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Simple but delicious, Roasted Garlic Butter Smashed Potatoes. Each little smashed potato wedge is perfect when tossed with herby roasted garlic butter. The secret is to first roast the potatoes with olive oil. This gets them nice and crispy before tossing them with garlic butter. Finish the potatoes off with a dusting of fresh herbs and sea salt. Delicious as both an appetizer and a side…these are the potatoes that everyone will beg you to make again!
Just yesterday I was saying how I never share any side dish recipes. Recipes that are stand-alone sides for occasions like picnics and summer gatherings. I’ve mentioned this before, but when it comes to serving my family dinner, I don’t like to simply serve grilled chicken or straight tacos. I love to provide them with a full meal. Maybe that’s a main dish, like grilled steak with a side of sweet potatoes and a salad. Or maybe that’s tacos with all the fixings (salsa, guacamole, sauce, a side of rice). It’s just how I like to cook for people. And when I create recipes, I have that exact way of thinking.
It’s probably why you see me creating so many recipes like my skillet lemon butter chicken and orzo. Or even yesterday’s tacos, which had not just the tacos, but also salsa and a sauce. I guess I just like to really give you all the full experience.
With that said, I’m realizing that I don’t have enough recipes like today’s recipe. Ones that you can work into your entertaining menus for upcoming dinners with friends and backyard gatherings.
I’m excited to share some new simple side dishes and salad recipes for the fun warm weather entertaining months ahead.
Details on these potatoes
I will say these are simple (and wow, so yummy), but at the same time, there are some steps. You need to start by boiling the potatoes to get them soft enough to smash down. I usually use the Instant Pot for this, but boiling on the stove works just as well. I provided directions for both.
While the potatoes are pre-cooking, I start the garlic. I have a new way of roasting garlic that I really love. Peel the garlic cloves and roast them with a stick of butter. Not only is this much faster than roasting a whole head of garlic, but the garlic caramelizes evenly…instead of becoming burned on the top (and possibly undercooked towards the bottom of the head).
The other amazing thing is that the butter ends up becoming infused with garlic. It browns around the cloves creating an even more wonderful flavor.
Once the potatoes become tender, drain them and place them onto a baking sheet. I like to use the bottom of a drinking glass to really smash each potato down. Then they can get beautifully crispy in the oven.
Next, drizzle each potato with olive oil and throw them into the oven.
While the potatoes are beginning to crisp, mash the garlic cloves into the butter. Then add all the herbs. I like to use oregano, parsley, and basil, but you can really use any mix you enjoy most.
Season the butter to taste with cayenne pepper and sea salt. Now, spoon the butter over each potato and then throw everything back into the oven one last time. This will get them to a crispy state of perfection. It only takes 10 or so minutes.
I love to serve these guys warm, if possible with lots of basil and sea salt on top. But if you’re looking to serve them at a BBQ and can’t have them piping hot, they’re also delicious at room temperature.
It all works, these are always good! They’re so crispy that some of the potatoes are almost chip-like. Each little guy is addicting, whether it’s a softer portion of the potato or a crispy edge. You’ll want to eat them all up. And personally, I’m excited to have this recipe to serve throughout the year – for any season!
Looking for other potato dishes? Here are some favorites.
Crispy Parmesan Thyme Sweet Potato Stacks
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions
Crispy Oregano Roasted Potatoes with Creamy Feta Sauce
Lastly, if you make these Roasted Garlic Butter Smashed Potatoes, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Roasted Garlic Butter Smashed Potatoes
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 241 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds mixed baby potatoes
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 8-12 whole cloves of garlic, peeled
- 1/4 cup fresh oregano, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- cayenne pepper, to taste
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Place the potatoes in a large pot. Add water to cover by 1 inch. Add a handful of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer 15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender. Drain the potatoes and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet, let cool slightly.2. Meanwhile, Combine the butter, garlic, and olive oil in a baking dish. Bake 20- 30 minutes, until the garlic is golden and the butter is browning, watch closely to ensure the garlic is not burning. 3. Use a fork to mash the garlic cloves into the butter. Add the oregano, parsley, basil, and cayenne. Season with salt and pepper. 4. Working with the potatoes, use the bottom of a flat cup and smash the potatoes down (see photos). Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil. Bake 20 minutes. Pull the potatoes out of the oven and spoon the butter over each potato. Return to the oven and cook another 10-15 minutes, until extra crispy. 5. Sever warm with additional herbs and sea salt.
