Local red potatoes.
When provisioning the boat, it’s important to be flexible enough to take advantage of unexpected finds. On a recent trip across Tenacatita Bay to La Manzanilla, Mexico we found tiny new potatoes and decided to make Chris’ favorite “oven-crashed” potatoes. These crispy potatoes are an excellent side dish, especially with roasted or grilled meats. We served them with grilled burgers made from ground lamb, which we found at the “Canadian deli” in La Manzanilla.
Ingredients:
Boil the potatoes until tender.
- A pound or so of small potatoes, preferably red
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- Parsley or cilantro, optional
Directions:
- Boil the potatoes until tender.
- Drain the potatoes and let cool for a few moments.
- Lay out the potatoes on a lightly greased sheet pan.
- Using a towel or hot pad to protect your hand, smash the potatoes with the heel of your hand until they are a little less than 1/2 inch thick.
- Season with salt and pepper and brush or drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake in a hot oven until crispy.
- Garnish with a little minced parsley or cilantro, if you have some.
If your grill is big enough to hold a small sheet pan, you may be able to crisp the potatoes on the grill instead of heating up the oven. Although small red potatoes work best in this recipe, you can use any available potatoes. If your potatoes are large, cut them into quarters before “crashing.”
| Oven Crashed Potatoes Illustrated | |
 “Crash” the potatoes with the protected heel of your hand. |
 Lightly salt and pepper the potatoes after crashing. |
 Apply a little olive oil to the potatoes to help them crisp. |
 Crashed potatoes come out of the oven crispy and browned. |