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Crispy Crushed Potatoes with Herbs

Crushed and Fried Potatoes with Crispy Herbs and Garlic

Prep: 15 min
Ready: 45 min
4
gluten-freevegetarianvegetable

Potatoes baked until tender, smashed into rough patties, then fried in olive oil with garlic, rosemary, and thyme for golden, crispy-edged bites. Rooted in centuries-old frugality and later made popular by Jacques Pépin.

Ingredients

  • 1½ pounds small medium-starch potatoes, such as Yukon Gold
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, for frying
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
  • 1 tsp thyme leaves
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ tsp dried chile flakes
  • 4 lemon wedges

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Spread the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake until fully tender when poked with a knife, about 30 minutes, depending on size.
  3. Let the potatoes cool enough to handle, then crush each one with your palm or the back of a pan to create a patty shape with lots of craggy surface area. For larger potatoes, tear into smaller pieces after smashing.
  4. Heat ½ inch of olive oil in a large skillet until quite hot. Test the oil temperature by putting a corner of potato in - it should sizzle nicely when ready.
  5. Working in batches, fry the potatoes until nicely browned on one side. Flip and cook until both sides are browned, about 5 minutes total.
  6. About 30 seconds before the potatoes are done, add some of the garlic, rosemary, and thyme to the pan.
  7. Transfer the potatoes to paper towels to drain. Continue frying remaining potatoes, scraping out herb bits between batches to prevent burning.
  8. Season with salt, black pepper, and chile flakes. Serve with lemon wedges.