This vegan crispy smashed potato salad is one of the best of each worlds: a creamy, basic (but dairy-free) potato salad dressing, blended along with refreshingly crispy roasted spuds. It’s bought a lot extra textural complexity than a conventional potato salad, and it makes for a hearty, enjoyable, and flavorful facet dish!
Since first experimenting with crispy smashed potatoes, I haven’t been in a position to get sufficient. They’re so tasty and enjoyable to organize.
I used to be somewhat skeptical about making them, simply as I used to be skeptical about smashed broccoli florets. It fairly a bit of labor for a novelty veggie facet dish.
Till I attempted the tactic, that’s. Then I used to be not solely greatly surprised by how tasty the potatoes have been, but additionally reminded that it’s enjoyable to attempt new preparations of acquainted meals.
I had an analogous journey with the crispy smashed potato salad that I’m sharing right now. Skepticism led to curiosity, which led to monumental satisfaction.
I don’t sustain with a whole lot of viral recipes, however there are exceptions, and this recipe is a very good one.
It’s a reminder that culinary experimentation pays off typically, and that it’s worthwhile to seek out recent takes on basic dishes.
What makes smashed potato salad totally different?
You’ll be able to most likely inform from the picture above that smashed potato salad differs from conventional American potato salad.
The apparent totally different is that it’s made with twice-cooked potatoes. To organize the recipe, you’ll steam, then smash child potatoes on a sheet pan.
The potatoes needs to be brushed with oil, seasoned, then roasted until they’re fairly golden and crispy.
At that time, you’ll break these potatoes into items (or not—you don’t have to in case your potatoes are smaller), gown them with vegan mayo and plenty of recent herbs, and serve them.
I prefer to eat the smashed potato salad whereas it’s nonetheless somewhat heat, or at room temperature, however chilly leftovers are good, too.
The potato salads that I bear in mind from childhood have been good in the way in which that the majority creamy and starchy issues have been good: hearty, comforting. However I didn’t love their tendency to get mealy and gluey.
Then again, German potato salad lacked the comfort-food enchantment of a creamy sauce.
Smashed potato salad is type of one of the best of each worlds. On the one hand, it contains a creamy dressing. I prefer to make this from scratch, utilizing cashews, however I embody an possibility for utilizing store-bought vegan mayo as an alternative.
Then again, the potatoes within the recipe retain a definite form and crispy texture. You received’t get any gloopy bites: the salad has a lightness, despite how filling it’s.
A ton of brilliant inexperienced, recent herbs contribute to that impact.
Most important components for smashed potato salad
Potatoes
The primary components of the salad are, after all, potatoes. I like to recommend utilizing cream-colored new potatoes, that are additionally referred to as child potatoes.
You too can use child purple potatoes or pale yellow fingerling potatoes for the recipe. If you happen to’re capable of finding tremendous small Yukon gold potatoes or russets, you possibly can attempt these, too.
Whereas purple potatoes are sometimes the identical measurement as new potatoes, I’d keep away from utilizing them right here. These sort of potatoes have a low starch content material, which makes it tough for them to carry collectively by smashing and roasting.
Vegan mayo
Vegan mayo is the principle ingredient within the dressing of this salad.
I’ve lengthy been a fan of Vegenaise and all the time can be, however I began making selfmade, cashew-based vegan mayo a pair years in the past and haven’t seemed again. It’s easy and scrumptious, and since I all the time have cashews at house, I can whip it up at a second’s discover.
You need to use my recipe or any store-bought mayo that you simply love for the salad.
Different parts of the dressing are mustard, purple wine vinegar, chopped shallot, and minced garlic: in different phrases, sources of massive, daring, tangy and savory taste.
Inexperienced onions and herbs
Your smashed potato salad needs to be filled with flecks of inexperienced, because of handfuls of chopped inexperienced onions and herbs.
So far as herbs go, you should use any of the next:
- Dill
- Chives
- Parsley
- Basil
- Tarragon
- Cilantro
My favorites to make use of are dill and Italian parsley, however I’ve to this point tried the salad with tarragon and chives, too, and favored these variations.
