Honey Goat Cheese Crispy Smashed Potatoes

December 28, 2019 by Nicole Collins

The countdown is on!

Can you believe we're going to be ringing in the new year in just 3 days?!?!

I don't know about you, but I have no clue where 2019 went.

So first off, did everyone have a nice Christmas? Or, if you celebrate other holidays or don't celebrate any, are you guys enjoying the down time that this time of year allows us?

I've been seeing this meme floating around social media about how the week between Christmas and New Year's is super awkward because nobody knows what day it is, everyone is full and bloated, and people don't know what else to do but to start drinking at 10am.

And, I feel like that couldn't be more accurate. I'm still getting used to working for a company that takes a breather during that Christmas to New Year's week, and it's been so nice getting some much needed R&R (even though I've still had to work from home).

So, now that we're locked an loaded with PLENTY of drinks to help us ring in the new year (thank you 12 Days of Beverages Challenge), it's time to switch back to food mode.

And boy, do I have treat for you!

Today, we're making Honey Goat Cheese Crispy Smashed Potatoes!

So, there are smashed potatoes, and then there are crispy smashed potatoes. And, these potatoes are CRISPY!

I swear, I wish I could send the sound of these crispy babies crackling through the computer screen to you.

I guess you'll just have to make these yourself to hear what I'm talking about!

We start with some baby yukon gold potatoes. I love the creamy, buttery quality of yukon golds, and the smaller potato size makes these a poppable party appetizer or side dish. Round one requires boiling the potatoes in salted water until they're fork tender. Then, we drain them and make sure they're completely dry.

For round two, we're going to oven fry these potatoes in some rich olive oil. OMG. Coat a sheet pan with olive oil so that there are no dry spots, place your potatoes on the sheet pan, give them a smush with a glass until they break open but they're still in one piece, then load them up with some more salt and pepper. Potatoes need salt, so it's so important that we season these at every stage of the game. We don't want to be shy about using salt either.

Before we pop these yummy bites in the oven to get uber crispy, we're going to top them with some fresh thyme leaves and some crumbled goat cheese. I LOVE warm goat cheese. The creamy gooey texture is unbeatable. Plus, you know why they call it GOAT cheese, right? Cause it's the Greatest Of All Time!

As soon as these potatoes come out of the oven, you'll be able to see all the crispy crunchy goodness on the bottom of the potatoes. But, we're going to up the ante even more by giving these a light drizzle of honey right at the end to finish them off. And, wowza! These are salty, and creamy, and crispy, and fragrant, and a little sweet, and just total heaven.

Since these are so easy to put together, these would be a great addition to your New Year's party table. They're great as appetizers, but they're equally great as a side dish for basically anything.

Ok, everyone! I've got one more recipe coming at you to finish off 2019, and you're not going to want to miss it.

For now, enjoy! And, let's eat!

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Honey Goat Cheese Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Serves: 4 Print

Ingredients:

• 1 lb baby yellow potatoes

• 1 tbsp salt, plus more, to taste

• 4-5 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

• 2 oz goat cheese, crumbled

• 1 tbsp honey

• pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Place potatoes in a large pot. Cover with cold water until about an inch above the potatoes. Add 1 tbsp salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, and boil for 15-20 mins until potatoes are fork tender. Drain well, and pat completely dry.

2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat the bottom of a large sheet pan with 2 tbsp olive oil, making sure the entire surface is covered. Place dried potatoes on prepared sheet pan. Use a drinking glass to smash the potatoes, making sure the skin splits but the potato still remains in one piece making a disc like shape. Drizzle potatoes with remaining 2-3 tbsp olive oil. Top with thyme leaves, a generous sprinkling of salt, to taste, and pepper, to taste. Place in the oven for about 30 mins until the bottoms are crisp and the tops are golden brown in spots.

3. Remove potatoes from oven, and top with crumbled goat cheese. Place back in the oven for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven, and immediately drizzle potatoes with honey. Serve!

Recipe notes:

*We don't want a mealy, super starchy potato for these; so a yukon gold or yellow potato works the best. You could use a red potato too. No russets for this one.

*It's important to make sure the entire surface of the sheet pan is covered in olive oil. We're essentially pan frying the bottoms in the oven. That's how they get nice and super duper crispy.

*Potatoes NEED salt! Don't be shy when you season the potatoes. After a few good pinches of salt, if you think you've seasoned them enough, give them one more pinch of salt for good measure. I put a little salt on the pan in the olive oil to salt the bottom of the potatoes. You'll probably use about a ½ tbsp of salt.

*I usually line my pans with foil before I use them, but I didn't do that with these. I really wanted that pan to potato contact with the oil. Not saying the foil would've impacted it, but I didn't want to take that chance.