Thanks to Julie van Rosendaal for sharing this recipe from her new cookbook, Dirty Food.
I’m not the first to boil, crush and roast new potatoes, but am an avid promoter of this cooking method; the craggy edges produced by squishing allows for maximum crispy bits. Drizzle them with melted butter, oil or ghee, or use the bacon drippings or chicken fat you have stashed away in the fridge. Crush a garlic clove into any of the above to infuse them with garlic. Sprinkle the potatoes with finely chopped herbs or chilies, or with a curry or other spice blend, or stick to salt. And grating some Parmesan (or other intensely flavoured cheese) over the potatoes for their last few minutes in the oven is never a bad idea.
Crispy Crushed Potatoes
Ingredients
- small new potatoes
- melted butter canola or olive oil or other fat
- 1 garlic clove crushed (optional)
- chopped fresh rosemary or thyme dried chili flakes or a spice blend (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- Put the potatoes into a saucepan, cover with water, bring to a boil and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until they’re fork-tender. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Drain the potatoes well, spread them out on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet (don’t crowd the pan too much—you want to give them room to brown) and crush each one flat with a fork. If you like, stir a garlic clove into your melted butter, oil or other fat before drizzling it over the potatoes. Sprinkle with herbs and/or spices, or just salt and pepper.
- Roast for 20-30 minutes, or until crisp and golden on the edges. If you like, pull the pan out, grate Parmesan generously overtop and return to the oven for five more minutes. Serves about 4 per pound of potatoes.
Recipe reprinted with permission. Dirty Food by Julie van Rosendaal. 2019