Golden brown, crispy salt and vinegar smashed potatoes are the perfect side dish to your next dinner thanks to that classic salty/tangy combination of flavours. These potatoes are so easy to make and have the best texture with a crunchy exterior while being light and fluffy on the inside. You’ll be eating them right off the tray!
Is there anything that makes a meal better than a side of deliciously golden brown roasted potatoes? Potatoes can very easily steal the show and become the main event of the dinner table and this recipe today is exactly that kind of side dish.
I love potatoes, whether mashed, roasted, boiled or chopped up into chips, they are such a versatile vegetable making them the perfect accompaniment to just about anything. And while roasted tends to be my favourite, whoever thought of smashing the potatoes before roasting was a genius.
I mean, the smashed potato method ensures that there is maximum surface area to get crispy when baked in the oven, plus the uneven tops allow for those pockets of extra crunch, all while the middle stays super soft and fluffy. Is there anything better?
Ingredients for salt and vinegar potatoes
This is such a simple side dish that uses just a handful of ingredients.
- Potatoes – I like to use baby potatoes here as they are the perfect size when smashed and have my ideal crispy to fluffy ratio. You can use bigger ones if you want, they’ll just be more fluffy and take a bit longer to bake.
- Malt vinegar – this is the key to that classic salt and vinegar flavour. Malt vinegar is more subtle with its acidic flavour than many others but also adds a bold flavour to the potatoes that is just delicious.
- Olive oil – this is what is going to get us really crispy, delicious potatoes. You only want to use good quality olive oil for the best results.
- Garlic powder – an optional addition but just adds that extra garlicky flavour to these potatoes that is so so good!
- Salt flakes – it wouldn’t be salt and vinegar potatoes without the salt. For this recipe I love to use salt flakes, but really any salt to serve will work.
- Parsley – again optional but looks pretty to serve and gives that extra layer of flavour to the finished side dish.
How to make crispy smashed potatoes
To make these potatoes, you’ll need to start by either steaming or boiling the potatoes. As I’m using baby potatoes, to prepare them I just give them a bit of a wash as the skin adds extra texture to the potatoes so I highly recommend leaving the skin on. The skin will also help hold the potato together when smashed,
To boil, add the potatoes to a large saucepan and cover with water. Place on a medium high heat (just watch it to make sure your water doesn’t boil over) and bring to a boil. The potatoes will take around 30 minutes to cook through but they will be done when a fork goes in easily.
Drain the potatoes and dry them off using a clean tea towel or paper towels.
You can also steam the potatoes in the microwave instead. You can buy little packets of baby potatoes from the supermarket that can be steamed in the microwave in the bag that you buy them in, which is a life saver if you need to cut down on prep time or want to keep the stove free (I feel this when making a holiday meal).
Place the potatoes on a baking tray or two depending on the size. You want to make sure each potato has enough room on the pan after being smashed as overcrowding will make the crispy edges difficult to achieve.
Using a potato masher, gently press down and squash each potato so that it’s more of a flat disk. It does not have to be perfect by any means and any imperfections actually make the end result better.
Drizzle the tops of each potato with the malt vinegar so that it soaks into the potato, then with the olive oil. Finish with a light sprinkling of garlic powder. Move the potatoes around on the pan gently to make sure they’re coated with the oil.
Place the tray in a preheated oven for 45 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the potatoes and your oven. They will be done when the potatoes are super crunchy and golden brown.
Sprinkle the cooked potatoes with flakey sea salt, chopped parsley and an extra light drizzle of malt vinegar and serve immediately. If you sneak one steaming hot off the tray before they make their way to the table then I won’t tell.
These potatoes are best served immediately after they come out of the oven, but I can confirm, they still taste good cold (yes I ate a couple cold after photographing them for this post…) and reheated in the frying pan the following day with a little garlic aioli.
I absolutely love these smashed potatoes with malt vinegar and I know they are going to be a hit on your dinner table whether for a special holiday meal or just when you’re looking for a different way to serve your potatoes.
More holiday sides:
Roasted Vegetable Salad
Roasted Broccoli Salad
Marmalade Carrots by Another Food Blogger
Roasted Carrots & Brussels Sprouts by Marcellina in Cucina
Crispy Salt and Vinegar Smashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 kg baby potatoes washed with skin on
- 2 tablespoons malt vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Sea salt flakes to serve
- Parsley to serve
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes. Add the potatoes to a large saucepan and cover with water. Place on a medium high heat (just watch it to make sure your water doesn’t boil over) and bring to a boil. Boil for 30 minutes until cooked through and a fork or metal skewer goes in easily. Drain and pat dry with a clean tea towel.
- Smash the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the potatoes across 1 large or 2 smaller baking trays. Using a potato masher, gently press down and squash each potato.
- Drizzle the tops of each potato with the malt vinegar so that it soaks into the potato, then with the olive oil. Finish with a light sprinkling of garlic powder. Move the potatoes around on the pan gently to make sure they’re coated with the oil.
- Bake the potatoes. Place the tray in a preheated oven for 45 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the potatoes and your oven. They will be done when the potatoes are super crunchy and golden brown.
- Top potatoes with flakey sea salt, chopped parsley and a final light drizzle of extra malt vinegar. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
sherry
i love potatoes in any form but these look super fab! and i love malt vinegar (reminds me of childhood) so these have me drooling.
Sally
They’re good without the vinegar but with it they are so much better!
Gavin
I’ve made smashed potatoes before and have loved them but oh boy – salt & vinegar smashed potatoes!!! Can’t believe I never thought of this before – these are EPIC
Sally
Thanks Gavin, such a great flavour combo!
Marcellina
I’m a huge roast potato fan and these are next level! The addition of vinegar is genius! Super yummy!!
Sally
They really are addictive!