Lemon Thyme Smashed Potatoes
Baby potatoes are boiled in a delicious lemon broth then roasted for maximum crispness.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb "baby" potatoes I used a mix of red and Yukon Gold
- juice and zest of 2 lemons
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 3 cloves garlic
- salt
- Seasoning:
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- juice and zest of one lemon
- 3 sprigs’ worth of thyme leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450. Bring a large pot of salted water or chicken stock to boil. Add the lemon juice and zest, thyme and potatoes. Cook the potatoes until fork-tender. Drain.
- Place on a parchment paper and use a potato masher to lightly "smash" each potato until the skin cracks.
- In a small pan, heat the seasoning ingredients until the butter melts. Remove from heat and stir in olive oil. Drizzle over potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake potatoes 15 minutes or until crispy. Serve immediately.
These potatoes were amazing! I got the idea to combine the technique of French pommes fondant where you braise the potatoes in a flavorful liquid on the stove top until they practically melt (I’ve done this a few times) and these smashed potatoes where you boil baby potatoes, crack the skin and then roast them until crisp. I love both but combining the two was a genius move. The potatoes absorbed a ton of lemon-thyme flavor (why don’t we flavor mashed potatoes this way???) and would have been great served like that but putting them in the oven to crisp up took it to the next level. Amazingly flavorful. I served them with the lamb loin and while I had it for a random weekday meal, it would be perfect as part of a small festive meal.
