Crispy Baked Smashed Potatoes with Vegan Dips
For once, I don’t want to talk about my love for the German dish ‘Kartoffeln und Quark’ (potatoes with herb curd). But then… strictly speaking, maybe this love has brought me to today's recipe because these smashed potatoes are like potatoes and curd version at level 100. Inspired by this recipe from Bon Appetit, the potatoes are prepared twice, first boiled in a pot, then smashed and baked on a baking sheet in the oven. For this, you can use a potato masher, a fork, the bottom of a cup, or even smash all potatoes at the same time by pressing them down with a second baking sheet. Afterward, however, I went astray because I liked the idea to brush the potatoes with a vinaigrette before baking. This way, the potatoes get a bit more flavor.
We serve these crispy potatoes with not just one, but three dips. Feel free to prepare your favorite dips, we decided for a sesame dip, a garlic dip, and a harissa dip. You can serve them as a side to your crispy mashed potatoes, or prepare a real eye-catcher, which will do wonderful on every family celebration, party buffet, dinner table, but basically on every occasion. To prepare loaded smashed potatoes, spread one of the dips onto the crispy baked potatoes and garnish with fresh herbs, microgreens, sesame seeds, and pickled red onions. Drizzle with some linseed oil and serve the remaining dips on the side. No matter which option you choose, I'm sure you'll love this recipe!
Crispy Baked Smashed Potatoes with Vegan Dips
Ingredients
For the potatoes:
- 1 kg (2.25 pounds) waxy potatoes
- olive oil
- salt
For the vinaigrette:
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp mustard
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- salt
- pepper
For the sesame dip:
- 200 g (0.75 cups) plant-based yogurt
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 3 tbsp za’atar
- salt
- pepper
For the garlic dip:
- 200 g (0.75 cups) plant-based yogurt
- 2 garlic cloves
- 20 g (1 oz) fresh dill
- salt
- pepper
For the harissa dip:
- 200 g (0.75 cups) plant-based yogurt
- 3 tbsp harissa
- salt
- pepper
For servings:
- cress
- chives
- pickled red onions
- flaxseed oil
Instructions
Add potatoes to a pot, cover with cold water, and season with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and let the potatoes simmer for approx. 20 minutes, or until fork-tender. They shouldn’t be too soft.
Parallelly preheat oven to 220°C/430°F and grease a baking sheet with some olive oil. As soon as the potatoes are done, drain and transfer them to the baking sheet. Use a potato masher, fork, or the bottom of a cup to press down each potato; they should be smashed. No worries, if you should even crush a potato into smaller pieces – these will get just as crispy in the end!
For the vinaigrette, add olive oil, apple cider vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, dried rosemary, salt, and pepper to a bowl and stir to combine, Brush each smashed potato with the vinaigrette, then drizzle with some more olive oil. Bake for approx. 35-40 minutes, or until the smashed potatoes are golden brown and crispy.
In the meantime, prepare all three dips in a separate bowl. For the sesame dip, mix plant-based yogurt with tahini, za’atar, and season with salt and pepper to taste. For the garlic dip, finely grate the garlic and finely chop the dill. Add both to plant-based yogurt and season with salt and pepper to taste. For the harissa dip, add as much harissa to plant-based yogurt as you want until it’s spicy enough for your taste, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
As soon as the potatoes are crispy, you have two options for serving. Either just serve the dips as a side to your baking sheet of crispy smashed potatoes, or go for one or two oft he dips and spread them on top of the potatoes, then drizzle with some flaxseed oil and add fresh chopped herbs (e.g., cress, chives), and pickled red onions.
