Potatoes: Boiled, Smashed, and Roasted

Crispy pan roasted potatoes

I placed my pan directly on my baking stone
to get the bottoms really brown and crisp.

This is one of those recipes I've seen pics of on Pinterest, but I don't really make very often. Baked potatoes are a lot simpler than this, with a lot less clean-up, but these turn out so buttery, crispy and delicious that sometimes it's worth the extra effort. This recipe calls for yellow potatoes, but I think you could use red-skinned potatoes too--any thin-skinned potato will do. If your potatoes are on the large side, boil them longer, and if they're smaller, of course, boil them for less time.
So if you're looking to mix up your side potato repertoire just a little bit, then give these a try. Anyone who likes potatoes is definitely going to love these.

Potatoes: Boiled, Smashed, and Roasted

Ingredients:

• 7-8 medium small yellow potatoes (about 3 inches in length)
• salt for boiling
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with water, and add about 2 teaspoons salt. Bring potatoes to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until a knife is easily inserted in the center of a potato, about 20 minutes. 
Place the butter and oil in a large cast iron skillet. Place the skillet in the oven for about 3-5 minutes to melt the butter. Remove from oven and set aside.
When potatoes are done boiling, use tongs to remove one at a time from the hot water. Dab it dry, place it on a clean dinner plate, and then use the bottom of a flat-bottomed bowl to smash the potato, making sure not to pulverize the potato. You just want to break it into large chunks while remaining mostly intact. If the potato does not smash easily and just slips around, return it to the hot water and continue to boil potatoes for another 5-10 minutes.
After smashing a potato, use a spatula to carefully move it to the cast iron skillet. Repeat with remaining potatoes, one at a time. When all of the potatoes are in the pan, tilt the pan slightly to scoop up some melted butter with a spoon and then drizzle the tops of potatoes with the melted butter. If you feel like you'd really want more butter on your potatoes, add another little dab of butter to each one at this time. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
Place the skillet in the oven and roast potatoes for about 30-40 minutes, or until they are a deep golden brown and crispy. (If you happen to have a baking stone in your oven, make sure your skillet spends some time sitting directly on that in order to ensure crispy potato bottoms.)
Serve hot.
Makes about 4 servings

My smashing and transferring tools