Garlic Parmesan smashed potatoes

💙 Why you'll love them

• Really easy to prepare - just pre-cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling water, brush them with the melted butter mixture and finish cooking in the oven. How can it be easier than that?
• Incredibly tasty texture - with a melt-in-your-mouth inside, a super crispy outside and the perfect seasoning, you'll LOVE these potatoes!
• A few ingredients - you only need a few low-cost ingredients to make this recipe.

🧄Ingredients

These are the main ingredients, and the quantities are in the recipe card below.

• Potatoes - I recommend baby gold potatoes or grenaille potatoes.
• Unsalted butter - which will allow the potatoes to turn golden and crispy.
• Garlic - if you want to choose your garlic carefully so as not to encourage the slavery of Chinese prisoners, read my Eco Tips on the subject.
• Parmesan cheese - buy a block and grate it at the last minute if you can - it's so much better!
• Herbs - I recommend dried thyme and oregano and fresh parsley for the garnish. Of course, you can adapt to suit your own tastes!

🌶Variations

Feel free to adapt this recipe to suit your tastes or dietary requirements. I suggest several options:

• To spice up the potatoes - add a pinch of strong Cayenne pepper or a few chilli flakes.
• Make it vegetarian - use Parmesan cheese that does not contain animal rennet or replace it with a cheese that you can grate and that contains no animal rennet.
• Make it vegan or dairy-free - use vegan cheese and margarine instead of Parmesan cheese and butter.

✨What to serve them with?

There are many ways to accompany these smashed potatoes:

• Chicken, like this crusted Romano chicken, this chicken with sage, cream and lemon, these grilled chicken skewers or this creamy Dijon mustard chicken.
• Fish, like this Indian fish curry, this Panko and Parmesan crusted salmon or this fish en papillote.
• Vegetables - these smashed potatoes would make a great accompaniment to these zucchini pizza boats, Italian stuffed eggplant or Hasselback zucchini.

✨How to make the best smashed potatoes?

Recipe details and quantities are in the recipe card below.

• Put your potatoes in a pot of boiling water and cook for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the pressed garlic, freshly grated Parmesan, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper to the melted unsalted butter.

• Drain your potatoes well and dry them as much as you can with a clean kitchen towel.
• Put them in a bowl, add the butter mixture and mix well.

• Preheat your oven to 390°F / 200°C in fan-assisted mode. Place your potatoes on an oven tray lined with parchment paper.
• Crush each one of them with a glass.
• Brush a little of the remaining butter over each potato with a silicone brush.

• Bake.
• Let cool slightly and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.

👩🏻‍🍳Chef's Tips

1. No need to peel your potatoes if they are organic - the skin is not only tasty and nutritious, but also crispy.
2. Potatoes must be thoroughly cooked in water before being crushed, otherwise they may fall apart. To check that they're cooked enough, stick a knife in them: if it goes in easily and they're tender, they're done.
3. Double cooking is crucial - it's what makes these smashed potatoes so melt-in-the-mouth on the inside and crispy on the outside. The potatoes are first boiled, then baked, and the butter is replaced by margarine.

❄️Storage

Storage - once cold, place in an airtight container in the fridge. You'll be able to keep them for 3 to 4 days.

To reheat - put them in the oven at 320°F / 160°C for a few minutes. Avoid the microwave, which will soften them too much.