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Loaded Smashed Potatoes with Ranch Sour Cream

Loaded Smashed Potatoes with Ranch Sour Cream- delicious potato bites that are crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and topped with bacon, cheese, and ranch sauce.

December 28, 2020 by Nicole Collins


We're in the home stretch of 2020, folks!



And, I don't think there's a soul out there that could be any more excited that this dumpster fire of a year is almost over.


I'm so curious to see what 2021 holds for us all. Will it be a year of redemption? Will it be a continuation plus some of the terror of this year? I don't think I've ever been more anxious for the clock to strike midnight.



I know there are a lot of old wive's tails and superstitions about how to ring in the New Year, and I certainly have a few traditions/superstitions that I'm pretty adamant about every year. But, I really don't know if it's best to stay perfectly still, perfectly quiet, and fly way low under the radar when the clock strikes midnight; or if the better plan is to party like it's 1999, and go balls to the wall.


How are you going to welcome in 2021?



Whether the world implodes at 12:01am on 01/01/2021 or we magically reset and things start going back to “normal”, I know for sure that I'll be ringing in the new year with a full and happy tummy. And, today's recipe is definitely on the menu.


Today, we're making Loaded Smashed Potatoes with Ranch Sour Cream!



These potatoes are the absolute perfect bite. They're crispy on the outside. They're fluffy on the inside. They're topped with crispy bacon and gooey cheese. And, they're topped with a cooling homemade ranch sauce. Could it possibly get any better than that?



Let's start with our ranch sour cream. All we need is a few dried spices and some rich sour cream to make a cool and delicious topping for our potatoes. So, we'll use everything from chives to parsley to dill to garlic plus a couple other spices to make the most perfect ranch drizzle, in my opinion. And bonus, since we're using dried herbs for our sauce, the shelf life will be extended a little longer since we don't have to worry about spoilage from using fresh herbs. So make a double or triple batch, and put this sour cream on everything. Trust me!



Next, let's talk potatoes. We're going to use some baby yukon gold potatoes as the base of our recipe. Yukon golds are my absolute favorite potato, because they're buttery and creamy and they just have the best flavor and texture in my opinion. If you don't have yukon golds, you could substitute red potatoes here in a pinch. If you have to swap potatoes, I would stay away from the super starchy potatoes like a russet. They're a little too mealy for what we're trying to accomplish with these potatoes.



We're going to precook our potatoes in some salted water first to soften them up and get them nice and smashable. So, we'll cook them for about 15ish minutes until they're nice and fork tender, and we'll dry them off really well. Then, it's time to smash!



To get these potatoes nice and crispy, we're going to line our baking sheet with a layer of olive oil before we add our potatoes. Then we'll add our potatoes to the tray, and we'll use the bottom of a drinking glass to apply pressure to the center of the potatoes to give them a little smash. We want to be gentle when smashing our potato, because we don't want to completely destroy our potatoes. We just want a little of the flesh to be exposed while still keeping the skin mostly in tact. Finally, we'll give the potatoes another drizzle of olive oil over the top side of the potatoes, we'll give it a good pinch of salt and pepper, and into the oven they go!



When the potatoes are finished roasting, we'll have pure magic in front of us. Because we added olive oil to the top and bottom sides of our potatoes, they almost fry in the olive oil while they roast away in the oven. So, the crispy factor on the edges of the potatoes can't be beat. But that creamy potato flesh stays soft and fluffy, so there's lot of texture in just that one little bite.



But wait, there's more! These potatoes would be perfect, as is, straight from the oven. But, this recipe is for loaded potatoes! So, we're going to top our potatoes with some crispy bacon and shredded cheddar, then throw them back into the oven for just a few minutes so the cheese can melt all over our crispy potatoes. When they come out of the oven the second time, we'll finish these babies by topping them with some sliced scallions and giving them a good drizzle of our ranch sour cream.



These potatoes...wow. They're so salty and savory thanks to the bacon, cheese, and all of the olive oil. Then, the ranch sour cream comes in with this cooling effect while adding lots of herbaceous flavor. And, those scallions on top add that perfect pop of color and freshness to cut some of the richness from all of the other components.



These potatoes are going to be the perfect addition to any new year's table. And no matter what happens when the clock strikes midnight on Thursday night/Friday morning, I know that at least I'll have the happiest belly in the world thanks to these little bites!



Alright, everyone. This is the last case of the Mondays that we'll have in 2020, and honestly...good riddance!


But for now, enjoy! And, let's eat!



 



Loaded Smashed Potatoes with Ranch Sour Cream

Serves: 4 Print


Ingredients:

For the Ranch Sour Cream:

  • ½ cup sour cream

  • ¼ tsp dried chives

  • ¼ tsp dried parsley

  • ¼ tsp salt

  • ¼ tsp garlic powder

  • 1/8 tsp dill weed

  • 1/8 tsp onion powder

  • 1/8 tsp pepper

  • 1/8 tsp paprika


For the Smashed Potatoes:

  • 1 ½ lb baby yellow potatoes (like yukon gold)

  • 1 tbsp salt, plus more, to taste

  • 3-4 tbsp olive oil

  • 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

  • 3 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

  • 2 green onion, chopped

  • pepper, to taste


Directions:

  1. Make the Ranch Sour Cream: To a mixing bowl, add sour cream, chives, parsley, garlic powder, ¼ tsp salt, dill, onion powder, 1/8 tsp pepper, and paprika. Stir to combine. Set aside in the fridge to chill.

  2. Make the Smashed Potatoes: Place potatoes in a large pot. Cover with cold water until about an inch above the potatoes. Add 1 tbsp salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, and boil for 15-20 mins until potatoes are fork tender. Drain well, and pat completely dry.

  3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat the bottom of a large sheet pan with about 2 tbsp olive oil, making sure the entire surface is covered. Place dried potatoes on prepared sheet pan. Use a drinking glass to smash the potatoes, making sure the skin splits but the potato still remains in one piece making a disc like shape. Drizzle potatoes with remaining 1-2 tbsp olive oil. Season with a generous sprinkling of salt and a pinch of pepper, to taste. Place in the oven for 30 mins until the bottoms are crisp and the tops are golden brown in spots.

  4. Remove potatoes from oven, and top with shredded cheddar and bacon. Place back in the oven for another 4-5 minutes until the cheese has melted. Remove from oven. Top with sliced green onions and a drizzle of ranch sour cream. Serve!

Recipe notes:

*We don't want a mealy, super starchy potato for these; so a yukon gold or yellow potato works the best. You could use a red potato too. No russets for this one.

*It's important to make sure the entire surface of the sheet pan is covered in olive oil. We're essentially pan frying the bottoms in the oven. That's how they get nice and super duper crispy.

*Potatoes NEED salt! Don't be shy when you season the potatoes. After a few good pinches of salt, if you think you've seasoned them enough, give them one more pinch of salt for good measure. I put a little salt on the pan in the olive oil to salt the bottom of the potatoes. You'll probably use about a ½ tbsp of salt and about ½ tsp pepper to season the potatoes.

*This is one of those recipes where either freshly shredded or pre-shredded cheddar will work.

*Make sure you make the ranch sour cream first so that the flavors have a chance to marry in the fridge while the potatoes cook.



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