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Smashed Potatoes With Thai-Style Chile and Herb Sauce
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- Total Time
- 1¼ hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 4tablespoons olive oil
- 2pounds small new or Yukon gold potatoes (ideally about 1½-inch wide)
- Kosher salt
- 2tablespoons fish sauce
- 2tablespoons lime juice
- 2tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1tablespoon minced Fresno or serrano chile, or ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste
- 1teaspoon soy sauce or tamari
- 1teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1garlic clove, grated
- ¼cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro, plus whole leaves for serving
- ¼cup thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Brush a sheet pan all over with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Step 2
Place the potatoes in a large pot and fill with enough water to cover by 1 inch; add 2 tablespoons salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower and simmer, uncovered, for 15 to 18 minutes, until the potatoes are just fork tender. Pour into a colander to drain, then return the cooked potatoes to the pot off the heat to help any remaining moisture evaporate.
- Step 3
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar, chile, soy sauce, sugar and garlic, then stir in the cilantro and scallions.
- Step 4
Place the potatoes on the prepared sheet pan. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, gently smash each potato until it’s about ½-inch thick. Drizzle remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil over the potatoes and carefully flip to coat both sides in oil. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and roast for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.
- Step 5
Transfer the potatoes to a platter, sprinkle lightly with salt, then spoon the sauce on top. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve hot.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
This is my death row meal. Only change was to up the garlic and chilli. Spent a long time thinking about what to serve it with. Ended up eating it unaccompanied and regret nothing.
When I need to precook potatoes, I microwave them. No loss of nutrients from boiling.
Soy sauce will work in a pinch. To get closer to the flavor profile of fish sauce, use one part soy, and one part rice vinegar. That's what I use because I'm vegetarian.
I normally hate potatoes because I find the insides bland and the texture unpleasant. These are without a doubt the BEST potatoes I’ve ever had.
I’ve made this a few times now and I love everything about it. I’ve come to the realization that rather than flipping the potatoes, it would be easier to brush olive oil on the top to get both sides. You don’t have to worry about breaking them.
The amount of nutrients lost by boiling potatoes is negligible. Other vegetables do lose a significant amount of nutrients when boiled, but not potatoes.
I've made this several times as written and it's delicious. Today I was looking for a potato side to go with a roast chicken with rosemary, parmesan, and lemon, so I decided to use this technique but shift the flavor profile. I used the same proportions of worcestershire for fish sauce, red wine vinegar for rice wine vinegar, lemon for lime, a dash of aminos for soy, garlic and red pepper flakes as written, and honey for sugar. For herbs I did scallion, parsley, and some spicy arugula. It worked
This was so good and easy to make, but it ended up being a tad more acidic than I would have liked, so I might bump up the soy sauce and lime and down the vinegar next time I make it
You can save a bit of effort by simply coating the potatoes in olive oil while they're still in the pot (after they've cooled a bit). Then smash them when you get them in the pan.
I have never made this dish, but I would say a simple white fish like halibut would be excellent, grilled, pan fried or baked. Given the intense flavors, these potatoes would really jazz up plain farm-raised tilapia sauteed in olive oil and butter. Also, simple chicken thighs basted on the grill with herbs in a little oil.
Delicious new way to prepare potatoes! Next time will add plantains at the roasting step, smash half way through, yum! NOTE: Boiling in salt water adds pleasant saltiness to the potatoes during the cooking process. If you do boil, skip or go easy with the salt in steps 4 and 5! I added 1/4 of the salt in step 4 and skipped salt in step 5 and they were still TOO SALTY for my taste from the soy and fish sauce. This could be avoided by microwaving instead of boiling as one reviewer suggested.
AMAZING. Enough said.
My new favorite potato recipe! I love that you can use this technique with different flavor profiles, too––it's so versatile.
Best potato side dish ever
My ketchup obsessed partner ate this dish without adding ketchup! Loved the crunch of the potato skins and salt. The sauce was delicious. Time consuming but worth it.
I see why everyone loves this so much - that sauce with crispy potatoes?! Yes please!
These potatoes SLAP!!!
I finally made this dish and boy do I regret waiting so long! This was one of the most creative and delicious recipes for potatoes and honestly I could barely restrain myself from gobbling them up entirely when they came out of the oven. I served them as a side to a chicken dish but I would not hesitate to eat a plateful of these amazing potatoes as a stand alone meal. If you enjoy thai flavors, you will absolutely love this.
Oh my - what a flavor extravaganza! If you have not made these - do so immediately…if you have made these - you understand my passion. Follow the recipe exactly as written and you wont be disappointed.
So good. Don’t be like me and think a potato masher will work as well or better than a measuring cup. It breaks up the potatoes too much and you will curse yourself.
I used 3 garlic cloves and 2 bird’s eye chilies — it was great. I keep bird’s eye chilies on hand in the freezer, and they defrost by the time I’m done getting the other ingredients ready to prep.
This was so good. We could not stop eating.
Added Thai chilies instead quite delicious
OMG! This was really good. And the technique is a brilliant and adaptable way to make potatoes a star side. After the success of this version, last night I did red potatoes (in 3/4” dice instead of smashed) and tossed with Kenji Lopez-Alt’s miso sesame dressing when they were crusty looking. Amazing! I think you could do this with any sort of vinaigrette
Made this 6/8/22 - Very good and easy.
Instead of boiling the potatoes, did 5 minutes high pressure (quick release) in the Instant Pot using a steamer basket. Put a fried egg on top and called it a meal. Definitely will make again.
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