Caribbean Smashed Potatoes

I'm here to talk about smashing stuff.

Can I confess that more often than not I arrive home in a mood that is more conducive to smashing things, rather than preparing dinner.

These potatoes are two thumbs up, high five, secret handshake delicious AND they have the added bonus of giving you an outlet for burning off some of the day's stress.
.
Here is how you go about pretending that you are crushing your boss' giant potato head making these smashing good potatoes.

SMASHED POTATOES

Ingredients
12 potatoes (small to medium sized potatoes)
2  tsps kosher salt (or more to taste)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Herbs (* you can pretty much use any of your favourite herb blends. Fresh rosemary is nice. Herbs de Provence or Italian herbs are great too. Here I have used green seasoning which is a staple in every Trinidadian's kitchen.

METHOD
Boil your potatoes in water salted with 1 tsp of salt. Cook the potatoes until they are tender. Check that the centers are cooked through by piercing with a fork or bamboo skewer.

Preheat your oven to 450°F

Drain the potatoes.  Brush a large baking tray with oil. 

Use a potato smasher to pulverize those puppies.

Brush the smashed potatoes with oil. 

Be generous. 

Sprinkle with your favourite blend of herbs. 

Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher or a coarse grained sea salt. The larger grains cling to the crispy skins just a little bit better than table salt. 

Roast potatoes in the oven at 450°F until they are crispy. This should take about 30 minutes.



Cooks Tip: You can do the prep work - boiling and flattening the potatoes- the night before. Then all you have to do the next day is cover them with oil, herbs and salt before roasting them.

As a final note I'd like to make mention that I am very honoured to have been featured in this month's newsletter of Simply Trini Cooking. Click the link to head on over to the website and subscribe to get your free copy. I wonder if you can guess which one of my recipes is being showcased?