These crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside Smashed Potatoes topped with pancetta and a butter sage sauce are one of my favorite side dishes!
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Roasted potatoes are such a great side dish for fall and winter meals. In my opinion, perfectly roasted potatoes are crispy and crunchy on the outside and creamy and fluffy on the inside. Sometimes that balance can be a little difficult to achieve, so a slightly easier, and I think a more fun alternative, is smashed potatoes. Smashing up the potatoes is kind of fun - a bit kid-like! By adding some pancetta and a creamy sage sauce you get one super tasty side dish that is sure to impress your dinner guests.
Read on to learn more about how to make these Smashed Potatoes, or jump straight to the recipe to start cooking!
Contents:
Recipe Highlights
- This unique side dish is ideal for any occasion, including holiday meals or date nights.
- The sage butter sauce is also great on chicken or fish.
- These potatoes are crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, making them simply delicious!
Key Ingredients
The full list of ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
- Fingerling potatoes: Using smaller potatoes is key to getting them crispy - I prefer fingerling potatoes, however, if you cannot find them, or want something a little larger, small red or Yukon gold potatoes will work as well.
- Pancetta: I recommend buying thinly sliced pancetta and then chopping it yourself. It gives you the best texture for this recipe.
- White wine: I generally drink chardonnay so that's what I typically cook with but you can use any fairly dry and not too fruity white wine.
- Heavy cream: You can substitute half and half but the sauce won't be as thick.
- Chicken broth
- Parmesan cheese: I recommend using freshly grated.
- Lemon juice: You only need a small amount, so less than you'll get from half of a lemon.
- Shallot: Fresh shallots are my first choice for this recipe but you can also use freeze-dried
- Spices & herbs: fresh sage, sea salt, ground pepper
- Pantry staples: Olive oil, all-purpose flour, butter,
Tips for Making Smashed Potatoes
Making these tasty potatoes is really pretty easy:
Boil the potatoes. You start by tossing the potatoes in a pot and boiling them. This reduces the roasting time and makes it possible to smash them.
Smash the potatoes. When you smash the potatoes, try to keep them in one piece as much as possible. It's not big deal if some bits break off, they will just get a little extra crispy when roasting! I use the flat side of a meat tenderizer to smash them but you can use anything flat and somewhat heavy - a flat potato masher, a heavy flat bottom glass - something along those lines will work well!
Roast the potatoes. Roast in a hot oven for about 30 minutes to get them nice and crisp.
Finish the potatoes. Finish the potatoes with a drizzle of the sage butter sauce and a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese.
PRO TIP
Leave some breathing room. In my opinion, everyone should own at least one half-sheet pan (affiliate link). It's an incredibly useful kitchen tool! For this recipe, you'll need a large baking surface to accommodate all the potatoes while leaving a little breathing room around each one.
Brush the baking sheet with olive oil. I generally use parchment paper for its non-stick surface and easy clean-up factor, but baking these potatoes directly on an oiled baking sheet makes them even more crispy. If you ask me, it's worth the extra clean-up.
Tools you'll want for this recipe
Small glass bowls with lids – I love these little bowls from Crate & Barrel. They are perfect for mixing up and storing different recipe ingredients. They also have lids so if you need to store something you don’t need to pull out the plastic wrap, just grab a lid and put the bowl in the refrigerator.
Handheld Juicer – I love these juicers – you’ll see me mention them often in blog posts. They come in three sizes – lime, lemon, and orange. I recommend the orange version to make it the most versatile.
Serving suggestions
These crispy smashed potatoes are best when they’re hot and fresh, so serving them as soon as they come out of the oven is actually your best bet.
I'd serve these with anything from a nice juicy steak to this Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin to this Brussels Sprouts and Kale Salad.
They also make a great snack or appetizer on their own!
More unique side dishes
- Crispy Asian Brussels Sprout Salad
- Zucchini Fritters with Goat Cheese Mousse
- Miso Glazed Roasted Cauliflower
Smashed Potatoes with Pancetta
Ingredients
For the potatoes
- ⅔ pound fingerling potatoes
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 ½ ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chopped
For the sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- 2 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup white wine
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chicken broth
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh sage, divided
- ½ tablespoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan
Instructions
- Heat the oven. Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush a large, rimmed baking sheet with avocado oil.
- Boil the potatoes. Scrub potatoes and place them in a medium saucepan. Cover them with water and bring boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Drain and dry potatoes.
- Make the parmesan mixture. Mix the salt and parmesan cheese in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the minced sage and set aside.
- Cook the pancetta. While potatoes are boiling, heat a small non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook for 5-6 minutes until lightly browned and crisp. Remove the pancetta from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
- Smash the potatoes. Place dry potatoes on the prepared rimmed baking sheet. Using a meat tenderizer, or another heavy flat object, gently smash potatoes, trying to keep them in one piece as much as possible. Drizzle or spray with olive oil, making sure to get some oil on each potato
- Roast the potatoes. Bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, add the parmesan mixture and cooked pancetta to the potatoes, carefully tossing to coat. Return potatoes to oven and cook and additional 15 minutes, until crisp and golden brown on the edges.
- Make the sauce. While the potatoes are baking, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a small non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté for 2 minutes. Add flour and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add wine, cream, broth and lemon juice. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add remaining tablespoon of butter and cook untifor about 1 minute, until the butter is melted. Remove from heat and stir in sage, pepper and salt.
- Serve. Drizzle cooked potatoes with sage sauce and serve immediately.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in February 2016. It was updated in November 2022 with some new information and photos. No changes were made to the original recipe.
Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake says
I have to agree, nothing beats a potato based side dish and oh my! These smashed potatoes look heavny, that sauce *drooooooool*
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
I could eat a whole pan of THOSE for dinner. Nothing else needed!
FoodieGirlChicago says
Dorothy - I couldn't agree with you more!!
Noel says
These potatoes are so tempting.
I was planning on doing some baked potatoes today, but might have to try them this way!
Tracy | Baking Mischief says
What a gorgeous side dish! The slightly crispy potatoes with that creamy sauce sounds divine. Honestly, I'd probably rather eat these than any protein main dish!
Tania @ COOKTORIA says
These potatoes look absolutely scrumptious!!! I love the flavor combination, so this recipe goes on my "MUST TRY' list. Pinned and Yummed!
Happy Valentine's Day!!
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass says
Great new twist on smashed potatoes!!! Love the sage.
FoodieGirlChicago says
Thanks Allie! I love sage with potatoes.
carissa says
I could eat two or three of these all on their own, nothing else is needed!
Kitty says
YUM! Love this combo of sage and pancetta!
FoodieGirlChicago says
Thanks Kitty! It's one of my favorite combos.
Jenni says
These look so delicious!! I love creative sides like this - they would be so great with a good steak!
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says
I've seen this done before and keep saying I'm going to try it. Your potatoes looks delicious! So much better than the usual baked.
Marlee says
This just blows me away! I love this idea!