the oven when you’re ready to serve.
The skin of a fingerling potato is fully edible. When they’re smashed, brushed with oil, and oven-roasted, the skin gets super crispy while the inside stays creamy and soft.
Mashing potatoes is the process of boiling potatoes and then mashing them completely for a smooth, creamy texture. For smashed potatoes, boil fingerling potatoes before roasting and gently smash them down until they form a thin, disk-like shape. Roast and serve.
Other Potato Recipes You Might Also Like
An easy potato recipe is always my go-to for the perfect side dish, appetizer, or snack for a crowd. If you and your family are looking for more ways to prepare this versatile vegetable, browse some of my favorite recipes below for inspiration:
If you try this Smashed Fingerling Potatoes recipe or any other recipe on Foolproof Living, please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. And if you took some pictures, be sure to share them on Instagram using #foolproofeats so I can share them on my stories.
Smashed Fingerling Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb fingerling potatoes, scrubbed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chives, chopped – optional
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes: Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and fill it with cold water until covered by an inch. Season the water with a generous pinch of salt. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer until potatoes are fork-tender for about 10 minutes. They should be al dente. Please be aware that you may have to adjust the timing depending on the size of your potatoes.
- Drain the potatoes: Drain the potatoes in a colander. Place them back into the pan, and let them dry for a few minutes.
- Preheat the oven: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add the oil and seasonings: Add olive oil, garlic powder, thyme, salt, and pepper into the saucepan with the potatoes and give it a gentle toss to ensure that they are coated with the olive oil mixture.
- Prep for baking: Transfer the potatoes onto a baking sheet on a single layer.
- Smash the potatoes: Using a potato masher, the bottom of a jar, or a ramekin, gently smash each potato to about ½-inch thickness. If it gets sticky, feel free to brush (or spray) the bottom of the glass or ramekin with a little bit of oil.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes until they are lightly golden browned, making sure to turn them halfway through the baking process.
- Serve: Transfer smashed potatoes onto a plate and sprinkle with chives if using.
Notes
- Make-ahead: You can prep the potatoes earlier in the day so you can pop them in the oven when you’re ready to bake. Simply boil and smash the potatoes, let them cool, and store them on a covered baking sheet in the fridge. When it’s time to bake the potatoes, brush them with oil and follow the instructions above for roasting in the oven.
- Storage: After roasting, let the potatoes cool to room temperature and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.
- To reheat: To reheat, you have two options:
- Skillet method: For extra crispy potatoes, reheat the smashed potatoes over medium-high heat in a lightly oiled cast iron skillet until they’re cooked through and golden brown.
- Oven method: Reheat in a 350-degree F oven until cooked through and golden brown (make sure to flip halfway through reheating). If they are too dry, brush them with a bit of oil before reheating.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
