What do you do when you are completely out of Tater Tots? I call it a disaster! Some of you may be in the same predicament. Tater Tots are a private (not so secret now) indulgence in our household. I buy the HUGE packages, but we were out…not a tot to be found even at the very the bottom of the freezer.

I did find one lone bag of baby yellow Finns in the pantry, the only potatoes to be found in the house. The result is these smashed potatoes.

Both the NY Times and another blog I follow (Pinch of Yum) had highlighted this method of cooking potatoes in the past week. Very timely. Could they be a stand in for those missing Tater Tots?

Smashed Potatoes

They were delicious, not quite the same as a tot, but still very good. The consensus was that a repeat performance would be welcome.

These potatoes are creamy on the inside and crisp on the outside, delicious and a complete success. Same as with tots, it’s impossible to only eat one. They would be wonderful as is, without any adornment except some ketchup. But I live in a crazy household of anchovy lovers. In the NY Times article the smashed potatoes (they called them roasted) had a sauce of butter, anchovies, garlic and capers. I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. And again, the potatoes are fantastic as is. But, family members have been known to steal anchovies plain out of the fridge as a snack. I had to make the sauce.

One commenter suggested some crisp bacon and sour cream would be good as a topping as well. I can definitely get behind that.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds of baby or fingerling potatoes (or whatever you have on hand)
• Kosher Salt
• Olive oil for roasting

I am going to put the sauce below

Method:

1. Scrub the potatoes and place them in a pot, cover with at least an inch of water and heavily salt it.
2. Bring the water to a boil, turn down the heat, and cook until the potatoes are very soft, 25-30 minutes. You want to over-cook them a little so the insides stay creamy.
3. Drain the potatoes, and let them cool until you can handle them.
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
5. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
6. Use your hands to smash the potatoes to about 3/4 inch thick.
7. Transfer them to the baking sheet, toss with a generous amount of oil and a little salt (don’t salt if you are using the anchovy sauce). Arrange the potatoes in a single layer.
8. Roast until dark golden brown and crisp, 40-50 minutes, flipping them once half way through.

Smashed Potatoes

If there are any more anchovy lovers out there, here goes:

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 10-12 anchovies, chopped
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced or grated
• 1 cup of chopped herbs for garnish – parsley or celery leaves

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a small skillet
2. Add the anchovies and capers. Cook until the butter is browned and anchovies melted into the sauce.
3. Add the garlic and remove from the heat.
4. Pour over the cooked potatoes.
5. Garnish with herbs.

This sauce would also be good on steak, roast chicken or fish.

Smashed Potatoes with Anchovy Sauce

Maybe some of the folks at Fiesta Friday are also running out of tots. I’m going to take them over to Fiesta Friday #323 hosted by Angie. This weeks cohosts are Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook and Laurena @ Life Diet Health

If you’re new to Fiesta Friday, please read the guidelines.