Smashed potatoes

When it comes to comfort food, few dishes can compete with potatoes. We’ve all heard of the viral smashed potato recipe, but have you tried it this way? Imagine creamy, buttery smashed potatoes topped with cheddar cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and black olives! This recipe is the ultimate side dish. You can easily prepare it for a family gathering.

You are going to love this recipe. It is easy to make, it is visually appealing. Everybody loves potatoes and cheese. It is perfect for family gatherings. Make sure to double or triple this recipe to serve for a large crowd.

Ingredients

Baby potatoes, Cheddar cheese, Sun-dried tomatoes, Sliced olives, Jalapeno chilies and Celery salt.

Adding cheddar cheese gives this dish a savoury and sharp taste that pairs beautifully with baby potatoes. Sun-dried tomatoes have a sweet and tangy flavour, whilst black olives have that briny taste that helps to round up all the flavours. The jalapeno chilies add heat.

Celery salt has a very special taste that adds a complex and delightful change to this dish. If you don’t have celery salt, a perfect substitute would be a small sprinkling of vegeta spice. If you choose to use vegeta spice, no further salt is needed.

Instructions

Prepare the ingredients: Rinse the baby potatoes in running water and cut them in halves with the skin on. Grate the cheddar cheese, chop the Jalapenos into small pieces, and slice the sun-dried tomatoes. Also, slice the black olives if they aren’t already sliced. 

Boil the potatoes: Gather a large pot to fit all the potatoes. Add the potatoes and water until all the potatoes are submerged. Parboil the potatoes for fifteen minutes, making sure to measure the time from the time of boiling. Once the baby potatoes are boiled, remove them from the water and let them cool down completely.

Bake the smashed potatoes: Cover the baking tray with foil and lay the parboiled potatoes on top of them with the skin side facing up. Press down with your palm against the potatoes to create a smashed appearance. Then, decorate the potatoes with the topping ingredients like cheddar cheese, Jalapeno, black olives, and sun-dried tomatoes, and then sprinkle a pinch of celery salt.

Bake the potatoes in three parts: first fifteen minutes at 220ºC with the fan on, then the next fifteen minutes with the fan off. In the last ten minutes, reduce the temperature to 140ºC.

If your oven doesn’t have a fan, keep the temperature to 200ºC for the entire forty-minute baking time. Check the potatoes every fifteen minutes and control the temperature accordingly. Serve the smashed potatoes while they are still hot.

What to Serve with Smashed Potatoes?

Smashed potatoes are delicious and can be paired with a variety of dishes. Since they are side dishes, they will match well with main dishes that contain meat, like roasted chicken, pan-seared steak, lamb chops, baked salmon, or meatloaf. Incorporating sauces and extra toppings like garlic butter sauce, mushroom sauce, or additional cheese will enhance the taste profile of the smashed potatoes.

How to Store and Reheat Smashed Potatoes?

Allow the smashed potatoes to cool down completely before keeping them in the fridge to avoid the potatoes from becoming soggy. Keep them in an airtight container, which can be refrigerated for up to three days. The easiest way to reheat the smashed potatoes is to use the microwave. Place the potatoes on a microwave-safe dish or plate, cover it with a microwave-safe cover, and spin it for two minutes at maximum power.

Reheating the smashed potatoes in a pan on a stovetop also has the advantage that the potatoes taste as if they were just made. Preheat the pan on medium-low heat, add some butter, and reheat the potatoes for two minutes with the lid covering the pan. Make sure to move them around occasionally to prevent sticking or burning.