Smashed Buffalo Potatoes Recipe
Over 60 years ago when the owners of Anchor Bar in Buffalo New York got creative with late night snacks and added hot sauce and butter to chicken wings, Buffalo flavor was invented. The spicy wings took off, and Buffalo sauce now shows up in everything from pizza to cauliflower. Here I'm taking crispy-edged smashed potatoes and coating them with that tangy buttery sauce, which seeps into all the crispy roasted crags and edges of the smashed potatoes and turns an ordinary side dish into the star of the party. The magic technique is boiling the potatoes first, so the interior gets soft and provides a nice, tender contrast to all the spicy crunchiness of the roasted skins. Smashing the potatoes creates more surface area to get the entire potato crispy and crunchy, and brushing the sauce on before a second visit to the oven bakes it onto the surface and keeps the potatoes from getting soggy.
I love the versatility of this dish. Smashed Buffalo potatoes are a perfect fit for game day, but also make a leveled-up side dish with grilled chicken, baked tofu, or burgers. It's yet another wonderful, creative way to dress up the humble and budget-friendly potato.
Gather the ingredients for smashed Buffalo potatoes recipe
To make this recipe, pick up some small Yukon Gold potatoes. The best option is a bag of baby Yukon Golds that are about the size of a golf ball. If those aren't available, just grab some from the loose bin that are about that size. Baby Dutch yellow potatoes will also work great if you see those. Hit up the dairy aisle for unsalted butter and blue cheese crumbles. Then you'll need a straight hot sauce like Frank's Red Hot Original. We are adding the butter to it to create the Buffalo sauce. If you want to skip making the sauce by hand, look for a bottled Buffalo or wing sauce, which already contains butter. Pick up some fresh scallions, then check your pantry for olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.
Step 1: Add potatoes, water, and salt to a pot
Add the potatoes and 1 teaspoon salt to a large pot and cover with cold water by 1 inch.
Step 2: Cook until tender
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low for about 10 minutes until the potatoes are tender but the skins are still intact.
Step 3: Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 450 F while the potatoes cook.
Step 4: Drain the potatoes
Drain the potatoes and let them sit in the colander for 5 minutes so the steam escapes and the skins look dry.
Step 5: Add oil to a sheet pan
Brush or drizzle 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over a large rimmed sheet pan.
Step 6: Smash each potato
Arrange the potatoes on the pan with about 2 inches between each one and press each potato with the bottom of a sturdy glass to break the skin and smash.
Step 7: Add oil and salt
Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the tops and sprinkle with the remaining salt and the black pepper.
Step 8: Roast the potatoes
Roast for 25 minutes, until the potatoes are golden brown with crisp edges.
Step 9: Add the ingredients to a saucepan
While the potatoes roast, melt the butter with the hot sauce, garlic powder, and smoked paprika in a small saucepan over low heat.
Step 10: Whisk the sauce
Whisk until the sauce is smooth and glossy, then take it off the heat. (Don't let it boil, or it can separate.)
Step 11: Brush the sauce on the potatoes
Brush the Buffalo sauce generously over the hot potatoes right on the pan.
Step 12: Return the pan to the oven
Return the pan to the oven for 3 minutes, just until the sauce looks set and shiny instead of wet.
Step 13: Garnish and serve the smashed potatoes
Transfer the potatoes to a platter and add the blue cheese and scallions over the top before serving.
What can I serve with smashed potatoes?
Smashed Buffalo Potatoes Recipe
Smashed potatoes are coated in tangy, buttery Buffalo sauce, which seeps into all their crispy edges and turns a humble spud into the star of the party.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds small Yukon Gold potatoes
- 2 teaspoons salt, divided
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup Frank's Red Hot Original hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ cup crumbled blue cheese
- 3 scallions, sliced
Directions
- Add the potatoes and 1 teaspoon salt to a large pot and cover with cold water by 1 inch.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low for about 10 minutes until the potatoes are tender but the skins are still intact.
- Preheat the oven to 450 F while the potatoes cook.
- Drain the potatoes and let them sit in the colander for 5 minutes so the steam escapes and the skins look dry.
- Brush or drizzle 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over a large rimmed sheet pan
- Arrange the potatoes on the pan with about 2 inches between each one and press each potato with the bottom of a sturdy glass to break the skin and smash.
- Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the tops and sprinkle with the remaining salt and the black pepper.
- Roast for 25 minutes, until the potatoes are golden brown with crisp edges.
- While the potatoes roast, melt the butter with the hot sauce, garlic powder, and smoked paprika in a small saucepan over low heat.
- Whisk until the sauce is smooth and glossy, then take it off the heat. (Don't let it boil, or it can separate.)
- Brush the Buffalo sauce generously over the hot potatoes right on the pan.
- Return the pan to the oven for 3 minutes, just until the sauce looks set and shiny instead of wet.
- Transfer the potatoes to a platter and add the blue cheese and scallions over the top before serving.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 309 |
| Total Fat | 20.1 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8.2 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 28.8 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 27.9 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3.5 g |
| Total Sugars | 1.7 g |
| Sodium | 479.1 mg |
| Protein | 5.9 g |
Why do you boil the potatoes before smashing and roasting them?
It may seem like double the work to boil the potatoes and then roast them, but we do this for good reason. First off, boiling the potatoes ensures they're cooked until they're tender and the interior is soft and creamy: a quality that Yukon Gold potatoes are known for. Because they're soft, they will smash nicely, ready to be roasted and sauced. If you were to roast them on the pan in the oven rather than boiling them it might save you a pot or two to clean, but it would take much longer, and the potatoes wouldn't flatten the way you need them to. Additionally, they would dry out noticeably more than if they were cooked in boiling water.
Secondly, this 2-step process of boiling then roasting will give you the crispiest potatoes. When you boil potatoes, the outer layer takes in the water and turns soft. I like to let them steam in the colander, so the excess water evaporates. This sets you up for a perfect smash, which spreads the skin and creates a large surface area to become golden brown and crispy.
How do I keep the potatoes from falling apart when I smash them?
There are a few things to note to keep the potatoes from falling apart when you smash them. It's important to avoid overcooking the potatoes. They should be tender enough that a fork glides in easily, but they should have the skins fully intact. Overcooked potatoes will crumble as soon as you try to smash them. Also, if you try to smash them before they have cooled, they won't hold together. It's important to let them dry and let the steam escape, which helps them firm up.
Smash them right on the baking sheet. If you smash them on another work surface, they will break apart when you try to transfer them. When you smash them, use a sturdy glass with a flat bottom. Use even pressure instead of a quick slam. Don't over-smash. You want the smashed potato to be about ½-inch thick. If you're finding the potato is sticking to the glass, give it a quick coating of cooking spray.