I’ll admit it, I have never been a fan of pesto and I attribute that mostly to the fact that I don’t generally like basil. So when I came across a recipe that substituted parsley and walnuts for the basil and pine nuts, I absolutely had to give it a try. These Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Parsley Pesto were amazing. My family loved them and I think yours will too! 🙂
You’ll want to begin by washing the potatoes and boiling them until tender. A knife should insert very easily.
Remove to a parchment lined baking sheet and using a glass, gently smash the potatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Leave plenty of room between potatoes so that you can be assured a crispy crust.
After baking, they should look like this. Already delicious, but…
Let’s make some parsley pesto!
In the bowl of a food processor, add the parsley. You don’t even need to worry about removing the stems. Add the chopped walnuts.
We’re using vegan parmesan today, but if you are vegetarian, feel free to use the traditional parmesan. The measurement is the same regardless.
A bit of salt and pepper are next.
To that, I added about the equivalent of 1 clove of minced garlic. I buy mine packed in oil in a jar for convenience.
Lastly, the olive oil. I am recommending extra virgin olive oil because the rich taste is superior in something as simple as this recipe. Just drizzle it in while the processor is going. It takes literally seconds.
The final step before devouring these is to brush the pesto on the hot potatoes. This really gets the flavor going! Serve warm.
Did you make this recipe for Crispy Potatoes with Parsley Pesto? Leave me a comment below and let me know what you thought! You can also tag me on Instagram @aimee_stock with a photo of your creation 🙂
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Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Parsley Pesto
Ingredients
- 1-2 lbs Baby Red or Yellow Potatoes boiled until tender
- drizzle Olive Oil
- sprinkling Salt and Pepper
- 1 c Flat Leaf Italian Parsley
- 2 tbsp Walnuts
- 1/3 c Vegan Parmesan OR regular Parmesan, if you are not vegan
- 1 clove Minced Garlic I use the kind packed in oil
- 1/3 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil EVOO gives the pesto a rich flavor
Instructions
- To begin, preheat oven to 425 degrees and prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Clean the potatoes and boil until tender. A knife should insert easily.
- Drain the potatoes and place onto the parchment. Using a glass, gently smash the potatoes. Be sure to leave room between them because we want crispy edges.
- Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until the edges are just brown and slightly crispy. This will depend on your oven but should take about 20 minutes or more.
- Remove the crisped potatoes and brush immediately with the parsley pesto. Serve warm.
4 comments
This looks like it might work with some modifications in my handy dandy air fryer. Any thoughts?
I wish I had thought of this! I definitely think it would work!!! You may not even need oil if you are trying for oil-free. I always spray a bit of olive oil spray in the air fryer before, but I am not sure it’s even necessary except to get the salt and pepper to stick to the potatoes. So go ahead and boil the potatoes to tender, then smash, then air fry until golden. If you try it, I’d love to hear how they turned out 🙂
I bought a very handy olive oil sprayer via Grommet. I spray the air fryer and whatever is going in with just a spritz. Extra bonus, spraying works great on everything, even salads. Much superior to the ubiquitous “drizzle.” I highly recommend getting one. It doesn’t get clogged up and it’s small enough that the oil stays fresh, at least if you use it as frequently as we do.
I’ll let you know when I air fry the smashed potatoes.
Works perfectly in the air fryer. Quick, easy and delicious. Our regular oven is huge because we have a lot of guests every Friday night. During the week there are just two of us. We like the simplicity of the air fryer; but we also appreciate that it uses a lot less power than our huge oven to accomplish a great result.