Gordon Ramsay’s smashed potatoes are crispy baby potatoes, boiled, pressed flat and fried golden in olive oil, butter and garlic, ready in 40 minutes. Gordon doesn’t actually have a smashed potato recipe. This is his crushed and sautéed potato techniques brought together, the way I make them after cooking a lot of his food.
Here’s the honest bit. I’ve cooked Gordon’s crushed potatoes from his Ultimate Home Cooking, where he crushes red-skinned potatoes in their skins and folds in cheese. I’ve also made his sautéed potatoes with thyme and garlic. Smashed potatoes are just those two ideas joined: crush, then crisp.
The technique that makes or breaks them is the boil. In his potato guide Gordon starts potatoes in cold water, never boiling, so the outsides don’t fall apart before the middles cook. Get that right and they press flat without crumbling, then crisp up beautifully.
Gordon Ramsay Smashed Potatoes
Course: SideCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy4
10
minutes30
minutes230
kcal40
minutesGordon Ramsay’s smashed potatoes, built from his crushed and sautéed potato methods. Waxy baby potatoes boiled from cold, pressed flat and crisped in olive oil and butter with garlic and thyme. A crispy side for steak, chicken or salmon.
Ingredients
750g baby or new potatoes (waxy, such as Charlotte), skins on
3 tbsp olive oil
30g butter
3 garlic cloves, lightly crushed (skins on)
3 sprigs fresh thyme
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
30g Parmesan or Gruyère, grated (optional)
Directions
- Boil from cold: Put the potatoes in a pan of cold salted water, bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 to 18 minutes until tender. Starting cold stops the outsides falling apart.
- Dry them: Drain and leave the potatoes to steam-dry for 5 minutes, so they crisp rather than steam.
- Press flat: Sit each potato on a board or tray and press down with a glass or masher to about 1cm thick, keeping them whole.
- Crisp: Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pan over a medium-high heat. Add the potatoes, garlic and thyme, and fry for 5 to 6 minutes a side until deep golden and crisp.
- Season and finish: Season well, and scatter over the grated cheese to melt, if using. Serve hot.
FAQs
Does Gordon Ramsay have a smashed potato recipe?
Not exactly. Gordon makes crushed potatoes, which are different. They’re boiled then roughly crushed with a masher and kept soft, like the red-skinned ones with cheese in his Ultimate Home Cooking. Smashed potatoes go a step further, pressed flat and fried until crispy.
So this recipe isn’t one he published under that name. It’s his crushed-potato base taken crispy using his sautéed-potato technique, which is how I make them after cooking a lot of his food.
What are the best potatoes for smashed potatoes?
Waxy ones. In his potato guide Gordon explains that waxy potatoes are low in starch and stay firm when cooked, naming Charlotte and Anya. That’s what you want here, because they hold together when you press them instead of crumbling.
Avoid floury potatoes like King Edward, which he uses for mash and roasties because they go fluffy and fall apart. Baby new potatoes or small red-skinned ones are ideal, and you keep the skins on for texture.
How do you make smashed potatoes really crispy?
Three things. Dry them well after boiling, since steam is the enemy of crisp, so let them sit for a few minutes to dry out. Then press them thin, around a centimetre, so more surface meets the hot fat.
Use proper heat and don’t crowd the pan. Get the olive oil and butter properly hot and give each potato space. Leave them alone for five minutes a side, so a real crust forms before you flip.
Should you make smashed potatoes in the oven or the pan?
Both work, and it depends on the batch. The pan, with olive oil and butter, gives you the deepest, most even crust and is what I use for four people. You crisp them five to six minutes a side over a medium-high heat.
The oven is easier for a crowd. Press the potatoes on a hot tray with oil, roast at 220C (200C fan) for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until golden. The texture is slightly drier but you can do a big tray at once.
Can you add cheese, garlic or other flavours?
Yes, and cheese is the natural one. Gordon folds Gruyère into his crushed potatoes, so a handful of grated Parmesan or Gruyère melted over the hot smashed potatoes works brilliantly. Crisp them first, then add the cheese at the end.
For garlic, crisp a few crushed cloves in the oil so the flavour goes through. For a sharper version, finish with a splash of vinegar and flaky salt for salt and vinegar smashed potatoes. A scatter of thyme or rosemary suits them too.
What do you serve smashed potatoes with?
They go with almost any main. They’re brilliant under crispy salmon, where the crunchy potatoes soak up the buttery pan juices. They suit steak, roast chicken or sausages just as well.
For a full roast, sit them next to his roast leg of lamb or a roasted duck. They also pair with greens, so a pile of garlicky mustard greens or wilted spinach turns them into a proper plate.
