Garlic Smashed Potatoes

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to fan-assisted 200C / 220C / gas 8.

2. Put a large pot of water on the stovetop and bring to a boil, add whole potatoes and boil for about 15-18 mins until tender but not soft.

3. Drain the potatoes and let dry for a few mins.

4. Transfer potatoes to a lightly oiled baking tray, making sure to leave space between potatoes.

5. Smash each potato with a potato masher so they are thin and mostly whole (I love having lots of edges in both the potato and the skin, as this is the part that gets nice and crispy).

6. For bigger potatoes, you may want to split before smashing them.

7. In a small bowl, mix together the oil, garlic, oregano, thyme and salt.

8. Use a basting brush to spread the oil mixture over the potatoes making sure all the potatoes are thoroughly coated.

9. Bake potatoes in the preheated oven for 20-25 mins, until golden and crispy.

This is one of a series of dishes which we commissioned with food bloggers to celebrate our 70th anniversary. Each blogger was asked to recreate a dish typical of a decade between 1948 and 2018.

The recipe comes from Recipes from a Pantry and is inspired by the food of the 2000s.

This hybrid of roast potatoes and mashed potatoes became popular in the mid 2000s, when celebrity chefs began adding them to their menus and food magazines featured the smashed potato as a new twist on a classic pantry staple.

What you will need