Ranch Smashed Potatoes

These Ranch Smashed Potatoes feature lots of crispy edges brushed with seasoned butter. These potatoes are perfect for when you need a new side dish recipe!

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We’ve all heard of smash burgers, right? Heck, whole restaurants have been created around this concept. Basically shape ground beef into a ball and then smash it down firmly onto an ungreased cooking surface. By doing this, you end up with a flat disc with lots of contact between the meat and the griddle. That leads to lots of crispy crust. Mmm…crispy burger bits…

So today we’re doing something similar, but with potatoes instead. Once the potatoes are cooked until soft, we smash ’em down onto a sheet pan and then brush them with seasoned butter. Then off into a very hot oven for a bit until they end up with crispy edges. Mmm…crispy potato bits…

Ranch Smashed Potatoes

For these Ranch Smashed Potatoes, I went with smaller red potatoes. One or two of the potatoes were on the larger size, so I just cut those in half before they went into the pot. The goal is to make sure the potatoes are more or less the same size so that they cook in about the same time.

These potatoes reminded me of twice-baked potatoes in that they get cooked two different times. In this case, they get boiled and then baked, but the general concept is similar.

When making smash burgers, it’s important to add cheese to keep the burgers from tasting too dry. After all, there is a lot of contact between the pan and the burger. I didn’t want to add cheese to the top of these smashed potatoes, so instead I brushed them with a seasoned butter before they went into the oven.

And when I say seasoned butter, I mean seasoned butter! The “secret ingredient” is dry ranch powder. Add in some minced garlic, chives and a bit of salt, and you’ll have a fantastic mixture. I’m thinking that mixture would be delicious brushed on garlic knots!

Once those potatoes came out of the oven, holy cow! I used a spatula to slide under each potato and preserve as many browned bits as possible. Add in the buttery ranch mixture on top, and we had a side dish for the ages. The taste of these crispy smashed potatoes is amazing!

Storing Leftover Smashed Potatoes

If you have leftover smashed potatoes, just place them in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat, just place them in an oven (or toaster oven) for 5-10 minutes, or until heated through.

Aside from having to cook these Ranch Smashed Potatoes twice, this really is an easy recipe. It’s the perfect type of recipe to keep in your back pocket when you’re tired of roasted broccoli and need to mix up side dishes. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did here!

If you’re looking to mix up the flavors, I could see topping these smashed potatoes with a bit of cheddar or Parmesan cheese and sprinkling them with chopped fresh herbs like thyme, parsley or rosemary. Have fun with the flavors…and let me know if you come up with a cool combination!

Did you make this Ranch Smashed Potatoes recipe at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!

Ranch Smashed Potatoes

These Ranch Smashed Potatoes feature lots of crispy edges brushed with seasoned butter. These potatoes are perfect for when you need a new side dish recipe!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 263kcal

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Ingredients

• 3 pounds small red potatoes
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp chopped chives plus more for garnishing
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp ranch dressing and seasoning mix
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ cup unsalted butter melted

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Using a large pot, add potatoes and cover with cold water by at least 1”. Add a large pinch of salt to the pot.
• Place pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to medium-high heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender. (Note: The potatoes are done when they can easily be pierced by a fork.)
• Brush a rimmed sheet pan with olive oil.
• Once potatoes are done, drain and transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
• Using a fork or potato masher, smash each potato to a height of ~½”.
• Using a small bowl, whisk together chives, garlic, ranch seasoning mix, salt and melted butter. Brush butter mixture evenly on top of potatoes.
• Roast for 15-20 minutes, or until tops of potatoes turn golden brown.
• Sprinkle with additional chopped chives and/or a pinch of sea salt before serving.

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