CRISPY SMASHED POTATOES RECIPE WITH HERBY GREEN SAUCE
Potatoes are the ultimate comfort food! They are also so versatile and easy to make, plus potatoes are affordable and of course super delicious, I mean, what’s not to like?!
These crispy smashed potatoes are especially comforting, combining a fluffy carb-y interior with a crispy and crunchy exterior, in short: pure BLISS! I served them with a wonderful creamy herby sauce that hints at Spring.
In fact the sauce is Frankfurter Green Sauce, a regular from my teenage years living in Germany. The original sauce is not vegan, but it’s quite straight forward to veganise, as I did here. That said, I appreciate I live in a big city where vegan creme Fraiche and vegan greek yoghurt are both easy to come by, but if you’re not that lucky, you can replace the vegan creme Fraiche with vegan sour cream and the vegan Greek yoghurt with any vegan yoghurt you can get your hands on, as long as it’s unsweetened.
THE PERFECT POTATOES…
As for which potatoes to use, that’s really up to you. As a home cook I dislike too many rules and feel that the best potatoes to cook with are simply the ones you have to hand. Sure, some potatoes are better for roasting and others are ideal for salads, but at the end of the day, most potatoes are so forgiving that they taste good no matter what (as long as you cook them properly and add sufficient salt :)).
That said, I love baby potatoes for this recipe as, once they’re smashed, they create the perfectly sized and shaped potatoes for dipping in the aforementioned Green sauce and eating by hand. In contract, larger potatoes need to be cut in half for the same effect. Larger potatoes may also need a slightly longer boiling time, so do keep that in mind as you work your way through this simple recipe.
THE HERBY GREEN SAUCE
Though the traditional Frankfurter Green Sauce calls for sorrel and borage, neither I had to hand, I used a mix of watercress, parsley, basil, chives and fennel for a very similar result. In short, please use whatever green herbs you have to hand; I can assure you the recipe will work and be delicious!
As always, if you make this recipe, please don’t forget to tag @thelittleplantation on Instagram and know you can find a quick instructional video of today’s recipe on Instagram too!
CRISPY SMASHED POTATOES RECIPE WITH HERBY GREEN SAUCE
Today’s Frankfurter green sauce recipe has been mildly adapted from THIS one by My Dinner.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 50-60 minutes
Serves: 4 as a side dish
INGREDIENTS for the CRISPY smashed potatoes
750g (baby or new) potatoes, washed
a generous pinch of salt (for boiling)
2 tbs olive oil
a generous pinch of flaky salt (for roasting)
a pinch of pepper
ingredients for the HERBY green sauce
50g mixed herbs, washed and roughly chopped (I used 30g watercress, then some basil, fennel, chives and flatleaf parsley, which collectively made up the additional 20g)
75g (vegan) sour creme or creme fraiche
75g unsweetened (vegan) Greek or thick yoghurt
50g shallots, peeled, roughly chopped
1-2 tbs olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
To FINISH OFF (optional)
salad cress
basil leaves
INSTRUCTIONS
Bring a pot of water to the boil, add salt. Cook the potatoes for around 20 minutes or until they are soft enough for your fork to pierce through them. Once cooked, drain the water away.
Pre-heat the oven to 220C (200C Fan). Place the potatoes on a lined baking tray ensuring they don’t overlap, smash with a clean glass or a fork. Then drizzle over the olive oil. Sprinkle the smashed potatoes with salt and pepper and roast for 30 minutes, or until golden. If you want your potatoes extra crispy, do turn them over at the half way mark!
Whilst the potatoes are in the oven, prep the sauce by putting the herbs, creme fraiche, yoghurt, shallots, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a blender. Blend until smooth. (You can also use a stick blender if you prefer). Put in the fridge in an airtight container until the potatoes are ready to serve.
Once the potatoes are done, serve immediately with the herby green sauce, sprinkle over some salt, cress and basil and enjoy!
Looking for more potato recipes? Why not try THIS vegan spring salad with warm potatoes, THESE baked potatoes with red pepper and tomato sauce or THIS griddled asparagus bowl recipe!
