These crispy smashed harissa potatoes are super crispy on the outside with soft, creamy centers and packed with spicy harissa flavor! Serve with homemade tangy Greek yogurt dip to balance the heat!
What are smashed potatoes? Literally just that! Small baby potatoes are smashed and then baked to crispy perfection.
You might also like this harissa roast chicken or these crispy scalloped potatoes!
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Ingredient Notes
You only need a couple ingredients to make these crispy harissa potatoes!
Harissa Paste - Harissa is a North African spicy chili paste that originated in Tunisia. It's spicy, smoky, and super flavorful! You can add as much or as little as you prefer to suit your taste. You can find harissa paste online or at stores like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. If you can't find harissa, you can also substitute crushed Calabrian chilies!
Potatoes - Small baby potatoes work best for smashed potatoes because they get super crispy! Baby Yukon golds are my favorite because they have the creamiest texture. These would also be delicious with sweet potatoes! Just cut into little chunks before smashing.
Olive Oil - You need a pretty good amount of olive oil to make sure the potatoes get crispy and don't stick to the pan!
Lemon Juice - A little bit of lemon juice helps balance the flavors of the spicy chilies!
Fresh Mint - This is optional, but I like to garnish with some fresh mint.
How to Make Crispy Smashed Potatoes
Smashed potatoes have 3 basic steps: boil, smash, bake!
Preheat the oven to 425°F and liberally coat a baking sheet with olive oil [sturdy non-stick baking sheets are best].
In a small bowl, whisk together the harissa paste, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Place the potatoes in a large pot with 1 teaspoon of salt and cover with water. Then bring to a boil and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
Drain the potatoes and pat dry. Place onto the oiled baking sheet and use the bottom of a cup or jar to smash them nice and flat (about ¼ inch thick).
Then spoon the harissa oil over the smashed potatoes making sure to evenly coat them.
Roast the potatoes at 425°F for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown with super crispy edges.
Remove the harissa potatoes from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and fresh mint if desired. Serve immediately with Greek yogurt sauce!
What to Serve with Smashed Potatoes
Harissa roasted potatoes make a delicious appetizer or game day snack. They can also be served as a side dish for any mains from roast chicken to lamb meatballs!
These spicy harissa smashed potatoes are also delicious on their own with your favorite dipping sauce! Especially something creamy and cooling to mellow the heat from the harissa. Some of my favorites are:
- Tangy Greek yogurt dip (recipe below)
- Toum (creamy garlic dip)
- More harissa if you need extra spice
- Homemade ranch
- Tzatziki
Recipe FAQ's
Smashed potatoes are best eaten immediately so that they're perfectly crispy. But they will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 400°F for 10-15 minutes to crisp back up.
Yes! You can boil the potatoes, then let them cool completely and store in the fridge overnight. Then smash immediately before baking the next day!
Yes! Harissa paste is pretty spicy so I don't recommend serving these potatoes to children or people who don't enjoy spicy food.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
Smashed Harissa Potatoes
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Greek Yogurt Dip
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon mint
- kosher salt, to taste
Potatoes
- 1 pound baby potatoes
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons harissa paste
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Topping
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint, optional
- flaky sea salt, optional
Instructions
Greek Yogurt Dip
- In a small bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and mint until smooth. Then add in salt to taste and adjust seasonings if desired.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and liberally coat a baking sheet with olive oil [sturdy non-stick baking sheets are best].
- In a small bowl, whisk together the harissa paste, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Place the potatoes in a large pot with 1 teaspoon of salt and cover with water. Then bring to a boil and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Drain the potatoes and pat dry. Place onto the oiled baking sheet and use the bottom of a cup or jar to smash them nice and flat (about ¼ inch thick).
- Then spoon the harissa oil over the smashed potatoes making sure to evenly coat them.
- Roast the potatoes at 425°F for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown with super crispy edges.
- Remove the harissa potatoes from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and fresh mint if desired.
- Serve immediately with Greek yogurt dip!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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