Crispy Smashers Recipe (aka Irish Road Kill)

by Dorothy Reinhold on May 11, 2020


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Crispy Smashers is a simple potato dish that’s a cross between a French fry, a latke and maybe a potato skin. It’s better than all of those, easier than any of them, and the best potato recipe on the planet. Your family will scamper to the table when they hear what’s on the menu.

This is the best potato dish on the planet. Yeah, I went there…I said BEST in conjunction with potato. 

Every woman I have given this recipe to has called me later and said something like this: “My husband wants ONLY this kind of potatoes now. And he wants me to make it every single night. I want to go on record that I officially hate you.”

How’s THAT for flattery!

They’re simple, but in the best way that simple recipes strip down to the essentials. As with all simple dishes, it helps to use high quality ingredients – fresh potatoes, extra virgin olive oil, freshly ground pepper, and crunchy coarse sea salt.

8 smashed potatoes in a pan in the oven

They are unbelievably good, easier than any other potato you can think of, and they go with everything — roast beast of any kind, grilled meats or chicken, side dish to a big green salad, even with the Thanksgiving turkey!

In deciding what to name them, I thought being literal was good — they are crispy, and they are smashed, so, uh, Crispy Smashers.  But one of the readers of my newspaper column said his family had renamed them “Irish Road Kill.” As cringy as you might think that is, I love it! So when you make them for St. Patrick’s Day, you have permission to call them Irish Road Kill.

Writing out the directions to this recipe might make it seem overly fussy or complicated, but the opposite is true. This is so simple that after you make it once, you won’t have to refer to the recipe ever again. Not ever! It will be etched into your memory. I added explanatory detail because after 75-100 times making them, I think I have it down to a science – how to dirty the least amount of cookware, pare it down to its essential ingredients, and make it foolproof.

Sure, if you like washing pots, you may certainly boil the potatoes to get them cooked and ready to smash. Me? One less pot is considered genius.

My husband and kids are members of the club who would like to eat these every single night. How about your family?

How to make Crispy Smashers Smashed Potatoes:

Crispy Smashers

Place microwave-cooked potatoes on baking sheet. This is the bottom of a broiler pan.

Red potatoes on a grey baking pan

Leave enough space between potatoes. Don’t crowd the pan…let each potato have it’s space to stretch out, and then start smashing, one by one.

Crispy Smashers

I use a paper plate so the potato doesn’t stick to my hand. Press down using the heel of your hand, and then move on to the next potato.

Hand pressing down on red potatoes to smash them.

Continue smashing, one by one. It goes very quickly.

8 smashed potatoes on a gray pan

They’re all smashed and ready for their second bake.

Smashed Potatoes with seasoning on top on a baking pan

Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt (or seasoned salt as in the photo above), and pop into the oven.

Crispy Smashed Potatoes done and out of the oven.

30 minutes in the oven, and they’re done and ready for the dinner plate.

Variation ideas

Salty toppings:

–Seasoned salt
–Everything But The Bagel seasoning (this has salt in it, along with garlic, onions, sesame seeds, poppy seeds)
–Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
–Montreal Steak Seasoning
–Salt and Italian Seasoning blend
–Smoked salt
–Smoked paprika and saltSmashed potatoes with capers on top
Smashed Potatoes with Capers: Douse in good olive oil, as usual, and instead of using salt, sprinkle with salty capers and a bit of their brine before roasting. The brine and capers deliver the salt you need.
–No salt on top for baking, but offer salt at the table (this might be best for people on a low-sodium diet, or a dinner table with mixed dietary needs)
–A blog fan in Malibu, Calif. (hello Anne!) reports making these into “smashed potato skinish things” by adding cooked, chopped bacon and green onions and cheese. Sounds like dinner to me!

Crispy Smashers Recipe (aka Irish Road Kill)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 2 red-skinned potatoes per person

Crispy Smashers Recipe (aka Irish Road Kill)

Ingredients

  • 1 to 2 medium-size red skinned potatoes for each person you are serving
  • Olive oil
  • Sea salt (or kosher salt, or seasoned salt)
  • Freshly ground pepper

