Tuesday, March 10: Smashed Potatoes with Romesco

I LOVE POTATOES. This is my current favorite kind: Yukon Golds boiled until soft, smashed flat, then roasted until super crispy on the outside and incredibly fluffy on the inside. Delicious as is, but even better? Dipped into smoky homemade romesco sauce.

Prep your Yukon Gold or baby potatoes (1-2 pounds). If small, keep whole. If larger than a golf ball, slice in half (or even in quarters if very large). If a mix, keep some small and halve some — just try to get them the same size so they cook evenly. Add potatoes to a pot and fill with cold water to cover by one inch. Add a palmful of salt and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cook potatoes for 15-20 minutes, or until you can pierce one easily with a fork or knife (you don’t want them falling apart). While potatoes are cooking, preheat oven to 425 degrees.

When potatoes are tender, drain them. To dry quickly, I add them back to (now empty) pot and turn heat on low to make the excess water evaporate. Spread out potatoes on a parchment-paper lined sheet tray. Take a heavy glass (oil the bottom so it doesn’t stick to potatoes) and press down on each potato, smashing them into a disc (the flatter the disc, the crispier the potato). Coat the smashed potatoes in a few TB of olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt (potatoes love salt, and there’s nothing worse than an under-seasoned potato!). Roast for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

While the potatoes are roasting, make romesco sauce! Into a blender or food processor, add the following: one 16-oz jar of roasted red peppers (drained), 1/2 cup raw almonds, a few oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (optional), 1-2 cloves garlic, 1 TB sherry or red wine vinegar, 1-2 tsp smoked paprika, a few shakes of cayenne pepper, and a big pinch of salt. Blend until combined, then add 1/2 cup olive oil and blend until creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning (e.g. more salt, paprika, or vinegar). (This romesco recipe was adapted from Cookie + Kate.)