Submitted by Grace Voltolina

About the cook: Avid cook and baker!

About the dish: The smashed potato…love the perfect description…is everywhere, with an endless choice of toppings. A friend suggested caviar…consider toppings you may be using for other appetizers. My choices were based on some of my favorite ‘potato and’ combinations as well as what I had in the fridge on that day

National Origin: American

Serves: 12

Estimated Time: Under 30 Minutes

Ingredients:

Oven: 425 degrees F
Yield: approximately 2 dozen potato appetizers

Ingredients:
1 ½ pounds (24-26 small potatoes) yellow Dutch potatoes or small red potatoes, skins on
1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt, divided
1 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Reggiano Parmigiano
vegetable oil spray

Toppings:
Minted Peas: Smashed cooked peas seasoned with salt, pepper and dried mint
Thinly sliced steak, such as a filet mignon
Cooked and seasoned spinach or kale

Preparation:

Directions:

Scrub potatoes and place in a large saucepan with 1 tablespoon of salt and cover with water. Cook for approximately 15-20 minutes until tender but still very firm. Heat oven to 425 degrees F.

Drain and cool potatoes. Using your hand or a potato masher, press down on each potato to flatten. Place potatoes on a sheet pan sprayed with cooking spray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with remaining ½ tablespoon of salt and black pepper. Bake for approximately 15- 20 minutes until potatoes are lightly crisped, turning tray once during cooking for even browning. Remove tray of potatoes from oven, sprinkle with grated cheese and return to cook for a few minutes, until the cheese melts.

Most likely, potatoes are not a uniform size, so remove smaller ones first if necessary.

Place toppings on potatoes and serve warm*

Notes:
•*They are still tasty if the potatoes cool down to room temperature.

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