Garlic and Herb Smashed Potatoes — The Side Dish That Made Me Stop Boring Potatoes Forever
I Got Tired of Making Potatoes the Same Way — So Now I Make These
Garlic and herb smashed potatoes are the side dish that ruined every other potato for me. Baby gold potatoes get boiled until fork-tender, smashed flat on a foil-lined sheet pan, and brushed with melted butter, minced garlic, crushed rosemary, salt, and pepper before going back into a hot oven until the edges crisp up and the centers stay creamy. It looks fancy on the plate, it pairs with absolutely everything, and the whole thing comes together with seven ingredients and one sheet pan.
🫒 This recipe is part of The Terrace, my Mediterranean diet hub — where I keep all my Mediterranean-friendly recipes, pantry staples, and the story behind why we eat this way.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase through my links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting StephanieCooksForACrowd.com!
Watch me make these garlic and herb smashed potatoes from start to finish — including the two mistakes I made and how they still turned out incredible — or scroll down for the full printable recipe card.
Featured Tools & Ingredients
- FUNNY GIFTS FOR WOMEN - This cooking apron for women features a funny phrase printed on the kitchen...
- GOOD QUALITY - Made from cotton material, breathable and comfortable when using. Apply advanced...
• This is the apron I'm wearing in the video — cute pockets, comfortable straps, and it actually stays put while I cook for a crowd.
- Package Includes: One (1) Reynolds Wrap Everyday Strength Aluminum Foil Roll measuring 200 feet long...
- Easy Open and Stay Closed Tab: The easy-to-use tab keeps your aluminum foil box fully closed when...
• I line every sheet pan with Reynolds before roasting. Saves the pan, saves the scrubbing, and the potatoes lift right off.
- SET OF 2 BAKING SHEETS: GoodCook’s Nonstick Cookie Sheet Set comes with two 17” x 11” baking...
- EVEN BAKE, EVERY TIME: The heavy-duty gauge baking pans in this bakeware set ensure long-lasting...
• My everyday baking sheets — the 17x11 size is exactly right for a pound and a half of smashed potatoes in a single layer.
See the complete shopping list ↓
Garlic and Herb Smashed Potatoes
Loved This One? Save It to Your Plan
Tap to drop this recipe into your own meal plan — then one click turns your whole week into a grocery list you can print or shop. Free for my Newsletter subscribers.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds baby gold potatoes
- 4 Tbsp salted butter melted
- ½ tsp minced garlic or 1 clove, minced
- 1 Tbsp dried rosemary or thyme, tarragon, or Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- finely shredded Parmesan cheese for topping (optional)
Don’t Want to Build Your Own? I’ve Got You.Every Saturday I share a full week of dinners, sides, and a dessert — with the grocery list already done. Come grab this week’s Weekly Meal Plans!Method
- Boil the potatoes in salted water for 10 to 15 minutes (15 to 20 if your potatoes are larger), until fork-tender with zero resistance.
- Drain the potatoes and lay them out on a foil-lined baking sheet. Do NOT grease or spray the foil — the potatoes will slide if you do. Cut any larger potatoes in half and place them cut-side down.
- In a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and stir in the minced garlic. Cook for about 1 minute to bloom the garlic, then stir in the rosemary, salt, and pepper.
- Using the flat bottom of a heavy glass measuring cup or a mason jar, smash each potato down onto the baking sheet until about 3/4 inch thick.
- Spoon or brush the butter mixture evenly over each smashed potato. Top with Parmesan if desired.
- Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, or until the tops are crispy and golden brown. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
Do not grease the foil before laying down the boiled potatoes. They will slide all over the pan when you try to smash them. Dry foil keeps them in place.
The herb is flexible — rosemary is my first pick, but thyme, tarragon, parsley, or Italian seasoning all work beautifully. Leave it out entirely if you don’t like rosemary; the garlic butter is plenty.
Tried this recipe?
Tap the stars above to rate it! This helps other families find it.Why These Garlic and Herb Smashed Potatoes Work
I just got tired of making potatoes the same way every time. Mashed, baked, roasted in chunks — they were all fine, but nothing was making me reach for them. Then I started smashing them, and everything changed. The boiling makes the inside creamy. The smashing creates all those craggy edges that turn golden and crispy in the oven. The butter brushed over the top after the smash soaks down into every little nook and cranny — and that is the actual secret. The herbs and garlic and butter find their way INTO the potato, not just on top of it.
The other thing I love is how flexible this recipe is. Rosemary is what I reach for first, but thyme is beautiful, tarragon works, parsley is great, even Italian seasoning would taste good. Same with the potatoes — gold creamers are my favorite because they’re already the right size, but baby reds work, fingerlings work, even smaller Yukon golds work. If you want to fancy them up, a little Parmesan on top before the final bake takes them somewhere special. The Kitchn has a great primer on the smashed-potato technique if you want to read more about why this method delivers that crispy-outside, creamy-inside texture every time.
A Few Things That Make Garlic and Herb Smashed Potatoes Even Easier
- Do NOT grease your pan first. I learned this the hard way in the video. If you spray the foil with cooking spray before you lay the potatoes down, they slide all over the place when you try to smash them. Lay them straight onto the foil dry — they stay put, smash easier, and lift off cleanly when they’re done.
