Smashed Potatoes with Stilton Cheese and Scallions

Sometimes potatoes can be boring! Well these potatoes my friends are far from boring. In fact these morsels are amazingly delicious. They are a cross between mashed potatoes and potato skins. The center of the potato is soft  and creamy and the outer skin is crispy and flavorful. This recipe isn't the quickest to make because there are a few steps involved, but believe me the extra effort is well worth it. You basically boil red or white baby potatoes until they are tender, gently smash them with a metal spatula, add olive oil and salt and pepper and bake in the oven until crispy. Then add your cheese topping and bake for an additional 5 minutes. I added a good quality stilton cheese to the tops and diced scallions. I also made a few with cheddar cheese for the boys. Honestly, you could add whatever topping you'd like and it would probably taste spectacular. Choose your toppings like it's a mini pizza. Be creative, use what you have in your pantry or add whatever strikes your mood. Heck, serve a dip with it and dunk away! Salsa, horseradish, french onion, chipotle, chili cheese. I kept it simple and added a dollop of plain greek yogurt as a dip to give it a cool refreshing bite. the best thing about these potatoes is that anyone can make these or anyone can help out. Nate helped me smash the potatoes….a fun job for him or any kid. We had to toss the first one because I had to tell him to gently smash the potatoes and not smash them like he was playing Whack a Mole! Geez Nate! You can also make this recipe as a side dish or as an appetizer and 2-3 per person is good. So however you choose to make these amazingly delicious smashed potato morsels, they will be a total hit at your dinner table. Salute to a creative, far from boring, twist on potatoes!

Nate gently, gently I say, smashing the potatoes

Potatoes before being baked and crisped in the oven

Just out of the oven. Now to add the cheese!

Done!

A dollop of greek yogurt to add a cool bite

Smashed Potatoes with Stilton Cheese and Scallions (Click to print recipe)

Preparation and cook time: 1 hour

Serves 6 as a side

Ingredients:

• 12 baby red or white potatoes
• olive oil
• salt n pepper
• 1 ounce of stilton cheese, crumbled
• 2 tb diced scallions/green onions
• optional * plain greek yogurt or sour cream on the side

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Boil potatoes in a large pot of salted water until tender when pierced with a fork. Place potatoes on a cutting board. Potatoes will be hot so be careful. Using a metal spatula, gently push on potatoes until they are flattened half way. Press gently or else they may fall apart. Add flattened/smashed potatoes to a cookie sheet with a coating of olive oil. Drizzle more olive oil over the top of the potatoes and salt n pepper. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden and crispy. Add stilton cheese to the tops of each potato and bake in the oven for an additional 5 minutes. Serve on a platter and add scallions. Add a side of sour cream or plain greek yogurt to top.

Food Impressions:

Nate: "Yep, I'm the one who helped smash these babies!"

Tyler: "These are really tasty. Better than french fries!" Tyler had the cheddar and the stilton cheese and loved them both.

Zachary: "I love the crispy parts. And the cheese is super good on them."

Dave: "I think crumbled bacon on the top would add a great layer of flavor. These are delicious."

Andrea: I will make these for an appetizer because they are a real crowd pleaser. The nice thing is that the potatoes can be boiled and smashed ahead of time. And just before a party you could bake in the oven. I think bacon crumbles would be excellent on top too!