Directions

  1. Turn oven on to 425 degrees; position a rack in the middle of the oven.
  2. Wash and dry potatoes, and with a knife, make a small slit in the top of each (so they won’t explode with cooking). Place them on a paper plate and cover loosely with a tea towel (in case of explosion), and microwave on high, about 7 minutes per pound. They will be soft and pliable to the touch.
  3. Meanwhile, lightly brush a low-sided baking sheet or baking pan with a film of oil. (Recommendation: use the bottom of the utilitarian metal broiler pan that came with your oven, as long as it is big enough to fit all your potatoes.)
  4. Remove potatoes from microwave oven and arrange them in the baking pan, with a couple of inches to spare between each potato (enough space for potato to spread out when you smash it). One by one, squish each potato flat, to about 1/2 inch thick. I do this by placing the same paper plate on each potato, one at a time, and pushing firmly with the heel of my hand; then discard the plate when all are squished flat. Or use a potato masher and push down hard once on each potato. The skin will break and the soft potato will spread out yet will remain one piece. Don't push so hard the potatoes fly apart into many pieces.
  5. Drizzle olive oil on each potato (2-3 teaspoons per potato, depending on how heavy your hand is) and sprinkle each with a pinch of salt and a grinding of fresh pepper.
  6. Bake about 30 minutes, until they are browned and crispy.
  7. Remove from oven and serve. We like 2 red potatoes per person, but your appetites may differ.
  8. Make ahead note: Although it is unlikely you will have leftovers (no one can seem to leave any remaining in the pan), you can make these a day ahead of time. Simply reheat in the microwave or the oven. They won’t be as crispy the second day, but they will be just as delicious.

Notes

Recipe source: Dorothy Reinhold | Shockingly Delicious.

https://www.shockinglydelicious.com/crispy-smashers-recipe-aka-irish-road-kill/

pin this please!Pin the image below to your Pinterest board to save this recipe

Pinterest collage of Crispy Smashers Smashed Potatoes on ShockinglyDelicious.com

How about making a Red, White and Blue Smashed Potato Flag?

Red White and Blue Potato Flag arranged on a white plateUse this recipe above, buy fingerlings or very small purple, red-skinned and white potatoes.

Smash the Potatoes in the baking panMicrocook them as described in the recipe above, smash and roast as described, and when done, arrange in a flag pattern on your serving platter. Salute your flag before you eat it!

This recipe was originally published June 22, 2010 and has been refreshed and republished today.

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{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }

The Café Sucré Farine March 19, 2011 at 6:14 am

These look so delicious and would be a fun new twist on potatoes for a dinner party. Thanks for sharing a great sounding recipe!

Reply

Patti at Worth The Whisk March 18, 2011 at 3:14 pm

Not only hilarious, but certainly delicious looking as well. I am inspired!

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Hilary March 15, 2011 at 5:55 pm

Yummy! These are so simple, and as Karen mentioned, you get plenty of potato with the crispy skins! I wonder how these would dress up with truffle salt or garlic-infused olive oil? You could flavor them a thousand ways. Even a little bacon fat if you were really evil and wanted to instantly addict your guests. Mmmmmmm!

Reply

Dorothy March 15, 2011 at 6:57 pm

Hilary,
I like where your mind is going with this! Garlic oil AND truffle salt, oh yes. Bacon fat….mmmm hmmm. Next time!

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Margie March 15, 2011 at 5:18 pm

I’m thinking it would be good with the potatoes I’m planning to boil with the corned beef on Thursday. Love the photo tutorial.

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Dorothy March 15, 2011 at 6:56 pm

Margie,
Excellent plan!

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Karen from Globetrotter Diaries March 15, 2011 at 11:04 am

I’ve never seen this but I already love them! The thing I hate about potato skins is there’s not enough potato attached. So this is my perfect sort-of potato skin 🙂

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Dorothy March 15, 2011 at 11:07 am

Karen,
You are absolutely right! Brilliant observation!

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Fat Englishman March 15, 2011 at 11:02 am

My word! I haven’t had these since I was a young boy. Sometimes I’d eat at one of the local farms where some of my friends lived. I remember their Mother would bake the potatoes (no microwave) and then gently whack them with a meat tenderizer to get the shape and texture she wanted before throwing them back in the oven.

With such a ready supply of spuds to hand I dread to think how many of these we used to eat! Lovely stuff and glorious memories.

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My Man's Belly March 15, 2011 at 11:00 am

What’s not to love about these? Crispy, creamy, spicy, warm….yes I could go on and on but I think I’m going to run into the kitchen and use up the rest of those Yukon Gold’s I’ve got in there.

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Dorothy March 15, 2011 at 11:01 am

Pamela,
Yukon golds would be divine!

