lemon parmesan smashed potatoes

you can do so much with a potato. you've all eaten them in various forms. mashed potatoes. french fries. baked potatoes. chips....hell, even potato bread. but have you ever had them smashed? and i'm not talking about chunky mashed potatoes (although that's how i prefer my mashed potatoes. i can't wrap my mind around eating something so mushy as whipped potatoes). i'm talking about smashed potatoes. they're creamy yet still have a crisp crunch to them. they'd go good with a pork or chicken or even just by themselves. 

if you have kids, i'd bet this would be a fun activity for them to participate in.

the woman from the website that i got this recipe from said that they look like frog road kill. it's kinda true and i sort of thought it was hilarious for some reason. 

lemon parmesan smashed potatoes

ingredients:

-2 lbs fingerling potatoes, scrubbed clean

- olive oil for drizzling

- sea salt

- 4 cloves garlic minced

- 1/2 c parsley, minced

- zest of 1 1/2 lemons

- 1/2 c grated parmesan cheese

directions:

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees F

2. put potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water about an inch above the potatoes.

3. bring potatoes to a boil and simmer until potatoes are cooked through (about 15 mins). you should be able to easily stick a fork through them.

4. drain potatoes and lay out onto paper towels to dry

5. drizzle olive oil onto a baking pan

6. place potatoes on baking pan spaced out a couple of inches apart from each other

7. using the bottom of a heavy glass, smash potatoes until they're about 1/2 inch thick

8. brush potatoes with more olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt

9. roast for 30 minutes, flipping the potatoes over after 15 minutes

10. while potatoes are roasting, in a small bowl mix together garlic, parsley, lemon zest and parmesan

11. when potatoes are done, put them in a large bowl and toss with the lemon parmesan mixture

the addition of lemon really brightens up this dish. i will be making this time and time again.