- Boil longer if your potatoes are bigger. The recipe says 10 to 15 minutes, but if your potatoes are on the larger end — closer to golf balls than two-bite — go 15 to 20 minutes. They need to be soft enough that a fork goes through them with zero resistance. If they fight the fork at all, they’ll fight the smash, and you’ll end up frustrated like I was.
- Use a heavy glass measuring cup or a mason jar to smash them. A potato masher works too, but I find a flat, heavy bottom gives you a more even smash. Just press straight down until the potato is about three-quarters of an inch thick. Don’t go too thin or they’ll fall apart.
- Melt the butter and add the garlic together. Cook them in the saucepan or microwave for about a minute so the garlic flavor blooms in the butter before you brush it on. Raw garlic on top would burn in the hot oven — bloomed garlic in butter coats every potato and gives you that deep, savory flavor.
- Don’t skip the Parmesan if you’ve got it. Sprinkle a little on top before the final bake and it melts into the butter and herbs and creates this salty, golden, slightly-crispy layer. Optional, but I never actually skip it.
Garlic and Herb Smashed Potatoes FAQ — The Questions I Get Every Time
What temperature and how long do I bake garlic and herb smashed potatoes?
Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes after smashing and brushing with the butter mixture, or until the tops are crispy and golden. The boil comes first — 10 to 15 minutes for small gold creamers, 15 to 20 if they’re larger — and then the smash, the butter brush, and the bake. Total time from start to plate is about 35 to 40 minutes.
Can I make garlic and herb smashed potatoes with a different herb?
Yes — and this is one of my favorite things about this recipe. I used crushed rosemary in the video, but thyme, tarragon, parsley, or even Italian seasoning would all be beautiful. Pick whatever you’ve got and whatever you love. If you’re not a rosemary person at all, leave it out entirely — the garlic butter does plenty of work on its own.
What kind of potatoes work best for smashed potatoes?
Small gold creamer potatoes are my first pick — they’re already the right size, the skin crisps up beautifully, and the flesh stays creamy. Baby red potatoes, fingerlings, and even small Yukon golds all work too. The key is small. Anything bigger than a golf ball is going to need a longer boil and won’t smash as evenly.
Can I make garlic and herb smashed potatoes ahead of time?
You can boil the potatoes ahead and refrigerate them for up to 24 hours before you smash and bake. Pull them out about 30 minutes before to take the chill off, then smash, brush with the butter mixture, and bake as directed. I would not bake them all the way ahead — the crispy edges go soft as they sit, and these are at their best straight out of the oven.
Why did my smashed potatoes slide all over the pan?
You greased the foil. That was my mistake number one in the video — I sprayed the foil first and the potatoes kept sliding around as I tried to smash them. Lay the boiled potatoes down on dry foil. The little bit of moisture they bring with them is enough to keep them in place, and they’ll lift off cleanly when they’re done because the foil never sticks to a properly cooked potato.
What do I serve with garlic and herb smashed potatoes?
Almost anything. They were on a plate with grilled salmon, sautéed zucchini, and a slice of sourdough in the photos for this post. They’re equally good next to a roasted chicken, a steak, a pork tenderloin, or a piece of fish. If you want a full sheet-pan-style meal, throw asparagus or green beans on a second pan at the same temperature and dinner’s ready in 35 minutes flat.
How do I make garlic and herb smashed potatoes for a crowd?
Double or triple the recipe and use two or three sheet pans — that’s the whole adjustment. One pound and a half of potatoes fits one 17x11 sheet pan comfortably in a single layer, so for a family-size crowd I’ll do three pounds across two pans. Keep everything in a single layer so the edges crisp; if you crowd them, they steam instead of crisp.
🛒 Complete Shopping List
Everything you need to make these Garlic and Herb Smashed Potatoes — click any item to shop on Amazon.
Ingredients
![Spice World Minced Garlic 4.5 Oz Jar [Pack of 2]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/510T7mXdCYL._SL160_.jpg)
Equipment
More Side Dishes You’ll Love
- Baked Potatoes and Roasted Asparagus — when you want the side dishes to do the work and the salt-crusted skins make every plate look fancy.
- Honey Garlic Roasted Carrots — sweet, sticky, and the easy side dish everyone will fight over.
- Roasted Green Beans and Carrots — easier than making a salad and on the table in 20 minutes.
- Campfire Potatoes — sliced potatoes and onion baked in foil packets, one per person, butter or olive oil.
Want a little note from my table every Saturday? Join my weekly newsletter — recipes, family moments, and whatever’s happening at the Longstreth house. Sign up here.
Garlic and Herb Smashed Potatoes — About Stephanie’s Recipes
Stephanie Longstreth is the home cook, mom, and storyteller behind StephanieCooksForACrowd.com. She cooks for a family of seven in Florida — five kids, two cats, and one husband who appreciates a good meal. Four of her children came home through adoption, and family stories are woven into everything she makes and shares. Find her crowd-friendly recipes, weekly meal plans, and real family life on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest @stephaniecooksforacrowd.