Crispy Greek Style Lemony Smashed Potatoes
Updated 19th October 2023
Smashed Potatoes not only look impressive but are one of the easiest sides you will ever make - they are salty lemony crispy on the outside and buttery creamy on the inside. These Roasted Greek style lemony Smashed Potatoes are the perfect side dish to any meal or an irresistible finger food for a party. You are going to love these guys because they are Tender, Crispy, Buttery, Lemony, Quick + Easy & SOOO delicious. I also love them as a snack or appie (think French fry) with a lemony dill Greek yogurt dip as well.
Potatoes are a favourite in our house and these are on repeat for dinner a lot and just as popular as my Greek Lemon Potatoes, Creamy Scalloped Potatoes, Easy No Fail Melting Potatoes, Garlic Parmesan Crispy Roasted Potatoes With Thyme and my Greek Fries and now these delicious Smashed Potatoes – potatoes are LIFE. They don’t need much to roast up deliciously.
What Are Smashed Potatoes?
Smashed potatoes, sometimes called hot crash potatoes, are baby potatoes or new potatoes that are boiled first to make them soft, enough to smash. I usually use the bottom of a small drinking glass to gently smash them flat while still keeping them in one piece. This gives them lots of surface area, which gets super crispy when they are baked at a high temperature in the oven. The result is a perfectly tender, buttery potato with golden-brown, crispy edges. I bake these drizzle with a lovely garlic butter marinade or dressing and then after they roast they are served with a squeeze of lemon juice, a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley and some crumbled feta for good measure.
What potatoes are best for roasted smashed potatoes?
Although garlic lemony herb butter can make any potato variety taste amazing, I recommend waxy potatoes such as baby red potatoes or baby Yukon gold potatoes like I used in this Smashed Potato recipe. These potatoes are wonderfully creamy and their thicker skins gets crispier than starchy potato variety.
Greek Style Smashed Potato Ingredients
- POTATOES: New or baby potatoes are best - scrubbed and left unpeeled
- GARLIC: I just did 2 fresh garlic cloves but few free to use more or even garlic powder if you prefer - see recipe notes below about substituting with garlic powder.
- OREGANO: Can we really call these Greek potatoes without oregano?!?
- BUTTER: I used butter in this recipe, because garlic butter is unbeatable in flavour. However, you can substitute with olive oil if you wish!
- LEMON JUICE & ZEST: A little of both for the dressing and for serving - freshly squeezed is always best.
- OLIVE OIL: Extra Virgin olive oil is what I use and it’s straight from Greece - any one will do though and I use it in the dressing and for greasing then baking sheet.
How to Make Crispy Lemon Potatoes (full instructions in recipe below)
- Par-boil the potatoes: Par-boil any type of small or baby potatoes with their skins on for about 20 minutes in heavily salted water. Once cooked, drain the potatoes.
- Smash the potatoes: Take the bottom of a measuring cup or water glass and gently (but firmly) press down on the cooked potatoes to smash them. You could also use a fork or a potato masher to press down and smash them with as well.
- Dress & Bake the potatoes: Drizzle Potatoes with the garlic butter oil. Bake on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet at 450°F until they’re super crispy. It’s a good idea to flip them halfway through so that both sides get a nice, golden-brown color. That is optional though.
- Squeeze lemon, finish with salt and fresh herbs: Squeeze lemon juice over the potatoes, finish them off with some more salt, a sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley and crumbled feta and you’ve got yourself a platter of crispy lemony potatoes. I know the recipe says it serves 4 but I’m pretty sure I could eat the whole 2 lbs of them myself - no joke!
For more Greek recipes check out these:
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds baby Yukon gold potatoes scrubbed
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more if needed and for greasing pan
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced (add a third if you want them extra garlicky) *
- ½-1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small lemon zested then reserved for squeezing*
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice for serving
- Fresh chopped parsley for serving
- Crumbled feta cheese for serving
Directions
- Boil potatoes: Add the potatoes to a large pot and fill with enough cool water to cover the potatoes by about an inch. Bring the potatoes to a boil over high heat and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and can be easily pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes in a colander and allow to cool slightly.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Make the lemon garlic butter: While the potatoes are cooling, combine the olive oil, salt and pepper, melted butter, oregano, and lemon zest and minced garlic
- Smash the Potatoes: Place the potatoes about an inch apart on a large baking sheet. Use the palm of your hand or the bottom of a small bowl or glass to gently smash, or flatten, the potatoes, trying to keep them in one piece.
- Dress the Potatoes: Drizzle the potatoes with the olive oil mixture.
- Bake the Potatoes: Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges are crispy and golden. Remove the potatoes from the oven and plate. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice or lemon wedges on the side and sprinkled with parsley and feta and enjoy
Recipe Notes
- For Extra Crispy potatoes: If you want them extra crispy you can flip them half way - or broil them for the last 1-2 min of roasting.
- For the Garlic: The garlic gets nice and crispy and delicious but if you would prefer to use garlic powder instead of the fresh garlic you can - just add ½-¾ teaspoons of it onto the marinade instead of the fresh garlic.
- For the Lemon Juice: Feel free to add some of the lemon juice to marinade too - I left it out because I found that the potatoes don’t crisp up as much - they almost steam instead of sizzle in the oven. So I reserve it for after they are done - give them a good squeeze of it. The lemon zest adds the flavor without the extra liquid or moisture in the dressing which can affect the crispiness.
