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These roasted smashed potatoes are a stunning side dish or appetizer! They’re perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
This post was created in partnership with Alessi Foods. All opinions are our own.
You may remember that Alex and I are huge fans of Italy. We spent our honeymoon in Rome and on the dreamy the Amalfi Coast. And because it was just that amazing, we returned 7 years later to repeat the trip! The food is in Italy unbeatable, and much of our recipe inspiration comes from Italian flavors and approach. Such was the case for these roasted smashed potatoes with white balsamic reduction. What’s a balsamic reduction? Keep reading for that, and the recipe.
Related: Things to Do on the Amalfi Coast, Italy
What is balsamic reduction?
Balsamic reductions are typical Italy. If you’ve ever tasted one, you’ll know eye-popping taste: sweet on the front end, tart on the back end, and complex with both fruity and dark notes. It’s a syrupy drizzle that’s created by boiling down vinegar until it becomes sweet and thick. Balsamic reductions can be used on literally anything: salads, roasted meats, fresh fruit, desserts, and cheese plates.
The Alessi Foods line, descended from a Sicilian family business started in the 1900’s, has a new line of reductions made with only a handful of ingredients and without artificial thickeners. Alessi sent us this white balsamic reduction and challenged us to be creative with our use of it. That was the genesis of this tasty crispy smashed potatoes recipe.
Related: 14 Red Potato Recipes
How to make crispy smashed potatoes
We came up with this recipe: crispy and salty roasted smashed potatoes, paired with the fruity, nuanced sweet drizzle of balsamic reduction. If I might be so bold: yum city! Not only are the smashed potatoes visually stunning, they’re seriously tasty. We could not stop eating them!
How to serve roasted smashed potatoes? Because they take over an hour to make, we imagine them for entertaining. For example, a Sunday night dinner with friends, a fancy brunch or dinner party, or to accompany a summer meal on the grill. Or, they would work as an elegant appetizer.
This Alessi white balsamic reductions is so versatile, snagging a bottle is absolutely worth it. After making these smashed potatoes, you could use it to drizzle on an endless list of other things: roasted vegetables, salads, rice or quinoa, bowl meals, and more. You can purchase the balsamic reductions at your local grocery stores, or order online here. Buon appetito!
This smashed potatoes recipe is..
This smashed potatoes recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.
Roasted Smashed Potatoes
These roasted smashed potatoes are a stunning side dish or appetizer! They’re perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 2 pounds small red or yellow potatoes
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Alessi White Balsamic Reduction or Homemade Balsamic Reduction
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450F.
- In a large saucepan, place the potatoes and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil. When boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 to 20 minutes (ours was done at 18 minutes). Make sure the potatoes are cooked through, but not overcooked.
- Once the potatoes are done, drain them. Place two clean dishtowels on the counter, and place the potatoes on top for a few minutes to fully drain.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then drizzle it with olive oil and brush it to cover the entire sheet. Place the potatoes on the sheet, evenly spaced. With a potato masher, gently press down on a potato until it mashes, then turn the masher 90 degrees and mash again (this should make a lovely criss-cross pattern on the top). Every few potatoes, wash the masher so that it is clean and not stuck with bits of potato – the best criss-cross patterns are made with a clean masher. Some potatoes won’t be as picturesque as others, but if you continue to clean the masher most will look similar to the photo.
- Place some additional olive oil in a bowl, then brush the tops of each smashed potato generously with olive oil. Then sprinkle each with a few pinches of kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the potatoes are crispy and golden brown.
- Remove the potatoes from the oven and transfer them to a serving platter. Drizzle with white balsamic reduction and sprinkle with chives.
Looking for more appetizer recipes?
Outside of these smashed potatoes, here are few of our favorite appetizer recipes:
- Healthy Loaded Sweet Potato Rounds
- Paprika Goat Cheese Spread
- Happy Hour Platter with Caramelized Onion Dip
- Pesto Grilled Cheese Dippers with Marinara
Looking for more side dish recipes?
This smashed potatoes recipe is a fantastic side dish; here are a few more side dish recipes we love:
- Incredible No Mayo Potato Salad
- Roasted Vegetables
- Easy Bean Salad
- Vegan Italian Pasta Salad
- Dilled Bean Salad
- Rice & Lentil Salad
- Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Best Popover Recipe
- Apple & Manchego Salad
- Mashed Red Potatoes with Garlic
More recipes with potatoes? Go to our Best Potato Recipes (or Vegan Potato Recipes).
Absolutely delicious. Gonna be a regular in my rotation. Thanks!
SO glad to hear this! Thank you!
So simple yet so good. My kind of food.
This looks like an awesome take on potatoes. Excited to try the balsamic reduction too. Thanks for the recipe!
I am going to make this as an appetizer very soon! I may accidentally (not) overcook a few in the oven for extra crispy cook samples! A cook has to eat too :)
These are happening in my kitchen tonight. This recipe sounds so good!
Just wanted to say you guys are total pros at food photography. An artform in itself. Well done!