Loaded Smashed Potatoes
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 3 ounces (85g) bacon
- 2 pounds (900g) potatoes waxy type such as Yukon Gold, baby potatoes, preferably small/medium and not large
- chicken broth of water for cooking the potatoes crushed bouillon cube+water will also work
- 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning or paprika+onion powder+garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
- 1 cup (100g) sharp cheddar cheese
- sour cream to serve
- chives to serve
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start with cooking bacon in the oven - lay bacon slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (can be side by side but can't overlap) and cook at 400°F (200°C) for 12-20 minutes (it will depend on the thickness of bacon) or until browned. Transfer to a plate, it will be soft at first but will crisp up while cooling (a detailed post about baking bacon can be found here: how to cook bacon in the oven). Discard (or reserve for later) almost all the bacon grease, leave some of it on the baking sheet to flavor the potatoes. Discard the parchment paper.
- While the bacon is baking, cook the potatoes. Wash the potatoes well because we're leaving the skin on the potatoes so make sure they're really clean. Add the potatoes to a medium pot and cover with chicken broth or water + crushed bouillon cube (using just water is also fine). Salt the water. Bring to a boil then cook until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes for smaller potatoes to 20 minutes for medium/larger potatoes.
- Increase the oven temperature to 425°F (220°C). Place the rack one shelf above the center of the oven.
- Take the potatoes out of the water and place on a clean kitchen cloth to dry. Transfer to the baking sheet (don't line it with parchment paper).
- In a small bowl, combine olive oil, Old Bay seasoning, and chopped rosemary. Toss the potatoes with half of this mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
- Smash the potatoes using a flat glass to a thickness of about 1/2 inch (1.5 cm). The edges of the smashed potatoes should be uneven and a little bit thinner than the center (will be more crispy thanks to that). (If the smashed potatoes seem to not hold their shape, don't worry, after baking the potatoes they will be less crumbly, and the cheese will also 'glue' them together.)
- Spoon the remaining olive oil on top of the potatoes. Season the potatoes again lightly with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with grated parmesan.
- Bake for about 25 minutes or until browned and crispy (every oven bakes differently so check on them after 20 minutes to make sure they don't get too dark).
- Take out of the oven and top with shredded cheddar and chopped bacon.
- Bake for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Take out of the oven and top with sour cream and sprinkle with chives.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Calories = 1 serving (1/6 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!
Nutrition
Calories: 321kcal