Heavenly Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic are all you need for an epic dinner! Please your guests with this easy to make side dish and top it with elegant balsamic shallots and fresh parmesan.
Jump to RecipeOriginally posted November 2016, updated August 2020.
This recipe for Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic is so amazing, you’ll be making it every weekend. Luxurious roasted garlic, acidic balsamic shallots, and melted fresh parmesan are a welcome contrast to the crispy potato skins and their creamy insides.
You’ll be overwhelmed by the golden-brown and crispy potatoes when you pull the tray from the oven. Finish them off with fresh lemon zest and green onions for a colorful and flavorful side dish! Pair this easy and delicious dish with my Creamy Cheesy Polenta for holidays and parties to come.
What are smashed potatoes?
If you’ve ever made baked potatoes, you can easily handle this recipe. This golden landscape of roasted potatoes are first par-boiled and then smashed with a cup on a baking tray. The semi-flattened is then baked until golden-brown and crispy.
Smashed potatoes can be topped with anything you like, whether it’s cheese, romesco sauce, chimichurri, fresh herbs, yogurt sauce, mixed greens, or pickled onions.
Ingredients Needed
These will be the most elegant roasted potatoes you ever eat. Top them with elegant toppings, like roasted garlic, balsamic shallots, and parmesan cheese.
Here’s what you need:
- Baby Yukon gold potatoes
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
- Parmesan cheese
- Fresh green onions
- Lemon zest
- Garlic
- Shallots
- Balsamic vinegar
How to Make Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic
Start by making the balsamic shallots:
- Peel the shallots, cut each of them in half, then chop each half into thin half circles.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add the shallots. Sauté on medium heat until slightly brown and caramelized. Add in the balsamic vinegar and sauté until it dissolves.
- Cool and store the shallots in the refrigerator in a closed jar until the potatoes are ready.
Next, roast the garlic:
- Chop the garlic heads in half and lightly drizzle them with olive oil. Wrap each half tightly in foil.
- Bake at 400ºF for 25-30 minutes or until fragrant, soft, and golden brown.
- Remove the garlic from the oven and leave them to cool before handling. Once they’ve cooled down, squeeze out the individual cloves into a bowl.
Finally, make the smashed potatoes:
- Place the unpeeled potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Salt the water, then bring to a boil on the stove.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, about 20-30 minutes. Next, drain the potatoes and leave them to cool.
- Preheat your oven to 450ºF and prepare a large baking sheet.
- Place the cooked potatoes onto the baking sheet and use the bottom of a mason jar or a glass to gently smash each potato. Once they’re smashed, drizzle each with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Bake the potatoes for 15 minutes before flipping each of them. Again, drizzle with olive oil and add another sprinkle of salt. Bake for an additional 15 minutes until brown and crispy.
- Remove from the oven and add the roasted garlic, balsamic shallots, and parmesan cheese on top. Bake for another 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
- Finally, remove the tray from the oven, add the zest of a lemon and sprinkle with green onions. Place on a platter, serve, and enjoy!
Helpful Recipe Tips
- Try to use small potatoes rather than large. They’ll be way more crispy and delicious.
- Use the largest baking tray you have. This way you can make more potatoes!
- Both yellow or red potatoes will work in this recipe. Use what you have on hand.
- Make it a meal! Drizzle your potatoes with a lemony yogurt sauce for a satisfying and flavorful main dish.
Making ahead of time
Par-boil the potatoes ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to smash and roast them.
Roast a few heads of garlic ahead of time and caramelize the shallots in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Both can be stored in the fridge up to 1 week ahead of time.
Leftover potatoes can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat on a baking tray in the oven until warmed through.
More Recipes With Potatoes
- Boiled Baby Potatoes With Garlic Butter And Dill
- Potato Leek Chowder
- Greek Crispy Chicken Thighs With Potatoes
- Mini Hasselback Potatoes
If you try these Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic, please leave me a comment below or tag me on Instagram @lenaskitchenblog! I would love to know what you think.
Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic
INGREDIENTS
- 3 large shallots or 1 sweet onion, finely sliced into thin slices
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- sea salt, to taste
- 1 head garlic, cut off the top to expose the garlic
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb baby yukon gold potatoes
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- sea salt, to taste
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 2 tbsp green onions, finely chopped
- zest of one lemon
INSTRUCTIONS
Balsamic Shallots
- While potatoes cook, peel the shallots or onions, cut each of them in half, then cut into thin slices.
- In a large pan, heat olive oil and add the shallots, sauté on medium heat until slightly caramelized. Add the balsamic vinegar and sauté until vinegar dissolves.
- Cool and store in the refrigerator in a closed jar until ready to use. You can make this a few days ahead of time if needed.
Roasted Garlic
- While potatoes cook, cut off the top to expose the garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap tightly in foil.
- Bake at 400ºF for 25-30 minutes or until fragrant, soft, and golden brown.
- Cool before handling. When ready to use, squeeze the cloves in a bowl. You can make this a few days ahead of time if needed.
Smashed Potatoes
- Preheat oven to 450ºF.
- Place the unpeeled potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Salt the water, then bring to a boil on the stove.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15-20 minutes, depends on the size of your potatoes. Drain and leave them to cool.
- Using the bottom of a mason jar or a glass, gently smash each potato.
- Drizzle each potato with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt. Place the tray in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and flip each potato to the other side. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Continue to bake for an additional 15 minutes until brown and crispy.
- Remove from the oven, add to a serving dish. Add the roasted garlic, balsamic shallots, and parmesan cheese on top, zest one lemon, and sprinkle with green onions. Add any finishing salt if needed. Enjoy!
NOTES
- Par-boil the potatoes ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to smash and roast them.
- Roast a few heads of garlic ahead of time and caramelize the shallots in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Both can be stored in the fridge up to 1 week ahead of time.
- Leftover potatoes can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat on a baking tray in the oven until warmed through.
I did these potatoes for Christmas and I thought I made too much but at the end of the evening, all of them disappeared. It’s takes an extra 10 min to make them but wow they are soooooo good. Like the combo of toppings and crispy potatoes is mind blowing. Must try
I love this recipe!Potatoes are delicious 😍
Delicious recipe Lena!! Sooo good!
If you haven’t tried this recipe yet you are missing out. It is so good!
How do you get the potatoes to not stick to your mason jar? I loved smashed potatoes but that part always makes me want to rip my hair out!
Made these yesterday for family gathering and they were dee-lish. Will definitely make again!
Can’t wait to try them!!
Made them tonight. They are soo good.
Oh em gee!!! This looks fabulous!! About to lick the screen! Definitely trying these at the next fambam dinner.
These look amazing, definitely attempting these! ❤️
These look so good!!! Can’t wait to try them.
Probably the best potatoes you can make. They take a little more time so I make them for special occasions. Everyone loved them at my Christmas party. And just made them again this weekend for a nice Father’s Day steak dinner. The balsamic shallots and roasted garlic are sooo tasty. I like that you can make those two ahead of time so it goes faster when you’re making dinner. Thanks for the awesome recipe, Lena!