So one of Natalie’s best friends’ families just did the Whole30. They did it before we did and were wrapping up their first round as we were starting ours. Every time Maya came over, I’d ask her questions about how they did things during their Whole30 or where they found certain items I didn’t see at the grocery store.
She was a wealth of information and even shared some recipe ideas with me. While out with us at a local concert, we got to talking about fries and potatoes and The Whole30 diet, and she told me all about these potatoes her mom makes that they smash and season. The way she described the potatoes sounded so delicious, that I think my mouth was actually watering.
Needless to say that Natalie and I were determined to try making these potatoes! I bought a bag of mixed small potatoes — purple, red, and yellow — and started the water boiling to soften them up so we could smash them. But then I couldn’t find my potato smasher anywhere. It’s as if it vanished into thin air and was nowhere to be found.
Crap. I needed a solution and fast. The only thing I could think of to smash the potatoes was the thing we use to smash chicken… the meat tenderizer!
I first tried smashing the potatoes with the flat side of the tenderizer, but the potatoes actually stuck to it. So I switched over to the sharp pointy side, brushed some olive oil on the tenderizer, and gently smashed the potatoes. It worked perfectly!
When all of the potatoes were smashed, I poured some olive oil into a small measuring cup, added a little sea salt and black pepper, and lots of garlic, and mixed it up really well. For the garlic, we used a big heaping spoonful of Tessemae’s Organic Slow Roasted Garlic Spread (it’s incredible).
I brushed the mixture over the potatoes. Using the meat tenderizer actually made this work even better than I imagined because all the little holes in the potatoes created by the tenderizer, held the olive oil and seasonings. I then flipped the potatoes over, brushed the other side, and put them in the oven to bake at 425 degrees. After 15 minutes, I removed the potatoes from the oven, flipped them over, and returned them to the oven to bake for another 10-15 minutes.
When the Garlic Smash Potatoes came out of the oven, they were crunchy and garlicky and salty on the outside, and soft on the inside. They tasted amazing and I was immediately angry at myself for not making more. We all wanted seconds but had to split the seconds — and none of wanted to share.
I served the Garlic Smash Potatoes alongside Rosemary Garlic Oven-Baked Artichokes and piping hot barbecue chicken. The combination of flavors was absolutely outstanding.
The potatoes were so tasty, that we decided to make them again, this time serving the Garlic Smash Potatoes alongside Spicy Red Pepper Turkey Vegetable Meatballs, and Spicy Ginger Garlic Brussels Sprouts. I also added some parsley to the seasoning this time and it was super yummy.
I’m already looking forward to making this exact same meal again very soon.
Garlic Smash Potatoes
One bite of these Garlic Smash Potatoes and you may never want to eat a french fry again.
Prep Time
Cook Time
Total Time
Ingredients
- Potatoes
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Boil potatoes over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Drain water.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.
- Place potatoes on the baking sheet and gently smash with a potato smasher. Or smash them lightly with the pointy side of a meat tenderizer and transfer smashed potatoes to the baking sheet.
- Mix garlic, sea salt, and black pepper into olive oil. Brush the mixture over each potato, flip over potatoes and brush the other side.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, flip, and return to oven to cook for 10-15 more minutes.
Notes:
For the garlic, we used a big heaping spoonful of Tessemae's Organic Slow Roasted Garlic Spread.
