Grilled Smashed Potatoes
And a grilling tool you need
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I hope you are enjoying your summer so far! Grilling season is just getting underway, so I thought I’d share a fun side dish that I like to make that goes with just about anything. Smashed potatoes have become ubiquitous since I featured them in my first book, Recipes. Way back in 2005, they were a new thing, and now we love to make and eat them in a million different ways.
One thing I love about this method is that you can do the very easy advance prep even up to a day ahead of time, and then all that’s left to do is a final ten or fifteen minutes of cooking alongside whatever protein you are grilling. This process is made a lot easier if you have a grill platter, which is an inexpensive piece of equipment you can easily order online or pick up at your local hardware store. I have several such implements for cooking different vegetables easily on the grill. A grill basket also comes in handy for things like broccoli florets, string beans, or mushrooms. If you don’t have one, you can still make these! Just double a piece of heavy-duty foil the size of half your gas grill area, and poke a bunch of holes in it, which will achieve roughly the same thing.
The flavors of this recipe are inspired by home fries! I cook the onions in a little pile on the grill platter so they don’t burn easily and leave them on a little longer than the potatoes so they can cook until soft and golden. After you turn the potatoes, you brush them with smoked paprika oil and then finish them with a final sprinkle of flaky salt. These are tasty and easy and kind of impressive. They are nice and crispy, which is what we love about smashed potatoes!
PS - I wanted to remind you that all of the recipes in my newsletters live permanently here. You can also scroll through public recipes on my site or keep up with me on Instagram. Or better yet, you can support me by ordering my book, Open Kitchen.
Grilled Smashed Potatoes with Paprika Oil
Click here for a printable version
Serves 4
The beauty of these smashed potatoes is that they can be completely prepared in advance, leaving only the final grilling to be done at the last minute so that they can be served hot off the grill. Serve them as a side dish with any main, or as a messy finger food appetizer.
2 pounds small round potatoes (about golf-ball size)
1 medium yellow onion, halved and sliced a little less than ½ inch thick
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Flaky salt to finish
For the paprika oil:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Set a steamer basket over an inch of water in a wide saucepan, Bring to a simmer, and steam the potatoes gently over medium heat for 20-25 minutes, or until just tender enough for a paring knife inserted in the center to meet no resistance. Remove the basket from the water, and set aside until just cool enough to handle.
Gently flatten the potatoes between your palms or using a heavy-bottomed glass, just enough to break the skins and flatten slightly. Set aside on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Gently turn to coat the potatoes evenly, and season on the other side. Place the sliced onion in a small bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the garlic powder over the potatoes and onions.
Make the paprika oil: In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the paprika and set aside. At this point, the paprika oil and potatoes and onions can be left at room temperature for a few hours, or refrigerated for later cooking.
Heat a grill to medium-high. Place a grill platter or basket on the grill to preheat. Transfer the potatoes to the grill platter, and pile the onions into one corner. Cook the potatoes for 4-5 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Turn the potatoes onto the second side and baste with paprika oil. Drizzle some oil onto the onions, then cook for another 4-5 minutes until crisp and golden brown on the second side. Transfer the potatoes back to the baking sheet and leave the onions to cook for an additional 5-8 minutes, or until soft and golden brown.
Transfer the potatoes and onions to a serving vessel, and sprinkle with flaky salt. Serve immediately.
Was in a rush so did a hybrid version of this recipe but plan to follow it again to the tee after I order the grill plate! The paprika oil is fantastic!