Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Harissa Vinaigrette

Crispy smashed potatoes with harissa vinaigrette is one of my go-to dishes. It’s the ultimate side to go with just about anything, from grilled meats to whole fish. Pair it with a plant-friendly protein like a chickpea salad, and it’s a full meal.

Small red potatoes are boiled until tender before being smashed flat and roasted in olive oil until the edges go crisp and brown. A harissa vinaigrette—loosened with lemon and rounded out with a little maple syrup—is spooned over the top so it sinks into every crag.

For me, the biggest draw here is the harissa. Hot sauces are my love language. I’ve made my own harissa more times than I can count—toasting and grinding the chiles, blooming them with garlic and caraway—but there are many store-bought ones out there I like. One tip from a longtime devotee: Skip the glass jars on the supermarket shelf and seek out the harissa sold in a tube, usually at international markets. Tubed harissa tends to be concentrated in flavor, rich with oil, and a whole lot spicier than the jarred kind.

Ingredients for Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Harissa Vinaigrette

• Small red potatoes: The thin, waxy skins of red potatoes crisp up while the creamy interiors hold together during boiling and mashing. Look for small potatoes that are roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
• Olive oil: Olive oil pulls double duty, cooking the potatoes until they turn golden underneath, and serving as the base for the harissa vinaigrette.
• Crumbled feta cheese: Feta adds tang, richness and salt. Crumbling it by hand from a block packed in brine gives you better texture and flavor than the tubs of crumbled cheese.
• Fresh cilantro: This minced herb brightens the finished dish with grassy freshness. Chop it just before serving it so it holds its color and fragrance.
• Harissa chili paste: This North African condiment adds smoky heat and a deep red hue to the vinaigrette. Brands vary widely in spice level, so taste yours and adjust the amount according to your heat tolerance.
• Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice adds acidity that enlivens the dish and balances the maple’s sweetness. Roll your lemon firmly on the counter before juicing it to coax out more juice.
• Maple syrup: Just a touch of maple syrup rounds out the vinaigrette, tempering the chili paste’s bite with gentle sweetness. Reach for pure maple syrup rather than pancake syrup for a cleaner, more complex flavor.
• Garlic powder: Garlic powder adds savory depth to the dressing without the sharp raw edge that fresh cloves bring. The fine texture disperses evenly, so every bite tastes well-seasoned
• Salt: Salt sharpens the other flavors and seasons the potatoes from the outside in.

Directions

Step 1: Boil the potatoes

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, and add cold water to cover them. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat, and cook the potatoes, uncovered, until they’re tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the water.

Step 2: Smash the potatoes

Drizzle the oil over the bottom of a 15x10x1-inch baking pan, and arrange the potatoes over the oil. Using the bottom of a glass or a potato masher, flatten the potatoes to a 1/2-inch thickness.

Editor’s Tip: Press down slowly and gently so the potatoes flatten without breaking completely apart—they should hold together in one craggy piece.

Step 3: Make and add the vinaigrette

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, harissa chili paste, lemon juice, maple syrup, garlic powder and salt. Spoon the vinaigrette over the potatoes.

Step 4: Roast and garnish the potatoes

Roast the smashed potatoes until they’re golden brown, 15 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle them with the feta cheese and cilantro before serving them.

Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Harissa Vinaigrette Variations

• Swap in a different chili paste: Substitute gochujang or sambal oelek for the harissa to push the flavor in the direction of Korea or Southeast Asia.
• Eighty-six the cheese: I personally like to skip the feta and drizzle mine with a lemony tahini dressing instead, an easy swap that doubles down on the Mediterranean vibes and keeps the dish free of dairy.
• Add a crunchy finish: Scatter dukkah or toasted sesame seeds over the potatoes just before serving them for a nutty, textured layer.
• Brighten it with za’atar: Sprinkle za’atar over the potatoes along with the feta and cilantro to fold in toasty, herbal notes and a hit of sumac’s tartness.
• Replace the maple with honey: Whisk honey into the vinaigrette instead of maple syrup for a floral sweetness that rounds out the harissa’s heat.

How to Store Crispy Smashed Potatoes and Harissa Vinaigrette

Crispy smashed potatoes are best fresh from the oven, but leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for three to four days. Let them cool to room temperature first, then transfer them to an airtight container so they don’t dry out. Just know that the crisp edges will soften the longer they sit.

Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Harissa Vinaigrette Tips

How else can you use harissa vinaigrette?

This harissa vinaigrette won’t go to waste. Toss it over roasted cauliflower, carrots or Brussels sprouts in the last few minutes of roasting, or spoon it over a warm grain bowl built on farro, freekeh or couscous. It also makes a quick marinade or finishing sauce for salmon, shrimp or tofu, and you can thin it slightly to dress sturdy greens like kale or to use as a dip for warm pita bread and flatbread.

What else can you serve with crispy potatoes with harissa vinaigrette?

These crispy potatoes with harissa vinaigrette are great alongside grilled or roasted mains like lamb chops, chicken thighs or a whole roasted fish, and they slot easily into a mezze-style spread with hummus, olives, chopped cucumber-tomato salad and plenty of warm flatbread. For a vegetarian dinner, round it out with a big leafy salad and a pot of seasoned chickpeas or lentils, with the potatoes as the centerpiece.