Smashed Red Potato Recipe

This garlic-smashed red potato recipe is savory and delicious without butter or oil. Instead, use my miso garlic sauce for scrumptious smashed red potatoes.

To create unique ways to make potatoes, I do a lot of experimenting in my kitchen. Often, I create an accidental recipe I love. Other times, of course, I epically fail and start again. Today, however, I made a smashed red potato recipe, which is a definite keeper. I knew it was good when I watched my husband scraping the bottom of his fork again on his plate to get every morsel. But, of course, my smashed red potatoes don't have any butter or oil!

Jump to:

• What is Miso?
• Smashed Potato Ingredients
• Smashed Potato Ingredient Substitutions
• How to Make Red Smashed Potatoes
• Recipe FAQS
• Tips
• Fabulous Vegan Sides
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

Honestly, I have never met a potato I didn't like. Red smashed potatoes are one of my favorite recipes because they are easy to make. Unfortunately, most recipes for smashed red potatoes include a ton of butter or oil, which I don't cook with—So instead of butter, I used yellow miso.

What is Miso?

As a fermented food, miso provides beneficial gut bacteria that help us stay healthy, vibrant, and happy; good gut health is linked to our overall mental and physical wellness.

Miso is an excellent ingredient because it adds immediate flavor to almost anything I make. I often use miso in sauces, like dressing, but why not roast my potatoes in it too?

There are different varieties of miso: 

White Miso (Shiro) is made from soybeans and rice and fermented for no longer than two months. Shiro (which means "white" in Japanese) is light in color and sweet to mildly salty. Shiro, for example, is very versatile and provides a bit of oomph to salad dressings or sautéed vegetables.

Another mild type fermented slightly longer than white miso, is yellow miso (Shinshu). Yellow miso is adaptable in a wide range of recipes, as well.

If a recipe calls for dark miso, you'll want to use an aka or red miso. Russet in color, this type is made from a higher proportion of soybeans, is fermented for up to three years, and is saltier and more profound in flavor. Its full flavor is best used in hearty dishes like stews and tomato sauces. Use with caution – its flavor can overpower other ingredients.

Barley Miso (Mugi), from barley and soybeans,  usually has a longer fermentation process than most white miso. As a result, it has a strong barley aroma but is still mild and slightly sweet in flavor.

Smashed Potato Ingredients

• Baby Red Potatoes: Red potatoes are particularly healthy because of the thin, nutrient-filled skins, which are loaded with fiber, B vitamins, iron, and potassium. Half of the fiber of a potato comes from the skin. On red potatoes, in particular, the skin is already super thin, so it doesn't detract from the taste or texture.
• Garlic: I prefer using fresh garlic cloves whenever possible for the best flavor.
• Garlic Powder: I used fresh garlic and garlic powder since these potatoes are garlicky.
• Miso Paste: White or yellow miso paste is available in the grocery store's refrigerator section, generally with other healthy foods.
• Lemon Juice: I prefer fresh lemon juice whenever it is available.
• Thyme: Thyme is an herb with a distinct identity but doesn't hit you on the head with it. It has a delightful flavor balance that dances between earthy and minty, minty and citrus-laced, savory but also sweet, and slightly woodsy but also flowery, with traces of lavender or toned-down rosemary.
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper: Freshly ground pepper is more flavorful than pepper sold already crushed, enhancing the taste of any dish where pepper is used. 

Smashed Potato Ingredient Substitutions

• If you don't have red potatoes, the best substitutes include Yukon Gold potatoes, which are slightly yellow in color but have a similar flavor and texture. OR - Use another thin-skin potato such as white potatoes or other yellow potatoes.
• Jarred minced garlic and garlic powder will usually be the easiest, most common substitutes, but there are other options. Garlic salt can also work when you're in a bind—use ¾ tsp. Garlic salt for one clove of garlic.
• Use rosemary, parsley, or oregano if you don't have the thyme. Or used dried thyme,.
• A general rule of thumb for the dried-to-fresh herb ratio: Use one-third the amount of dried herb for the fresh herb called for in the recipe.

How to Make Red Smashed Potatoes

• First, parboil the red potatoes for 15 minutes.
• Then, rinse the potatoes in cold water to stop them from continuing to cook, so you won't burn your fingers while smashing.
• Another good idea is to select similar-sized red potatoes so they parboil evenly.
• Furthermore, if your potatoes are larger, add additional time to the parboiling time.

Once cooled, transfer the potatoes to a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Next, use a small ball far or any cooking utensil with a flat surface and smash each red potato.

• Combine the miso, lemon juice, and the other ingredients except for the potatoes.
• Microwave for 30 seconds to melt the miso and combine the ingredients.
• Using a basting brush, brush the miso mixture on the potatoes, coating the smashed red potatoes.
• Now, either bake the smashed red potatoes in a 425-degree oven for 20 minutes or air fry them at 400 degrees for 10 minutes until crispy.
• Or, cover the basted potatoes and refrigerate until ready to cook.

As a result, the smashed red potato recipe is crispy and crunchy on the outside and soft and delicate on the inside. Like butter, the miso garlic sauce baths the potatoes creating a savory taste.

Even though smashed red potatoes make a fabulous side dish, I chose to serve them as a snack with vegan ranch dressing.

Recipe FAQS

Tips

• To make crispy roast potatoes, the oven temperature needs to be hot 220°C or 425°F - but if the oven is too hot, the potatoes will burn before they crisp up. If the oven temperature is too cold, your potatoes will not be crispy. The same applies to the air fryer. Preheat it before cooking the smashed potatoes.
• Choose potatoes that are approximately the same size. Smaller potatoes take less time to cook, whereas larger potatoes take longer.
• Store any leftover smashed potatoes in airtight containers in the fridge for 3-5 days. To reheat the potatoes, place them in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 10 minutes. You can also reheat them in the microwave until warmed through, though they won't be as crispy. If using the air fryer, cook at 350 F for 5 minutes.
• Other great sauces for this red smashed potato recipe are mustard sauce, lemon basil sauce, yum yum sauce, or ketchup.
• If you're a potato lover, I love these potatoes as a snack, side dish, or main meal.

Try this red smashed potato recipe for a savory, crispy, delicious snack, side dish, or meal!

Fabulous Vegan Sides

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