Crispy Smashed Potato Salad is my fun new way of enjoying potato salads during the summer. Instead of regular boiled potatoes, roasted smashed potatoes, still crispy and warm from the oven, are slathered in a creamy herb sauce made with sour cream and mayonnaise.
These potatoes have incredible flavors and texture – soft on the inside yet crunchy on the outside, finished with creamy and herb-y flavors. You are going to love this!
Potato fans! We have more for you…don’t forget to check out some of my other favorites such as Garlic Parmesan Hasselback Potatoes, Potato Mac Salad, and Cheesy Bacon Potato Casserole.
Smashed Potato Salad
Here’s the exciting thing about this Crispy Smashed Potato Salad. It’s basically a cross between the classic potato salad and crispy potatoes. Aka two things I love very much.
I’m a bit late to the smashed potato party – these fun little smashed potatoes have been all over TikTok and Instagram for a while. I finally tried it and cannot believe it took me so long. But hey, better than than never, right?
And yes, it’s pretty fantastic. I’ve said it a million times but I will say it again – if it’s not good it will not be here. There’s really little wrong anyone can do by roasting, smashing and crisping up potatoes, then toss them in some light creamy sauce. The soft+crunchy texture with a hint of creamy flavors is EVERYTHING.
Instead of just regular diced boiled potatoes that we typically come across in our potato salads, we are using baby potatoes and roasting them after boiling them so they are crispy.
And instead of overly heavy cream sauce, we toss our smashed potatoes in that herb-y, lighter, tangy creamy potato salad dressing.
I pronounce this Cripsy Smashed Potato Salad as the ‘IT’ Potato Salad for the summer!
Serve this as a side dish to your favorite BBQ meats, bring it to summer cookouts and potlucks, or be like me two days ago and munch on it over the kitchen counter as a light lunch.
It is an additional step roasting and smashing the potatoes after boiling it, but I promise you, that crispy texture is a game changer – and very much worth it!
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to make Crispy Smashed Potato Salad:
- baby potatoes – using these because they are small potatoes and can be smashed without completely losing their shapes. Slice potatoes into halves if they are still too big. Smaller potatoes will yield a crispier bite.
- olive oil – or any other neutral oil
- sour cream – you can get the low fat version or use Greek yogurt if you want to make this slightly healthier.
- mayonnaise – pay for a good mayo because it really makes a difference! It makes a world of difference in dishes like these. I very much prefer Hellman’s over some of the other brands.
- lemon juice – this will add the tangy flavors to the creamy sauce, cutting down on the heaviness and also bringing another dimension of flavor. Red wine vinegar or white vinegar can be used in place of lemon juice too.
- dijon mustard – similar to lemon juice, this will give the dressing a tangy flavor.
- chives – can substitute and use green onions as well. You can use fresh or dried chopped chives, although I do think there’s more flavor in fresh chives
- dill – I love adding fresh dill to potatoes and it just gives this smashed potato salad another layer of flavor. Other herbs such as parsley, oregano, Italian seasoning can be added too.
- salt + black pepper – spices to open up the flavors.
How to make Smashed Potato Salad
Step 1: Boil the Potatoes
The first thing you would want to do is to boil the baby potatoes in boiling water (with a pinch of salt) to soften them, which should take about 20-25 minutes.
If potatoes are large, slice them in halves.
Once potatoes are fork-tender, drain the excess water.
Step 2: Smash the Potatoes
Place softened boiled potatoes on a greased baking sheet. Using a flat bottom of a glass, press and smash each individual piece of baby potato.
Alternatively, you can also use a potato masher.
Step 3: Bake the Potatoes
Once all potatoes are smashed. Spray the tops with more olive oil to bring out the crunchiness, then bake!
Bake for 30-40 minutes at 425℉, or until potatoes are crispy brown on the outside.
Omg. Just look at that crispy potato…
That gorgeous golden brown color, slightly charred and crispy on the edges, but the inside of each potato is soft and warm.
Step 4: Make the Dressing
While smashed potatoes are baking, go ahead and combine the sauce by mixing together the following ingredients: sour cream, mayonnaise, chives (or green onions), lemon juice, dijon mustard, salt and black pepper.
Vigirously whisk to combine everything so that smells and flavors blend together.
