Salt and Vinegar Crispy Smashed Potatoes, like the Chips but Better

This recipe for Salt and Vinegar Crispy Smashed Potatoes is like your favorite potato chips, but dare I say better because it has not only that crispy crunch on the outside, but also a little bit of that pillowy soft texture of potatoes on the inside! I dare say! Shall we?

This recipe for Crispy Smashed Potatoes is:

• vegan
• vegetarian
• gluten-free
• dairy-free

What Ingredients You Need to Make Salt and Vinegar Crispy Smashed Potatoes

This recipe is SO EASY for such a high-flavor dish! To make Salt and Vinegar Crispy Smashed Potatoes, you only need a few ingredients:

• Baby Yukon Gold or similar small waxy potatoes
• distilled vinegar
• apple cider vinegar
• salt

Ingredients Notes and Resources

• Potatoes. Use the smallest waxy textured potatoes you can find, 2-inches maximum. The smaller the potato, the faster they cook, and the thinner you can smash them, resulting in much crisper edges. The potatoes in the top photo are baby Yukon Gold.
• Distilled vinegar. To cook, use plain old distilled white vinegar which provides the acidity without wasting "good" vinegar.
• Salt. Diamond Crystal brand and nothing else.
• Cooking oil. I use California Olive Ranch Olive Oil for cooking the potatoes. You can also use butter, which will technically add more umami flavor, but this dish is fried potatoes with whipped feta, and that's about all the flavor you already need right there.
• Flaky sea salt. For finishing and serving, I use this flaky sea salt that has giant pyramid crystals that crunch.

How to Make Salt and Vinegar Crispy Smashed Potatoes

There are a couple of ways to make crispy smashed potatoes. All versions have a two-step cooking process—boil potatoes then fry them in one of various ways. This recipe oven fries the potatoes so you can cook more at once, and have a little less active cooking time.

Here's how:

• Boil potatoes first
• Smash the potatoes
• "Fry" the potatoes in the oven.

That's essentially it! Then to serve the potatoes, you toss with a little extra vinegar and top with flaky sea salt.

If you want to make a smaller batch, i.e. fewer than 4 servings, try the Skillet-fried Crispy Smashed Potatoes recipe. You can keep everything to the stovetop.

Tools and Equipment

• Large pot for boiling potatoes, this is a reliable, standard size soup pot
• Large colander to drain potatoes. This one is silicone so the cooked potatoes dont get bruised, and bonus: it's collapsible for easy storage!
• Cast iron skillet. I have been using this enamel-covered 10-inch cast iron skillet for years and I have never used anything else because I love it.
• Vegetable Scrubbing Brush to get every bit of dirt off those potatoes since we're leaving the skin on! I have one exactly like this
• Vegetable Wash to remove the outer wax and residues on the skins. I have been using this organic brand for YEARS.
• Salad Spinner/Colander you don't technically need to get the cooked potatoes desert dry, but a salad spinner is great for the herbs that go with them!

Stovetop vs Oven for Crispy Smashed Potatoes

If you're wondering whether the stove-top or the oven is better for Crispy Smashed Potatoes, the answer is... yes! Meaning yes, they're both better, for different reasons.

Oven-fried Crispy Smashed Potatoes. Use the oven method, which we are using in this recipe, if you're making a larger amount. Because the smashed potatoes crisp in a single layer, you need a lot of surface area for all of the potatoes. Two baking sheets will allow you to cook more potatoes, all at once. Roasting in the oven is less active time—you can leave the potatoes in the oven for the recommended time and come back when they're done. Oven "frying" can also use less oil, if that's a health concern for you. However, the potatoes don't get quite as shatteringly crisp as they do in a skillet on the stovetop.

In summary, use the oven to make Crispy Smashed Potatoes when:

• larger number of servings
• "set it and forget it" in the oven
• use less oil

Stove-top Crispy Smashed Potatoes. Use this stove-top method if you're making 2-4 servings, which is a manageable amount to cook in a couple of batches in a large pan or skillet on the stove top. Obviously the stove-top method is preferable if you'd rather not turn on the oven or if the oven is occupied by something else.

Use the stovetop to make Crispy Smashed Potatoes when:

• smaller servings
• don't have to turn oven on
• crispier texture

More Smashing Side Dishes

We love the comfort of a hearty vegetable side dish in this house. Here are more recipes that also give you the satisfaction of smashing out any negativity in your life:

• Oven-Fried Crispy Smashed Potatoes
• Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Caviar
• Crispy Smashed Sweet Potatoes

And just some other really great hearty vegetables, perfect as side dishes for dinner parties and Holiday entertaining, or if you're like me, as a main dish on just any random Tuesday night.

• Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Feta and Pomegranate
• Roasted Butternut Squash with Feta and Pomegranate
• Pan-Roasted Miso Brussels Sprouts and Shiitakes
• Whole Roasted Cauliflower Head Stuffed with Garlic and Cheese

Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Salt and Vinegar Crispy Smashed Potatoes Recipe

Salt and Vinegar Crispy Smashed Potatoes are made in the oven, which is best for making a larger batch for entertaining, and gives you more hands-off time!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, starchy side dishes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: smashed potatoes

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1½ pounds Yukon Gold or similar potatoes, the smallest you can find, washed and scrubbed or about about 2 dozen
• 1 cup distilled white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1-4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
• optional garnish: finely chopped fresh chives and parsley

Instructions

• Heat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray or drizzle with cooking oil.
• In a pot large enough to hold the potatoes in about 2 layers, place potatoes, distilled vinegar, and salt, then add enough water to to cover the potatoes by 1-inch. Bring potatoes up to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, do not rinse, and set aside to dry. The potatoes need to be as dry as my dating life in order to get crispy.
• Transfer smashed potatoes to prepped baking sheet. Gently smash each potato with a measuring cup or sturdy flat-bottomed glass, making sure to keep each potato generally intact. Small pieces that break off will turn into the best crispy bits in the pan later. Lightly spray or drizzle tops of smashed potatoes with oil.
• Roast the potatoes until they turn deeply golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes. Carefully flip the potatoes halfway through the bake time. If they look dry, spray or brush lightly with additional oil.
• Transfer hot potatoes to large mixing bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Taste and if you prefer more tang, add more vinegar. Remove Crispy Smashed Potatoes to serving plate or shallow bowl and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Garnish with chopped fresh chives and parsley if you're using them.

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