Making crispy smashed potato salad
Step 1: Smash and roast your potatoes
Making the smashed potatoes themselves is a three-part course of: steam, smash, and roast (on a sheet-pan).
My recipe publish for the smashed potatoes themselves offers fuller directions. After the smashing and seasoning, you’ll roast the potatoes on a sheet pan for about thirty-five minutes, until they’re fairly crispy and golden throughout.
Whereas I personally prefer to make and eat the salad when the potatoes are nonetheless somewhat heat, or at room temperature. However you possibly can roast them up to a few days upfront of blending the smashed potato salad, then combine and revel in it chilly.
If you happen to’d prefer to make the recipe in phases however desire a hotter serving temperature, you possibly can prepare dinner them potatoes forward of time, then reheat them earlier than mixing the salad.
To do that, simply place them on a sheet pan and switch them to a 350°F / 175°C oven for 10-Quarter-hour.
Step 2: Put together the dressing
Whether or not you make the potatoes proper earlier than mixing the salad or prep them upfront, the subsequent step on this recipe is to whisk collectively a dressing.
The dressing is fairly easy:
- Vegan mayo
- Dijon mustard
- Purple wine vinegar
- Finely chopped shallot
- Minced garlic
Step 3: Combine the smashed potato salad
The ultimate step in making this uncommon, extremely textured potato salad is to combine all your components—smashed potatoes, herbs, and dressing—collectively.
If you switch your potatoes to a mixing bowl, you possibly can both depart them solely intact, or break them into considerably smaller items.
The potato items needs to be bite-sized, so if you happen to do break them up, be certain to not make them too small. It’s additionally completely OK to allow them to be complete, particularly in the event that they’re on the smaller facet to start with.
I’d say that the “mixing” course of for this salad is a bit more like folding. You wish to incorporate every part nicely, but not break all the potatoes aside.
At this level, you possibly can plate and serve the crispy smashed potato salad. If you happen to’d prefer to get pleasure from it chilly, or that you must make it forward of time, merely switch it to the fridge.
You’ll be able to retailer the leftovers in an hermetic container for as much as 4 days.
Combine-ins and variations
The smashed potato salad has texture aplenty as it’s. However if you happen to’d prefer to make it much more layered, flavorful, or greater in plant-protein, listed below are some potential mix-ins:
Readers all the time provide you with thrilling and inventive modifications, and I’m excited to listen to what you’ll add.
Within the meantime, right here’s the recipe.
Yields: 4 servings
- 1 batch crispy vegan smashed potatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped inexperienced onion tops (40g)
- 1/3 cup finely chopped Italian parsley (15g)
- 1/4 cup chopped dill (10g; substitute extra parsley, snipped chives, chopped tarragon, chopped basil, or one other herb of selection)
- 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise (120ml; substitute store-bought vegan mayo of selection)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons purple wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Salt
- Freshly floor black pepper
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If you happen to like, break the smashed potatoes into extra bite-sized items (you possibly can skip this step in case your potatoes are smaller). Place the smashed potatoes, inexperienced onion tops, parsley, and dill right into a medium giant mixing bowl.
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In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk collectively the mayonnaise, water, vinegar, mustard, shallot, and garlic.
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Add a half cup of the mayonnaise dressing to the potato combination and fold all the components collectively. Maintain including the mayonnaise dressing by the couple tablespoons, till the salad is well-dressed throughout and properly creamy. You might have some dressing leftover, which is OK; simply reserve it on your subsequent sandwich!
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Style the salad. Alter salt as wanted and add freshly floor black pepper as desired. Serve and revel in.
Leftovers will preserve in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days.
For what it’s value, I’ve additionally served this recipe to 2 associates who instructed me that they hated conventional potato.
They each cherished it, and one in every of them instructed me that she’s going to make it for herself quickly.
Potato salad could also be a conventional summer time cookout staple, however I feel that this model is nice for yr spherical. It’d simply be a recent and enjoyable, outside-the-box facet dish contender on your vacation gatherings!
Everytime you get round to the dish, I hope you’ll find it irresistible.
xo
