These oven roasted smashed fingerling potatoes are perfect for dinner, breakfast or anytime the craving for french fries hits! Super crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside, this smashed fingerling potatoes recipe makes the perfect side dish for any meal.
This post was first published in January 2021. It has been updated most recently as of August 2023 with updated recipe notes.
Be sure to make extra of these smashed potatoes because you won’t be able to resist biting into them before they even make it onto your plate! This easy side dish is my absolute favorite way to cook potatoes. Every time I make them, I end up just standing at the kitchen counter sneaking bites as soon as they come out of the oven. They’re irresistible!
Is there anything better than crispy fried potatoes? YES! Potatoes that taste like they’ve been deep fried but are actually oven roasted. These smashed fingerlings eat like a seriously upgraded french fry. Trust me, these taters are truly a thing of magic.
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What are fingerling potatoes?
Fingerlings are oblong, fingerlike shaped small potatoes with thin skin and a low starch content. Once roasted, they have a mild, buttery taste and turn out nice and crispy. They are some of the best potatoes for roasting!
Are smashed potatoes healthy?
Potatoes get a bad rap for being unhealthy but this couldn’t be further from the truth! Potatoes themselves are actually quite healthy. They are high in vitamin B6, vitamin C and iron, and are an excellent source of potassium. A serving of potatoes provides about 20% of the recommended daily value for potassium, an important mineral that may help blunt sodium’s effects on blood pressure.
The reason why people always tout potatoes as unhealthy is because of the way that they’re generally prepared. Fried in oil and smothered in sugary ketchup or fat-laden mayo, butter, cheese, sour cream…you get it. These crispy smashed fingerling spuds are roasted in avocado oil and sprinkled with just some salt and fresh herbs, making them an absolutely delicious and healthy side for any meal.
Ingredients
All you need is a few simple ingredients to make perfectly crispy smashed potatoes!
- Fingerling Potatoes – these are my favorite kind to use for this recipe. In the grocery store you may see different varieties of petite potatoes including a medley of fingerling potatoes that are different colors. Any variety of smaller potatoes will work for this recipe, just adjust your cooking time a bit according to size.
- High Heat Cooking Oil – my preferred high heat cooking oil is avocado oil. You can also use vegetable oil, canola oil or any oil with a high smoke point to get the best, crispiest results. Smoke point is the temperature at which an oil stops shimmering when it gets really hot and starts smoking.
- Salt – these potatoes are delicious as is with a bit of flaky sea salt.
- Fresh herbs – chives or parsley for some color and a little pop of herbiness. Totally optional.
- Variations – shake a little garlic powder over the smashed potatoes on the sheet pan before roasting. Drizzle the roasted potatoes with garlic butter or sprinkle with parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning just a few minutes before they’re done and put them back in the oven to get nice and crispy.
- Dipping sauce – serve them up with some sour cream, greek yogurt or good mayo mixed with fresh garlic and lemon for dipping.
How to make super crispy smashed potatoes in the oven
This is a really simple recipe to make. It’s all in the timing and the technique! It’s a two step cooking process but fingerling potatoes require no peeling or chopping so it’s very little work.
Step one is to parboil the potatoes until just barely fork tender but not completely soft. We just want them to be smashable, they’ll continue cooking in the oven. Once the potatoes are softened, drain and let them cool until they can be handled.
To smash, I like to lay out a big sheet of parchment paper right on the counter and then use a flat bottom of a drinking glass or another square of parchment to gently smash potatoes until they are squished to about ⅓ inch thick. You can also use a flat potato masher if you have one.
After you smash the potatoes, give them a few minutes to let the steam escape and make sure that they are completely dry. Excess moisture will prevent them from reaching maximum crispiness.
After you smash the potatoes, pour some oil onto a large rimmed baking sheet and put it in the oven to heat up. A lot of recipes call for drizzling or tossing potatoes in cold oil and then placing them in a preheated oven. I heat the oil up first so it’s similar to frying the potatoes to get them super crispy!
Once the oil is hot and shimmering, carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven and gently transfer the smashed potatoes onto the pan using a spatula.
