Grilled Smashed Potatoes

The grill gives this ordinary side a crispy, golden crust.

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated May 07, 2024
Smashed potatoes on the grill.

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Why It Works

  • Finishing smashed potatoes on the grill gives them a crunchy, golden crust and a hint of smoke flavor.
  • Seasonings are kept simple, just salt, pepper, and a bit of rosemary.


When cooking a main dish over a grill set up for indirect heat, I'm often left in a quandary over what to do for a side. With half the grill taken and the lid needing to stay closed, I find myself left with two options—make a side off the grill or find something that can be grilled in the few minutes after the main is done and before it gets cold. The later scenario isn't always an easy one to tackle, leaving quick-grilling foods like asparagus and summer squash over used, but I've found with these smashed potatoes, a combo of cooking off and on the grill can be a great way to go.

While I had a planked pork tenderloin going on the grill, I boiled a pot of small potatoes until tender. Once cooled enough to handle, I gave them a light smash following by a brush of olive oil and sprinkling of salt, pepper, and rosemary. When the pork was done and set to rest, the potatoes went on the grill, and over direct heat, got a nice crisp crust in just about five minutes per side, finishing at the exact right time the meat was ready to slice.

Just because these were pretty quick and simple to put together, didn't make them any less impressive. The crackling of the skin was a great contrast to the creamy innards, with the rosemary adding a nice fragrance and flavor. The best was when a nice piece of charred potato skin was mixed in, giving a just a hint of grill.

March 2011

Recipe Details

Grilled Smashed Potatoes Recipe

Prep 15 mins
Cook 75 mins
Active 20 mins
Total 90 mins
Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 16 small potatoes, mix variety of red, white, and/or purple skinned

  • Kosher salt

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh rosemary leaves, divided

Directions

  1. Scrub potatoes and place in a medium saucepan. Add cold water to completely cover potatoes. Bring water to a boil over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon kosher salt, reduce heat to a simmer. Cook potatoes until a pairing knife can be slide into center of potato with no resistance, about 20 minutes. Strain potatoes and let sit until cool enough to handle.

    Boiling potatoes in a pot.

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  2. Arrange potatoes on a baking sheet. Gently smash each potato with the palm of your hand until split open, but not breaking apart. Brush potatoes with olive oil and season to taste with salt, pepper, and half of rosemary. Flip potatoes, oil and season second side.

    Smashed red, yellow, and purple potatoes on a baking sheet with salt, black pepper, and rosemary.

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  3. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over entire surface of coal grate. Alternatively, set all the burners of a gas grill to high heat. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Place potatoes on grill and cook until lightly browned and crisped, about 5 minutes per side. Remove potatoes to a platter, sprinkle with remaining rosemary to taste, and serve immediately.

    Smashed red and yellow potatoes cooking on the grill.

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Special Equipment

Grill

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
151Calories
7gFat
20gCarbs
2gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories151
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g9%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 327mg14%
Total Carbohydrate 20g7%
Dietary Fiber 2g7%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 13mg64%
Calcium 15mg1%
Iron 1mg5%
Potassium 559mg12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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