I'm hopeless at breakfast potatoes. Maybe you are, too? Whether you're a home fries person or a hash browns person, the problem's always the same: How do you make sure the potatoes are cooked through inside and perfectly golden brown outside at the same time? Odds are, you'll miss the boat on one or the other. At least, if you're me you will.
Unless, of course, you choose the third option: Smashed. Crispy. Potatoes.
Smashed potatoes deliver the best of the home fries/hash browns worlds—crunchy exterior and tender, floury middles. They're as delicious for dinner, alongside grilled steak, roast chicken, or sautéed shrimp, as they are with your sunny side up eggs. And the best part? There's no grating, scraping, tossing, or stirring your potatoes—all there is is these three easy steps.
1. Boil your potatoes
Start with up to 1 3/4 pounds of small-to-medium new potatoes. Resist the urge to peel them. Instead, rinse and scrub, toss in a pot with plenty of salted water to cover, and bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes until almost tender when pierced with a paring knife, 10 to 15 minutes, then drain.
2. Smash them down
After you've drained the potatoes, it's time to flatten them down, which creates the ideal shape for pan-frying to maximum crispiness. Arrange them on a rimmed baking sheet and and use a potato masher or spatula to press them into raggedy-edged hockey pucks.
3. Fry until crispy
Now it's time to switch to your skillet. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat; when it's hot, add 1/2 cup of your favorite frying oil. Add a potato to the pan—if it sizzles, then you can add the rest of the potatoes, spreading them out so they cook evenly. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and then let them cook, undisturbed, until the underside turns a crunchy golden brown. Then flip and do the same on the other side. You'll have perfectly, addictively crunchy potatoes in about 20 minutes, without any stress or sticking.
Smashed potatoes are incredible with just a sprinkle of coarse salt, but you could also go for a shower of grated parm, a sprinkle of chopped fresh chile, minced garlic, or even herbs like dill or parsley. Which one will you start with?