If they fall apart a little bit, no worries, just scoop it all up with your spatula and get it onto the baking sheet. You can sneak bites of any crumbles that don’t make it onto the plate.
Continue roasting in the oven until golden brown and super crispy!
Recipe tips
- Boil the potatoes just until slightly fork tender but not completely soft. This way they will stay together when transferred to the baking sheet for roasting.
- For the crispiest potatoes, let them dry out for 5-10 minutes after you smash them. This allows the steam and excess moisture to evaporate.
- For best results, use a thin metal or fish spatula to transfer and flip the smashed potatoes to minimize falling apart.
Recipe FAQs
You should definitely wash your potatoes and give them a gentle scrub to remove any dirt. The skins are staying on so you want to make sure they are clean!
If your potatoes didn’t get super crispy it’s likely that you did not let the steam escape the potatoes dry a bit before transferring them to the hot oil on the baking sheet. Moisture is the enemy of crispiness! You did not let your oil get hot enough in the oven. The oil should be screaming hot and shimmering before transferring the smashed potatoes to the baking sheet.
I recommend roasting them just before serving for maximum crispiness but you can definitely do some prep before hand. Boil the potatoes, smash them and let them cool completely before transferring them to a plate, tightly wrapping and putting in the fridge. I recommend putting them in a single layer so that they don’t fall apart from multiple transfers. You can do this step a day ahead of time.
Leftover smashed potatoes will keep well for 3-4 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Reheat in a low oven or in the toaster oven or air fryer.
What goes with crispy smashed potatoes?
Everything! Crispy potatoes make a great side dish for any meal. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Baked Peri Peri Chicken Wings, Mojo Marinated Chicken Leg Quarters, Grilled Mediterranean Chicken or BBQ Chicken Legs and Thighs
- Burgers, sandwiches or these Argentine Red Shrimp Rolls
- Marinated Bavette Steak or Garlic Herb Crusted Eye of Round Roast Beef
- Serve them for brunch with this Baked Asparagus, Leek and Goat Cheese Frittata and Smoked Salmon Dip
- Enjoy as a side with a big bowl of Chili or a fun salad like this Chicken Tender Salad or Grilled Steak Salad.
More delicious potato recipes to try
Crispy Smashed Fingerling Potatoes {Oven Roasted}
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fingerling potatoes
- 4 tablespoons avocado oil or other high heat oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
- Flaky salt for seasoning to taste and fresh chives or parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Place scrubbed and dried potatoes in a dutch oven or large stock pot and fill with water until covered by about 1 inch. Sprinkle in 1 tbsp of salt and bring pot to a boil.
- Continue cooking until potatoes are just fork tender, about 15-20 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes in a colander and let sit until they are cool enough to handle.
- Spread out a large piece of parchment paper on the counter and use another piece of parchment or a flat bottom glass to gently smash the potatoes until they are about ⅓ to ½ inch thick, being careful not to crush them to the point of falling apart.
- Let any remaining steam escape from the smashed potatoes for about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees and pour avocado oil directly onto the sheet pan. Place the pan inside the oven and let the oil heat up until it’s shimmering.
- Carefully remove the pan with the hot oil from the oven and place on a heat safe surface. Using a spatula, carefully transfer the cooled, smashed potatoes from the parchment to the baking sheet. You may need to use two sheets depending on how many potatoes you have. Do not overcrowd or they will not reach maximum crispiness!
- Return the baking sheet back to the oven and roast the potatoes for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown and crispy.
- Sprinkle them with flaky salt and plenty of fresh chives and serve hot.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Rachel
I use fingerling potatoes in my meal rotation frequently, but I have never prepared them like this. This was so simple and so easy to prep. The potatoes were perfectly crispy and so full of flavor even with simple ingredients. Highly recommend pairing these with a nice steak. I was a very very happy : )
Sydney Kronfle
My husband loves potatoes, but I always make them the same boring way until I tried this recipe. He loves them. They are crispy but not unhealthy. The avocado oil and chives make it a much healthier alternative to French fries.