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Alive and Clicking February 16, 2011 at 11:43 am

Oh! WOW! I made 3 of these last night for myself and that was my dinner. They were delicious! I’ve already shared the recipe with the friend who was here just before I started dinner. Now, does anyone know where to get a paper plate with tire treads on the bottom? That would make it even more authentic! Or maybe I could just cut a section out of a new tire…

Thanks for this delicious recipe.

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Elizabeth November 5, 2010 at 8:22 am

I posted this on my facebook and this is just one of the replies that I got from a friend who tried them!

Dear Elizabeth,
I have made smashed potatoes three times since we got home from our trip. Yesterday, I was putting together some soup, using leftovers and other ingredients at hand. I had four smashed potatoes, which I puréed with chicken broth to make the soup base. Lovely. To that I added two cut-up chicken breasts, some asparagus, onions and garlic. Dynamite.
I LOVE smashed potatoes! Thanks for sharing!

Dorothy, you rock!!!!!!!

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marla {family fresh cooking} October 3, 2010 at 4:26 am

I love this idea too! Amazing how such a simple concept can make an ingredient so much more special. Gotta try the smash – my family would love them too 🙂

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Elizabeth September 26, 2010 at 11:36 am

Yum, yum, yum! I FINALLY tried these and we’re hooked! I made red-skinned and they were beyond yummy. Because my dad’s on a sodium restricted diet, we just added salt at the table, but it was fantastic! Thanks, Dorothy! Toad was in paradise.

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Susie July 23, 2010 at 7:09 pm

Trying these for the first time tonight!

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ken July 18, 2010 at 10:02 pm

I tried an “Irish Roadkill Sampler” using the same recipe I nuked, smahsed and baked two Red Skinned, two Russets, and two White Rose potatos. I wanted to try Yukon Gold instead of the White Rose, but the store I went do didn’t have any Yukons.

The White Rose was the most different of the three — it was too easy to smash — and I had to kinda reassemble the first one 😉 But the thinner White Rose skin got a bit more crispy then the other two during the 30 minute bake time.

The Russet was flakier than the Red Skinned tatter, but the WR was even flakier. To my palate, the Russet Roadkill is a bit more remincent of twice baked potatos, the Red Skinned more like french fries, and the inside of the White Rose seemd like whipped mashed compared to the others.

A slight variation on the “Irish Roadkill” process: Wash, Nuke, and Smash ’em just like the recpie say. Add the oil, and bake 30 minutes (still just like the recpie ). Then turn off the oven — but leave the pan full of roadkill in the over an extra 15 or 20 minutes. They come out even MORE crisply, and bits of potato in contact with the roasting pan get a bit more brown, even a bit caramelised.

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Leisa July 15, 2010 at 9:36 pm

Yum are these ever fantastic. I made them with smallish red potatoes and bertween the two of us we ate six of them.

What a great tip to use the paper plate. It made smashing them so easy and made for a great clean up too.

Thanks Dorothy for sharing this recipe and also for the easy picture instructions.

Reply

Surfer Girl July 13, 2010 at 12:15 pm

Made these last night with the Sticky Lemon Oregano chicken and all I can say is, “WOW!”. I was hoping to have some leftovers for lunch but there wasn’t even a bite of either dish leftover as we all cleaned our plates!

I was out of seasoned salt so I used some Montreal Steak seasoning, (coarse salt, black pepper, red pepper, garlic and paprika), and it was fab.

Thanks again for another fabulous dinner. 🙂

Lori

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Dorothy July 13, 2010 at 12:17 pm

Lori, love the Montreal Steak Seasoning idea. Whatever you want to put on top of these potatoes is great!

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Ken June 28, 2010 at 11:18 am

I made my first batch of ‘Crispy Smashers’ tonight. I can see why some folks want them EVERY NIGHT! They’re kinda like twice baked potatoes, only without all of the labor intensive gutting and re-stuffing of the baked potato skin…

We had them with Dry rubbed Pork Roast, and steamed Broccoli. We did have leftovers, but I cheated — I made enough for six people when I was only feeding two…

The red-skinned tatters worked well. Has anyone tried russett, or youkon gold potatoes with this recipe???

Anyway, thanks for posting this recipe. I’ll be making it again.

Ken

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Nona June 23, 2010 at 10:58 am

We may never eat another french fry — these are soooo good!

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Kathie June 22, 2010 at 10:03 pm

All time favorite potato recipe in my house–changed how I make potatoes!! We could eat them every night

Reply

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