Smooshed Potatoes

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If you are looking for a slightly different take on roasted potatoes, you might want to give this version a try. It differs from its more classic cousins in that the cooked potatoes are lightly smashed before being roasted. Younger members of our family refer to these as smooshed potatoes and that is a pretty apt name for them. It certainly is the only thing that sets them apart from other roast potatoes. The potatoes are smooshed to create a greater surface area for browning while they're in the oven. Having said that, I'm pretty much at a loss for words, other than to tell you that kids love to make these and they actually eat them. Because there is so little to the potatoes, I use my best olive oil for their roasting and finish them with fleur de sel - French sea salt. The one tip I want to share with you concerns the precooking of the potatoes. In order to avoid over cooking or water logged potatoes, I use my microwave to cook them. I place them in a single layer in a large microwave container to which 3 or 4 tablespoons of water has been added. I cover the dish and microwave the potatoes for 10 minutes at which point they are fork tender and ready to be smooshed for roasting. Recipes rarely get easier than this. Here's how the potatoes are made.

Smooshed Potatoes...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1-1/2 to 2 pounds unpeeled small Yukon Gold potatoes
olive oil
coarse salt
4 large unpeeled garlic cloves

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Pour 4 cups of water into a large pot and bring it to a boil. Add potatoes and 2 teaspoons salt and cook at a medium boil for 10 to 12 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked. Do not over cook. Alternatively, potatoes may be placed in a large microwave container to which 3 tablespoons of water have been added, and, cooked, covered, for 9 to 10 minutes on HIGH power until potatoes can be pierced with a fork.
3) When the potatoes are cooked, rinse them under cold running water to stop cooking. Place the potatoes on a work surface and, using your fist, punch them so that they flatten a bit. I protect my hand with a thin pot holder.
4) Place potatoes and the garlic cloves on a baking pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle each potato with olive oil. Transfer pan to oven and roast for 15 minutes. Turn potatoes to opposite side, drizzle with more olive oil and bake for 15 minutes longer. Transfer potatoes to a large serving dish. Peel and mash garlic cloves and add to potatoes. Mix well. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.







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