These crispy, crunchy smashed baby potatoes are slathered in garlic butter creating an irresistibly good potato side dish.

Smashed potatoes on sheet pan with parsley.

When it comes to simple side dishes, I find myself turning to potatoes again and again!

From creamy mashed potatoes to roasted red potatoes to parsley potatoes, potatoes can be prepared in endless ways and make an affordable, hearty side dish. And when I have baby potatoes on hand, one of my favorite recipes to turn to is Smashed Potatoes.

Reasons to Love Smashed Potatoes

Irresistible Texture. Smashed potatoes have first been boiled and then roasted, giving them a buttery, fluffy interior contrasted against a crispy, crunchy exterior.
Amazing Flavor. Slathered in garlic butter, these potatoes have the best flavor.
Humble Ingredients. Potatoes, butter, salt, and garlic powder are all you need to make a truly memorable dish.
Versatile. This easy potato recipe not only makes a great side dish to honey garlic pork chops or chili lime baked salmon, but they also are suitable for a party-favorite appetizer.

Notes on Ingredients

Ingredients for smashed potatoes labeled on counter.

Potatoes: It is best to use small baby potatoes for this recipe. Red, gold, yellow, or white baby potatoes all work equally well.
Garlic: Use garlic powder, rather than freshly, minced garlic, as fresh garlic is more apt to burn when baked at a high temperature.
Butter: While you can use olive oil in place of butter to keep this recipe dairy-free, the butter gives these smashed potatoes an extremely rich taste.
Parsley: Fresh parsley adds a nice pop of fresh flavor and color. However, feel free to omit it if you don’t have it on hand.

Flavor Variations

While the rich garlic butter is unbelievably delicious, feel free to change up the seasonings on the Smashed Baby Potatoes with one of the suggestions below.

Add Parmesan: After the potatoes have roasted, grate parmesan cheese evenly over the top of the potatoes and let the cheese melt before serving.
Italian: Replace the butter with olive oil and mix with ½ teaspoon each of garlic powder, dried oregano, kosher salt, and dried Italian seasoning.
Cajun: Replace the garlic powder, salt, pepper, and parsley with ½ tablespoon of Cajun Seasoning.
Southwestern: Replace the garlic powder, salt, pepper, and parsley with ½ tablespoon Taco Seasoning.

∗Tips for the Best Smashed Baby Potatoes∗

The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Boil the potatoes before roasting. Simmering the potatoes in salted water until just fork-tender will help the potatoes soften just enough to be smashed.
Evaporate excess liquid. Once the potatoes are tender, strain them and return the potatoes to the hot pan. Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes until the excess moisture is evaporated. This is key to letting the potatoes crisp up beautifully when baked.
Gently smash the potatoes. I find that it works best to lightly flatten or smash the potatoes using a flat-bottomed cup or coffee mug, using gentle pressure. Too much pressure will cause the potatoes to burst open and likely not stay intact.
Space the potatoes out on the baking sheet. This will give them enough room to roast, not steam. It is better to use two pans rather than crowd one pan with the potatoes.
Brush with garlic butter. Use a pastry brush to brush the butter mixture over the surface of each potato. This adds intense, irresistible flavor to the smashed potatoes.
Roast, but don't flip. Smashed Potatoes can be rather fragile. Simply let them roast until they are nice and crispy. The greased pan and the addition of garlic butter to the tops of the smashed potatoes will ensure each side is nice and crispy.

Garlic Butter Smashed Potatoes on sheet pan.

Serving Suggestions

Whether served alongside Burgers or Baked Chicken Tenders for a kid-friendly dinner, or alongside a Ribeye Steak or Baked Cod, you can't go wrong with Smashed Potatoes.

As for the dipping sauce, garlic butter smashed potatoes have been infused with so much flavor, they don't need to be dipped into anything. If you were to pair them with anything, I would recommend sour cream.

Storage & Reheating Instructions

Refrigerate: Allow the potatoes to cool slightly and then transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Reheat: Rather than microwaving the crispy potatoes to reheat, which will cause them to lose their crispy exterior, reheat them by baking on a greased baking sheet at 425 degrees F for 8-10 minutes to warm through.

More Favorite Potato Recipes

If you tried this recipe for crispy, smashed potatoes, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.

Smashed Potatoes on sheet pan brushed with garlic butter and topped with fresh parsley.

Smashed Baby Potatoes with Garlic Butter

These crispy, crunchy, smashed potatoes are slathered in garlic butter, to deliver one outrageously flavorful side dish.

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 55

Servings:

Calories: 155kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

▢ 2 teaspoons olive oil
▢ 2 pounds baby potatoes red or yellow
▢ 1 tablespoon garlic powder
▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
▢ 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
▢ 2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425℉ and brush a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil.
Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, along with 1-½ teaspoons of kosher salt, and cover with cold tap water. Bring the water to a rolling boil over high heat, and then reduce the heat to medium. Simmer the potatoes until they are just fork-tender, but not bursting open or overly soft. This will take anywhere from 20-25 minutes, depending on how large the potatoes are.
Strain the potatoes, and return them to the hot pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, or until all the moisture is evaporated. This will help to evaporate the excess moisture from the potatoes, which is necessary for the potatoes to get really crispy.
Arrange the potatoes on the prepared baking sheet pan, leaving enough space around each potato to flatten and roast. LIGHTLY flatten the potatoes with the bottom of a glass. Do not push too hard, or the potatoes will end up mashed.
In a small bowl, mix together the butter, garlic, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, pepper, and parsley. Brush the butter mixture over the surface of each potato.
Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes or until browned and golden. Let cool on the sheet pan slightly and then serve.

Equipment Needed

Rimmed Baking Sheet

Notes

Dairy-Free Option: Use olive oil in place of the melted butter.

Potatoes: Any variety of baby potatoes will work in this smashed potato recipe.

Storage: Smashed Potatoes are best served immediately after preparation, but can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat, bake at 425 degrees F until warmed through. This will help the potatoes stay crispy.

Flavor Variations:

Add Parmesan: After the potatoes have roasted, grate parmesan cheese evenly over the top of the potatoes and let the cheese melt before serving.

Italian: Replace the butter with olive oil and mix with ½ teaspoon each of garlic powder, dried oregano, kosher salt, and dried Italian seasoning.

Cajun: Replace the garlic powder, salt, pepper, and parsley with ½ tablespoon of Cajun Seasoning.

Southwestern: Replace the garlic powder, salt, pepper, and parsley with ½ tablespoon Taco Seasoning.

Nutrition

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