Smash Potatoes with Scallion Ginger Oil
We are off to New Jersey and I can just taste the pizza, bagels, and Turkey already! Ah, I’m so excited! I’ll probably be doing a lot more eating this week instead of cooking, but that’s a break that I very much need! Here’s another recipe for your holiday table, that’s so easy and can be made at the very end of the oven schedule. You know, when all the other major food players havel finally come out of the oven!
Smashed potatoes are the ideal way of eating potatoes, aside from french fries! They are creamy and tender on the inside, so crispy on the exterior, and taste insanely good with a variety of sauces and toppings. I topped these crispy potatoes with my favorite Chinese scallion ginger oil. Gosh, I could put that stuff on a shoe and eat it.
Protip: Boil Potatoes the Night Before
To help clear up the congestion in your kitchen if you’re cooking during the busy holiday season, I recommend boiling the potatoes the night before. I boiled my potatoes in my trusted Calphalon Classic™ Nonstick 6 Qt. Stock Pot with No Boil-Over Insert. Seriously, the No Boil-Over Insert is such a game changer. Potatoes are starchy, which cause the water to boil over and make a mess on your stove top. With the cover I can confidently move on to other tasks as the potatoes cook. The fact that all the cookware is nonstick makes for super easy clean up! Which I’m ALLLL ABOUT.
Small potatoes will cook in about 20 minutes. I test for doneness by using my Calphalon® Contemporary ™ SharpIN™ Nonstick Paring Knife and sticking it into a potato. If it slices through the potato without any resistance the potatoes are done! Drain the potatoes, the Calphalon Classic™ Nonstick Stock Pot comes with a fitted lid with a handy drainer that makes this a breeze, allow the potatoes to cool and store in a container overnight until you’re ready to cook them in the oven. Otherwise, you can just smash these and cook them right away!
Sizzling Scallion Ginger Oil
Scallion Ginger Oil tastes good on practically anything. My mom would make it to top our jook (rice porridge) and it’s a must have condiment for Hainanese chicken! Pouring hot oil over a bowl of aromatics not only creates the best smell but it is also very theatrical if you want to impress a crowd of hungry relatives. The sizzle gets me every time! So satisfying.
To make the oil you want to have a very sharp knife on hand to cut up the scallions, garlic, and ginger. I love using the Calphalon® Contemporary ™ SharpIN™ Nonstick Chef Knife. Every time you take the knife out of the knife block it sharpens the blade, due to the built in ceramic sharpeners, so you’ll never have a dull blade. There’s nothing more dangerous than a dull knife in the kitchen. Plus all the little bits of garlic and ginger won’t stick to the blade, thanks to the knives’ nonstick coating.
Once you have everything chopped into small bits and in a heat proof bowl, heat oil in a small sauce pan, the Calphalon Classic™ Nonstick 1.5 Qt. Sauce Pan is the perfect size! Test if the oil is hot enough by dropping a piece of ginger in the oil, if it sizzles immediately it is hot enough. Pour hot oil over the contents and bask in the best smell and enjoy the sound of the sizzle! This recipe makes more than you need for the potatoes, but that’s because you’ll want to put some on your turkey too!
You could toss the smashed potatoes in the scallion ginger oil, but I like to top each potato with a spoonful of the oil for a cute little bite of food. A sprinkle of red pepper flake or gochugaru (korean red pepper flake) doesn’t hurt either! They make for great finger food or the best side dish at your dinner table!
Smashed Potatoes with Scallion Ginger Oil
serves 4-6
materials:
1 1/2 lb small yellow potatoes
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
scallion ginger oil:
3 scallion stalks - chopped
2 tbsp ginger - minced
4 garlic cloves - minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup canola oil
steps:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and boil for 20 minutes until tender. Drain the dry the potatoes.
Place potatoes on a baking tray. Drizzle olive oil over the potatoes and season with salt. Toss to evenly coat. Use the underside of a cup or measuring cup to smash the potatoes, you want them to be about 1/4”-1/2” thick. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Flip the potatoes and roast for another 10 minutes.
While the potatoes are roasting. Combine the scallions, ginger, garlic, and salt in a heat proof bowl. Heat canola oil in a small saucepan for 5 minutes or until it reaches 325 degrees. Carefully pour the hot oil over the aromatics. Everything will sizzle. Allow the oil to cool and set aside until ready to serve.
Once the potatoes are crispy, serve immediately topped with the scallion ginger oil.