Lets make the Smash Potato Salad

By now, everyone and their nan is making this viral smash potato salad. The crispiest, CRONCHIEST potato salad, bound with delicious mayo and sour cream and plenty of onion goodness. For this incredible salad, you’re going to need:

• 500g baby potatoes
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp garlic granules
• 2 tsp onion granules
• ½ tsp mustard powder (optional – but it does give a bit of a kick!)
• 2 tsp mixed Italian seasoning
• 200ml vinegar of your choice (I like white wine vinegar, but apple cider, red wine or champagne vinegar all work well)
• 2 banana shallots
• 2-3 tbsp caster/superfine white sugar depending on how sweet you like it
• 200ml water
• Small handful black peppercorns
• 2 heaped tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 heaped tbsp sour cream
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 3 spring onions, sliced
• Small bunch parsley, finely chopped
• Small bunch chives, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper, olive oil

Now I’m aware that it looks like a lot of ingredients, but just stay with me here. IT IS SO WORTH IT! Get everything together, and lets get it on.

Cook and spice your tatties

First up, tip your spuds into a pan of cold water, HEAVILY seasoned with salt. It needs to taste like the sea, so all of that flavour gets into those potatoes. Bring the pan to the boil and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes are mostly cooked but not falling apart. While your potatoes are boiling, crack on with your seasonings. I have a few different recipes for smash potatoes, so try out something different if you fancy it.

In a small bowl, mix together the dried herbs and spices and add enough olive oil to make an oily paste, thick enough to coat over the potatoes. You can flavour this up in whatever way you fancy, so change up your spices! Add chilli flakes instead of the mustard, curry powder instead of Italian seasoning – get creative bab. If you really want to push the boat out, instead of using spices and olive oil, try out a red thai curry paste or tikka masala curry paste. Curry pastes already contain plenty of lovely oil and delicious flavours, however you might need to let them down slightly with a splash more oil if they are very thick.

Release your inner Hulk and smash ’em up

When your potatoes are soft, drain them into a colander and leave to dry for a few minutes. Grab a baking tray and tip all of your spuds out, then spread them out so they’ve got a bit of room. Use a second tray if you need to, as they need a bit of space to get criiiiispy! Find a small ramekin or sturdy water glass to press your potatoes down gently, so they flatten out and get a larger surface area. Now, obviously please do not use a wine glass or anything fragile for smashing your spuds – people CAME for me once for using a glass tumbler, but they do work as long as they’re not thin.

The aim with these ones is not to make them into the super thin and crispy potatoes as they will break up too much when you mix them into the sauce and we want chunky bits of spud. Smother your smashed baby potatoes in your flavoured oil mix and get them into the oven at 200ºc/400ºf for around 40 minutes, which is coincidentally the perfect amount of time to make some quick pickled shallots. God, it’s almost like I plan this?! Could never be me.

I’m a biiiig pickle gal

For your pickle, pour your vinegar of choice, peppercorns, sugar and a big pinch of salt into a saucepan with the water. Pop that on the stove until it comes to the boil, and meanwhile peel your shallots and slice into rings. Of course, you can do more of them as these will keep in the fridge for atleast 1 week, but really up to a month if you keep them in a sterilised, airtight container. They’re great chucked into salads and sandwiches, or popped on the side of a cheeseboard. When your shallots are all sliced and the vinegar mixture has come to the boil, chuck in the shallots, separating them roughly into rings so they absorb more pickle. Leave them to cool down while your potatoes carry on cooking.

Who doesn’t love mayo?

When your potatoes are going crispy, grab them out of the oven and flip them over. Spread over some more of your spice mix (you might need to add a bit more oil to stretch it out but that’s ok) and return to the oven for another 15-20 minutes until super crispy.

After returning your potatoes to the oven, get your dressing ready. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, chopped parsley, chives and spring onions and season generously with salt and black pepper. Use a fork to scoop out plenty of your pickled shallot rings and don’t drain them off – you need some of the acidic pickle to balance out the creaminess of the sauce. Give the dressing a taste for seasoning and adjust as needed, then get your smashed potatoes out of the oven.

Ideally, mix the potatoes into the dressing while they’re still warm, and just before serving. If you mix them too early, the potatoes will go soggy and a bit limp which nobody wants. The beauty of having the potatoes still warm is that the oils mix into the sauce and adds in extra flavour – so if you’re taking this to your moms house for a BBQ, just chuck them in the oven or airfryer for a few minutes to re-heat and re-crisp.

Serve up a mountain of delicious smash potato salad and garnish with a few more rings of pickled shallot, then get stuck in to this glorious viral smash potato salad. It’s like an onion slap in the face, and it is so tasty. If you haven’t already, go and have a look at my new Youtube Channel for some more delicious spuddy inspo.