Step 5: Toss Everything Together
Once potatoes are removed from oven after golden brown and crispy, bring them to a large mixing bowl and pour sauce all over the crispy potatoes.
Stir to toss potatoes in sauce, then garnish with more green onions and/or chives if you’d like.
With every bite, that perfect bite-sized potato, even when dressed in sauce, has this tiny distinct of crunch to it. Hints of fresh herbs can be tasted on top of the slightly creamy well-flavored sauce.
This potato-lover has added yet another potato dish to her list of favorite potato dishes!
Pro tip: to make this dish even tastier, crispy up some bacon bites and add it to the potato salad!
Variation and Substitution
Here are other ways you can make this smashed potato salad:
- Add other herbs: Add other herbs such as parsley, oregano
- Add vegetable: cucumber, celery, onions, shallots are good add to the dressing to add more flavor and a crunchy texture.
- Add dill pickles: or any pickles! This will make potato salad dressing even tangier. Perfect add for those who like sour flavors.
Storage and Reheating
Take note that smashed potatoes will no longer be crispy once it is stored in the refrigerator and heated. It will taste fine, but the texture will become soft.
Tips and Tricks
- Choose the Right Potato: Use smaller potatoes like baby potatoes, new potatoes or fingerling potatoes. These potatoes are also firm enough and do not completely disintegrate when they are smashed. Avoid russet potatoes – they are too big and they are super grainy in texture which will not work well for smashing.
- Salt the Water: Add some salt to boiling water used to cook potatoes to flavor the insides of the potatoes.
- Use a Glass to Smash: Use the flat bottom of a glass to press the potato and get a nice even distribution. You can use a potato smasher
- Easy Cleanup Tip: Line baking sheet with parchment paper
- Generously Oil the Pans: Make sure to grease the pan throughly so crispy potatoes don’t stick to them.
- Spray the Potatoes too: Spray or drizzle the potatoes with a generous amount of oil to help crisp them up.
- Broil for Extra Crispiness: After roasting, if potatoes are not crispy up to your liking, switch your oven to broil for a minute or two to really crisp up those edges.
- Serve Immediately: For maximum crispiness, serve crispy smashed potatoes salad immediately after tossing them in the herb cream sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! I consider this an alternative to the classic potato salad, but you can experiment with different sauce you typically use for your potato salads. Or use this homemade ranch recipe (drain or omit the buttermilk).
Baby potatoes work the best, but yes, you can – but cut them into about 1-inch cubes. Also choose firmer potatoes such as red or yellow potatoes, and avoid grainy kind such as russet so they can be smashed without falling apart completely.
Make sure to cover potatoes in olive oil before baking them. Cook longer or broil them if needed as well! But be careful not to burn them.
Try greasing the bottom of the glass whenever potatoes are starting to stick
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More Potato Recipes
- Baked Potato Casserole
- Potato Casserole with Andouille Sausage
- Roasted Baby Potatoes
- Garlic Parmesan Hasselback Potatoes
- Roasted Garlic Parmesan Potatoes
- Loaded Baked Potato Salad
- Cheesy Potato Wedges
Crispy Smashed Potato Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- ~2 lbs baby potatoes halved if needed
- a pinch of salt for boiling potatoes
- olive oil
Potato salad dressing
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- ¼ cup chives or green onion, minced
- 2 sprigs dill minced
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt plus more to taste if needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425℉.
- Wash and scrub baby potatoes. If there are baby potatoes that are bigger in size, cut them in half.
- Bring a pot of water to boil over medium-high heat. Add a pinch or two of salt to the water. Add potatoes to boiling water.
- Boil potatoes until fork tender. This will take 20-25 minutes. Once soft, remove from heat and drain the excess water.
- Spray baking sheet with olive oil. Place boiled potatoes onto the sheet. Use the flat bottom of a glass to smash the potatoes flat – grease the bottom of the glass if potatoes stick to it. When all the potatoes are smashed, spray the top of the potatoes with olive oil.
- Place potatoes into preheated oven. Bake 30-35 minutes or until potatoes are crispy.
- While the potatoes are baking, make the dressing by bringing sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, dijon mustard, chives, dill, salt and black pepper to a small mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Once the potatoes are crispy, remove from the oven and place into a medium sized mixing bowl. Pour sauce over the potatoes. Toss to fully coat. Check to see if more salt is needed.
- Serve and enjoy!
