By Anna Luisa Rodriguez
The Washington Post
One of my favorite food-related debates is which form of potato is superior to the rest. There are so many to choose from — mashed, roasted, fries, chips — and my answer often changes. In the summer, I gravitate toward cool and creamy potato salads, but in general I tend to crave a crispier, crunchier spud. Enter the smashed potato salad.
I first saw the delightful mashup of golden brown smashed potatoes and potato salad dressing on my TikTok feed a couple of months ago and immediately bookmarked it. Since then, I’ve seen several others pop up on my For You page, and though it’s unclear where the trend originated — creators @ice.karimcooks and @dr.vegan appear to have been early promoters — it was Hungry Happens blogger Stella Drivas’s take on it that went viral. With more than 15.5 million views and nearly a million likes, her salad featuring ultrathin, crispy potatoes with a tangy, tzatziki-inspired dressing (Greek yogurt, garlic, herbs and cucumber) sent foodies on the app into a frenzy. Since her video in January, plenty more variations have popped up, including veganized versions and a genius rendition with tater tots.
I hopped on the bandwagon and initially tried the Hungry Happens recipe and one from Allrecipes, which amassed 4.5 million views on TikTok. The Allrecipes version from Nicole McLaughlin is a bit more pared down, with a dressing of sour cream, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, dill, parsley and green onions. Since it’s similar to my usual potato salad, I anticipated preferring this version, but I found that the crispy texture of the potatoes needed a punchy dressing to stand up to it. That’s where the tzatziki flavors of the Hungry Happens recipe had the advantage.
While I thought it was delicious from the start, I decided to tinker with the original Hungry Happens recipe, pulling from my recipe tests as well as my own potato salad preferences. I strayed from my usual sour cream and opted for whole-milk Greek yogurt, which provides a tangy flavor with a touch of richness, and combined it with mayonnaise to create a creamy base.
Red onions replace shallots to keep with the Mediterranean theme, and a single clove of garlic has a small but mighty presence. Lemon and red wine vinegar add brightness, and while a number of herbs, such as parsley or mint, could work, I like my tzatziki to be dill-forward.
I was unsure how the cucumbers would fare in the salad, concerned that they might make the dish too watery, but when seeded and chopped into small pieces, they provide a cooling crunch that both balances and heightens the flavor and texture of the potatoes. The pickles are not a traditional tzatziki ingredient, but in my book, all good potato salads include them. They mingle with the zippy flavors of the onion, lemon and vinegar while still maintaining the refreshing bite of their raw counterparts.
The key to this salad, though, is the smashed potatoes. Boiling baby potatoes until they’re tender and easily pierced with a fork allows them to be smashed evenly and kept mostly intact. I also noticed smaller spuds were easier to smash. Some of the recipes involve smashing the potatoes so thin that they almost transform into chips, but I still wanted a hint of a fluffy interior and found that keeping them around 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick seemed to do the trick.
Yes, you might be eyeing the total cook time and oven instructions with skepticism, but the 55 minutes of roasting are necessary for a crisp, golden brown exterior on the potatoes. Plus, that downtime allows you to prep the dressing without having to worry about fussing with mise en place first. I promise, the result is worth it. If you’re worried about heating up your kitchen too much (a valid concern during a heat wave), you can also try air frying the potatoes at 400 degrees, or just cubing boiled potatoes and tossing them with the dressing.
While there is still a place in my heart for more traditional potato salads and standard smashed potatoes, the combination of the two is one that will be a staple in my summertime recipe repertoire. And when the great potato debate next arises, I have just the thing to contribute to the discussion.
Smashed Potato Salad With Tzatziki Dressing
This TikTok-inspired recipe uses the crispy texture of smashed potatoes to create an unorthodox but delicious potato salad. The creamy, cooling dressing is based on tzatziki, featuring a combination of Greek yogurt, cucumber, dill and lemon juice, but dill pickles and red onion add another pop of briny, acidic flavor. Though it’s a bit of a time investment, most of the cooking is hands-off, and the unique texture of the salad is worth the wait. It’s a twist on tradition that is sure to be hit at cookouts, barbecues and potlucks.
Makes 6 to 8 servings (8 cups)
INGREDIENTS
For the potatoes:
3 pounds baby potatoes, scrubbed
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the dressing:
2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt, preferably whole-milk
1/2 cup seeded and finely chopped cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped dill pickles
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish
1 garlic clove, minced or finely grated
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
DIRECTIONS
1: Make the potatoes: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2: In a large (at least 6-quart), lidded pot, combine the potatoes with 1 tablespoon of the salt, and add enough cold water to cover the potatoes by about 1 inch. Set the pot over high heat, cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Uncover and reduce the heat to medium, or as needed, so the water is at a lively simmer, and cook until the potatoes are very tender and easily pierced with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes.
3: Drain the potatoes, transfer to the prepared sheet pan and set aside until cool enough to handle. Using the bottom of a glass or measuring cup, carefully and slowly crush each potato to 1/4-inch thickness, doing your best to keep them intact. Brush the tops of the potatoes with the olive oil and season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the garlic powder and pepper.
4: Transfer the potatoes to the oven and roast for about 55 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown. Let cool on the pan for 10 to 15 minutes.
5: Make the dressing: While the potatoes are roasting, in a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, cucumber, pickles, mayonnaise, onion, dill, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar and mustard until combined.
6: Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half or bite-size pieces and add to the dressing. Toss to coat evenly. Garnish with dill and serve.
Substitutions: For a richer potato salad, use sour cream in place of Greek yogurt, or a combination of equal parts Greek yogurt and mayonnaise. Red wine vinegar can be subbed out for white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Vegan? Use vegan mayonnaise and plant-based yogurt. Instead of red onion, try scallions or shallots. Dill can be replaced with parsley or chives.
Storage note: The texture of the salad is best when fresh, but you can refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days.
Adapted by Anna Luisa Rodriguez from Hungry Happens and Allrecipes.
