Oil free garlic smashed potatoes are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Perfectly browned and bursting with garlic flavor, its hard not to eat these directly from the sheet pan!
I am absolutely obsessed with potatoes. They are probably my favorite food on the planet, and I do not discriminate. I like them mashed, boiled, fried, tater totted, baked and any other way you can possibly think of. Give me sweet potatoes, Yukon golds, red, russet or baby potatoes. I will eat any potato you put in front of me. (Unless of course it has any animal products on it, and then I'll pass. But sadly.)
And I really like potatoes smashed. I love how they are all fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside. A dream come true. I'm not exaggerating.
How to Make Oil Free Garlic Smashed Potatoes
These whole food plant based smashed potatoes are easy to make and largely hands off. The recipe begins by getting the potatoes nice and soft in an Instant Pot or boiling them on the stove. Both methods work just fine, its simply a matter of preference.
While the potatoes are cooking, preheat the oven to 425F (220C) and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Parchment paper is especially important in oil-free roasting to ensure your food does not stick to the pan.
Once the potatoes are very tender, and a fork easily slips in when pierced, drain and place on a the prepared sheet pan. Using a potato masher or the bottom of a cup, smash the potatoes until they are smashed but still in one piece. In a small bowl, stir together garlic powder, onion powder, salt and aquafaba. Brush this mixture over the smashed potatoes, then flip and brush the other side. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the bottoms of the potatoes are crispy and brown. Flip and roast an additional 8-10 minutes. Serve oil free smashed potatoes sprinkled with chives, if desired.
What the Difference Between Mashed and Smashed Potatoes?
While, they sounds similar, smashed and mashed potatoes are different. Mashed potatoes are mashed by hand or whipped with a mixer until smooth - depending of course on how lumpy you like your mashed potatoes! So mashed potatoes would be considered a puree of sorts.
Smashed potatoes are potatoes that are smashed down to create a crispy exterior and fluffy interior. Additionally, mashed potatoes are boiled and mashed, whereas smashed potatoes are boiled, smashed and then roasted to achieve their crispy, crunchy exterior. Both make excellent side dishes, and I've even made an entrée out of smashed potatoes using my potato nacho recipe.
Make Ahead
The potatoes can be cooked in the Instant Pot or boiled up to three days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. When you're ready to serve them: smash, brush with the aquafaba mixture and roast as directed. If you're cooking them straight from the refrigerator they may need to cook a little longer to bring them up to temperature and achieve the proper crispiness.
Serving Suggestions
Smashed potatoes are wonderful alongside a massaged kale salad and grilled portobello mushrooms; or at breakfast with tofu scramble or savory mushroom and spinach muffins.
Oil Free Garlic Smashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds (680g) baby potatoes
- ¼ cup aquafaba* the water leftover from a can of chickpeas
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- snipped chives for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F (220C) and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Parchment paper is essential in oil-free roasting to ensure your food does not stick to the pan.
- Place stainless steel trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot and add 1 cup cold water. (See notes below for stovetop version.) Add the potatoes and set to high pressure for 12 minutes. Allow the steam to release naturally for 10 minutes and then release the rest of the way manually. A fork should easily slide into the potatoes without resistance. If this doesn't happen, cook under high pressure for another couple minutes, releasing the pressure manually right away.
- Drain potatoes and put on prepared baking sheet. Using a potato masher, or the bottom of a glass, firmly smash down the potatoes so that the skin is broken open and some of the fluffy inside is showing, but the potato is still intact. (See pictures above for more detail.)
- Mix together aquafaba, garlic powder, onion powder and salt. Brush the smashed potatoes with the aquafaba mixture, then flip the potatoes and brush the other side.
- Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until brown and crispy on the underside. Flip the potatoes and roast another 8-10 minutes until lightly browned and crispy on the bottom. Garnish with chives if desired and enjoy!
Notes
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use and love or think my readers will find useful.
Sylvia Riveland
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