Crispy smashed Spring new potatoes with pesto… what’s better than potatoes? Basically nothing, in my humble opinion. Make them crispy, add garlic and a tangy sauce like basil pesto and they become literally unstoppable.
You can use any sauce you like for these, pesto feels particularly good for Spring to me but if you’ve got something else that needs using in the fridge or pantry – give that a go.
I’ve used small baby potatoes here, which work best if you want a relatively quick mid-week option to go with your protein and vegetable of choice. Besides the smashing process, there’s very little work involved to prepare these and they definitely won’t disappoint.
How to make crispy smashed spring new potatoes with pesto
All you need is:
- 500g new / baby potatoes
- Tsp garlic powder
- Tsp onion powder
- Generous glug olive oil
- Big pinch sea salt
- 1 small tub basil pesto
Then it’s as simple as:
- Pre-heat your oven to 200C
- Rinse your potatoes and give them a little scrub to remove any dirt from the skins
- Pop them into a pot of salted boiling water – allow them to cook for around 15 minutes or until a fork can pierce through relatively easily (with just a little resistance)
- Drain the potatoes and return to the pot
- Add everything else (except the pesto) – olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder and salt – stir well to coat the potatoes
- One at a time, add potatoes to a flat oven proof baking tray/dish and begin the ‘smashing’ process
- Using the bottom of a thick-bottomed glass or the back of a large spoon, press firmly but slowly onto each potato until you feel it start to give, press with just enough force to flatten it a little and then release the tool you’re using to press down
- Repeat until all of the potatoes are smashed!
- Pop the potatoes in to the oven for about 20 minutes or until they’re bubbling a little and crispy
- Remove potatoes from the oven, dollop with the pesto and service with just about anything!
Crispy Smashed Spring New Potatoes with Pesto
Ingredients
- 500 g baby / new potatoes
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 1 small jar basil pesto
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 200C
- Rinse your potatoes and give them a little scrub to remove any dirt from the skins
- Pop them into a pot of salted boiling water – allow them to cook for around 15 minutes or until a fork can pierce through relatively easily (with just a little resistance)
- Drain the potatoes and return to the pot
- Add everything else (except the pesto) – olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder and salt – stir well to coat the potatoes
- One at a time, add potatoes to a flat oven proof baking tray/dish and begin the 'smashing' process
- Using the bottom of a thick-bottomed glass or the back of a large spoon, press firmly but slowly onto each potato until you feel it start to give, press with just enough force to flatten it a little and then release the tool you're using to press down
- Repeat until all of the potatoes are smashed!
- Pop the potatoes in to the oven for about 20 minutes or until they're bubbling a little and crispy
- Remove potatoes from the oven, dollop with the pesto and service with just about anything!
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