Notes
To Cook the Potatoes in the Instant Pot: Preheat the oven to 425° F. In the bowl of your instant pot, combine the potatoes, 2-3 cups water, and a handful salt. Cover and cook on high pressure/manual for 6 minutes. Once done cooking, use the natural or quick release function and release the steam. Drain the potatoes and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet, let cool slightly. Finish as directed above from step 2 on.
Are there any steps of this you could prep in advance? trying to see if I can make these work for Christmas eve and not do it all immediately before serving?
So tasty, super straight forward recipe and pretty idiot proof. I also added a bit of Asiago cheese on top after taking the potatoes out of the oven. Great recipes from HBH as always!
Hey Rachel,
Happy Sunday!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and your comment, I love to hear that it was a winner! xx
These were excellent and fairly easy to make. My only minor complaint is that they were very rich with the amount of butter and oil used. They were a big hit with the whole family and I will definitely make them again.
Hi Heidi,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was a hit! xx
Delicious! I cut the butter a bit in an attempt to make these yummies a little healthier and they were still wonderful. I sprinkled with parmesan cheese the last few minutes of putting the smashed potatoes back in oven. I tried to get away with not pouring over the extra butter mixture, and should have drizzled a little more olive oil when putting in oven. Still so good and our guests raved!
Thanks so much Kitty!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and appreciate you making it! Happy Friday!
I’m making these right now. I need a little clarification…in the direction it says to peel the garlic before roasting, however, in the first photo of the garlic it’s not peeled. I followed the directions and peeled the garlic and the outside got very hard. Should it be left in the peel and unpeeled after roasting?
Hi Lori,
You’ll want to peel the garlic before roasting:) Are you able to smash the garlic? Let me know if that works! xx
I was able to smash the garlic, however the outside of the garlic was very hard. I only had it in the oven for 15 minutes. Discarded the hard outside skins. They were still delicious and everyone loved them!
i used a combination of fresh and slightly older garlic and found that the older garlic had tougher skins i had to pull out at the end. the fresh i had just bought mashed very easily
Hey Kristen,
Love to hear this! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your feedback! Have the best weekend! xT
This recipe is the bomb! I’ve made it twice and it will for sure be one of my favorites.
Love to hear this Sherri!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your feedback! Have a wonderful weekend!🌈🌤️ xT
Has anyone ever done the last step on a flat top?
Sorry Suzanne, I’ve never tried that but let me know if you give it a go! I hope you love this recipe! Happy Friday! xx
Easy and fun to make. I boiled and smashed the potatoes with a cup onto the baking pan ahead of time. It worked out great for a busy holiday meal. Fantastic flavor and is easy to serve to a crowd.
Hey Kym,
Happy Monday!!🌞 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! xx
Short but sweet review: I think these are probably the best potatoes I’ve ever made.
Hi there,
Happy Easter!! 🐰🐣🌈 Thank you very much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your comment, I’m so glad it turned out well for you! xT
Very good, but not amazing. I cannot seem to get enough pop of flavor-and should given whats in it-
Hey there,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe was tasty and thanks a lot for trying it out! xT
Made these for my moms birthday dinner tonight and they were awesome! The cooking directions are perfect and made the perfect potato. I think next time I might drizzle the butter and herb mixture over way at the end instead of baking the mixture on it. Either way you cant loose. I used yellow baby potatoes.
Hey Ashley,
Fantastic!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for trying it out! Have a great weekend! xx