Crispy Smashed Potato Salad

smashed potato salad in large white bowl garnished with parsley

Print Recipe

Here I'll share my take on the viral crispy smashed potato salad!

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: BBQ, Pot Luck, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: - 6

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £4 / $5

Equipment

Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
1x Very Large Greaseproof Baking Tray (or use 2 regular)
Potato Masher (or something like a spatula to smash the potatoes)
Large Mixing Bowl (for dressing/combining potato salad)

Ingredients

1kg / 2lb Baby Potatoes (see notes)
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Salt, plus more as needed
pinch of Black Pepper
200g / 7oz Streaky Bacon
180g / 3/4 cup full-fat Mayo
60g / 1/4 cup full-fat Sour Cream
2-3 tbsp finely diced Gherkins/Pickles
2 tbsp finely diced Fresh Parsley, plus more to garnish if desired
2 tbsp finely diced Fresh Chives
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 large stalk of Celery, finely diced (1/3 cup)
1/2 small Red Onion, finely diced
1/2 tsp Sugar, or to taste
1/4 tsp EACH: Salt, White Pepper, or to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
Cook the bacon using your preferred method to your desired texture. Chop just before needed.
Halve the potatoes and toss them on a very large greaseproof baking tray with 2 tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp salt and a good pinch of black pepper. Flip them all over so they're cut side down (use 2 trays if you need to).
Roast them for 15-20 minutes, or until they turn golden, a little crispy and are soft enough to smash. Use a potato masher or other suitable utensil to press down on the potato and smash them to even thickness (the thinner they are the crispier they'll be; just make sure they don't break apart). Drizzle with a little more oil if they're looking dry. I also like to season with a pinch more salt.
Place them back in the oven for another 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are deep golden and crispy. Timings will be dependent on how big the potatoes are, so just be vigilant and use your best judgment. If you notice the ones around the outside charring a little too quickly, just remove them if needed. The potatoes will crisp a little more as they cool.
Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl combine all of the remaining ingredients (bar the bacon). Once everything is evenly distributed, toss through the potatoes and bacon, then serve up with extra parsley if desired. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Baby Potatoes - Baby potatoes range quite a lot in size, as such, so will the baking times. The ones I used to film were pretty small, so took a total of around 40 minutes. I recommend letting them rest for a few minutes before tossing through the dressing (they crisp up a little more as they cool).

b) Baking Tray - I use baking/parchment paper, but if you've got a decent tray that's not prone to sticking, you'll be fine without. Mine fit (just about) on a large tray, but just use two if needed.

c) Serving - The crispy potatoes will actually hold up pretty well after they're coated in the dressing. Ideally though, you'll want to serve this right away, or at least within half an hour or so.

d) Calories - Whole recipe divided by 5.

Nutrition