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Smashed Potato Casserole

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This Smashed Potato Casserole recipe is full of smoky Spanish flavors. It’s a unique, deliciously rich, creamy, comforting dish. A perfect fall side dish, it’s great with braised meats, chicken and salads.One serving of Smashed Potato Casserole on a purple plate.

Much like “the stars align” and something big can happen in your life — my ingredients, my day, and my thoughts aligned and this potato recipe happened. 

I was staring at 3-pound bag of  Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes for a couple of days on my counter, and all I knew was that I wanted to smash them. Literally!

With two Spanish cheeses in the fridge, I decided they would have a Spanish vibe.

I got out the smoked Spanish paprika and my Smashed Potato Casserole recipe was born.
Roasted Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes on a baking sheet

How to Make Smashed Potatoes

  • On a sheet pan, roast small potatoes in a very hot oven.
  • Roast them until they’re fork tender — when you pierce the largest one with a fork, it should slide off easily. The skins should be wrinkled and slightly golden brown when they’re done.
  • Drizzle the potatoes with oil. Then use a smooth meat mallet or the bottom of a your smallest sauté pan to gently press down on the potatoes. They will crack and become flat on both sides. (Don’t press to hard — you don’t want them too thin, and you want them to stay as intact as possible.)
  • Season with salt and pepper. Coat the bottom of a skillet with oil and sauté the potatoes until the bottoms are nicely browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Then turn them over and cook until the other side is nicely browned, about 5 minutes. (You can also do this with a bit more oil on the sheet pan in the hot oven.)

Sheet pan full with smashed potatoes.

What do smashed potatoes taste like?

Think creamy and buttery mashed potatoes on the inside, and crispy French fried potatoes on the outside.
Caramelized onions with kitchen tongs

What gives this its smoky Spanish flavor?

  • Spanish smoked paprika
  • Manchego cheese
  • Spanish goat cheese

Smoky Spanish Smashed Potato Casserole recipe in a white baking dish.

Enjoy every last bite of this amazing smoky Spanish Smashed Potato Casserole!

One serving of Smoky Spanish Smashed Potato Casseroleon a purple plate with a red baking dish behind it.

More smashed potato recipes:

 

One serving of smashed potato casserole on a purple plate

Spanish Smashed Potato Casserole Recipe

Valentina K. Wein
This recipe is unique, deliciously rich, creamy, and comforting. It's the perfect fall side to go with braised meats, chicken, salad, and so on.
5 from 2 votes
Print
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 1 hr 10 mins
Total Time 1 hr 30 mins
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Calories 474 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

  • 3 pounds Idaho Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes, washed and dried
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 cups yellow onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika (Pimentón de La Vera)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • a few turns of freshly ground black pepper
  • 1½ cups Manchego cheese, grated
  • 1½ cups Spanish firm aged goat cheese, grated (It's okay if you can't find a Spanish one - firm and aged is what we're going for)
  • olive oil for the pan

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F, adjust a rack to the center, and add the potatoes in an even layer to a baking sheet (one with a small edge so they don't roll off).
  • Once it's preheated, place the baking sheet in the oven and roast the potatoes until they are fork tender -- when you pierce the largest one with a fork, it should slide off easily. This should take about 45 minutes, and they should be turned about half way through. (You can jiggle the baking sheet and they should easily move around.) The skins should be wrinkled and slightly golden brown when they're done. Remove them from the oven and set them aside.
  • Reduce the heat of the oven to 375°F, and keep the rack in the center.
  • While the potatoes are roasting, add the butter to a heavy-bottomed, very large (12 to 14-inch) sauté pan. Place it over low heat and let the butter melt.
  • Using a metal spoon, remove the milk solids from the surface -- they will appear as a creamy colored foam. This is essentially a quick way to clarify the butter. (The milk solids are the part of the butter that has a low burning point, so removing them helps prevent burning the contents of the pot.)
  • Turn the heat to medium-high and add all of the onions. During the first 15 minutes, stir them every few minutes. Once the onions are soft, sprinkle with a bit of salt, reduce the heat to medium-low and stir periodically. Every so often the bottom and sides of the pan will begin to brown. This is what you want! Use a wooden deglazing spatula to work that back into the onions. For this recipe, I like to caramelize the onions until they're all golden and soft, but still have a bite to them. They should look something like this:
  • Add the onions to a large mixing bowl and stir in the cream, paprika, salt, and a few turns of black pepper. (Do not wash the pan from the onions!) Let this cool to room temperature and then mix in both cheeses. Set aside.
  • Drizzle the bottom of the same pan where you caramelized the onions lightly with olive oil. Add the potatoes -- just the amount that will fit in an even layer. You will likely need to do this in two batches.
  • Use a smooth meat mallet or the bottom of a your smallest sauté pan to gently press down on the potatoes. They will crack and become flat on both sides. (Don't press to hard, as you don't want them too thin, and you want them to stay as intact as possible.)
  • Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and then turn the heat to medium-high and sauté the potatoes until the bottoms are nicely browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Then very gently, with a flat-bottomed spatula, turn them over and cook until the other side is nicely browned, about 5 minutes. (The second side will brown more quickly because the pan will be hotter at that point.)
  • Add an even layer of the smashed potatoes to the bottom of an approximately 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking. Now evenly distribute half of the onion mixture over the top, being sure to get it into all of the nooks from the potatoes. Add a second and final layer of the potatoes on top -- if there are any gaps, slice some of the larger smashed potatoes in half, horizontally, and use both sides, round side up. Now add the remaining onion mixture over the top, again filling in any nooks between the potatoes. All of the potatoes should be well covered.
  • Place the pan, uncovered, in the preheated 375°F oven and bake until it's golden brown and very hot, about 25 minutes. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Calorie count is only an estimate.
Keywords fall comfort food recipes, best potato sides
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Comments

  8. Callie | Flour and Fancy says

    I’ve been looking for a new potato casserole recipe with some flare! Thank you for sharing. Can’t wait to try this!

    Reply

  9. Paige @ Where Latin Meets Lagniappe says

    Wow, these look terrific! Manchego, carmelized onions, potatoes….I seriously can’t wait to give these a try!

    Reply

  14. David @ Spiced says

    So I’ve made smashed potatoes, and they’re delicious! However, I’ve never turned those smashed potatoes into a casserole. What a great idea. I totally want to make this as a side dish ASAP…putting baby yellow potatoes on the shopping list now. 🙂

    Reply

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