Man, do I love Australia. First, my oldest daughter was conceived there on our honeymoon⊠and while weâre on the subject, have I ever shared with you that we almost named her âSydneyâ as a nod to her point of origin? In the end, I chickened out, thoughâI thought that might be a little corny, and truth be told, I think she was actually conceived in Brisbane. But Iâll stop there. This is a family-friendly website.
Anyway, I just love Australia. I just tried this side dish last nightâit was sent to me by Trish, an Aussie friend/reader, a few weeks agoâand I wound up absolutely loving it. Created by Australian food writer Jill Dupleix, itâs called âCrash Hot Potatoes.â
Thanks, Trish from Australia, for sharing it.
The Cast of Characters: New Potatoes (or other small, round potato), Olive Oil, Kosher Salt, Black Pepper, and whatever herb you like. Iâm using Rosemary.
Begin by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil.
Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make, and cook them until theyâre fork-tender. And yes, I realize my pot is a little full, but listen: my boys filled my large dutch oven with a combination of dog food, potting soil, and gravel yesterday, and then they placed it on top of our garage. I have to learn to make do around here.
Oh! And Iâd like to officially announce that as a result of my boysâ repeated attempts to dig to China, I no longer have any spoons in my kitchen. You heard me. Send spoons ASAP, please. We have cereal to eat.
Next, generously drizzle olive oil on a sheet pan.
This will mean the difference between the potatoes sticking and not sticking, so donât be shy here.
When the potatoes are tender, place them on the cookie sheetâŠ
âŠGiving them plenty of room to spread out.
Next, grab your potato masher and gently press down on the potato until it slightly mashesâŠ
Then rotate the masher 90 degrees and finish flattening it. Of course, you donât want to absolutely smash it into the panâyou want it almost to resemble a cookie.
Repeat until all are flattened. And really, I donât know why you couldnât use the bottom of a glass for this step if you donât have a potato masher. The surface might not be as textured and interesting, but I think it still might work.
Next, brush the tops rather generously with olive oil.
And if you could please use a pastry brush that looks as bad as, or worse than, this, that would be great. Iâll sleep better tonight.
Look, I USE the stuff in my kitchen. I canât be bothered with making sure itâs polished and perfect.
*Here endeth the rationalization.
Next, grab some Kosher salt. You can use regular salt, but Iâd really recommend using kosher. It adheres to the potatoes more easily and really flavors them nicely without getting too salty.
Or something.
Remember: potatoes need salt. Donât skimp!
Be ye ever as generous with fresh ground black pepper.
Now, you can grab some chivesâŠor thymeâŠor whatever herbs you have available. I had this in my gardenâthe same garden thatâs been pummeled by hail, wind, and rain for the past month. Letâs observe a moment of silence for all gardens in Middle America.
Whatever herb you use, just chop it pretty finely and sprinkle over the top.
Thatâs it!
Now throw them onto the top rack of a very hot (450-degree) oven, and cook them for 20-25 minutesâŠ
âŠOr until theyâre golden and crispy and sizzling.
Mmmm. Just look at these babies.
They almost look like latkes, donât they? But only almostâŠ
I was making steak for dinner last night, so I thought these would be just the ticket. That there thing on the left there is an iceberg wedge. In a moment it will be drizzled with homemade ranch dressing.
Marlboro Man has very simple wants.
Okay, by now Iâve already eaten two potatoesâI just picked âem up and ate âem with my fingers. And they areâŠDELICIOUS. The perfect combination of crispy, flavorful, and simple.
Oh, and Australia? I love you. Thanks for allowing my oldest daughter to be conceived in your fine country. I really like that kid.
And I really like these potatoes.