A Drizzle Of Chili Oil Is The Spicy Kick Your Smashed Potatoes Need
If you're unfamiliar, smashed potatoes are Yukon gold potatoes that have been boiled whole and then, well, smashed before baking. In their flattened form, the potatoes come out of the oven nice and crispy on the outside, with a soft and creamy middle. Tasting Table has a simple recipe for crispy-edged smashed potatoes to get you started with this type of potato dish. After you've mastered the recipe, you may be looking for some ways to spice up the smashed potatoes — this is where chili oil comes in.
Chili oil is a blend of oil (typically vegetable oil), chili flakes, and spices. It's the perfect way to bring some heat to the dense starchiness of smashed potatoes. Plus, with the potatoes having crispy exteriors, adding some spice will be reminiscent of eating your favorite flavor of spicy potato chips — only better because the whole recipe is homemade to just your liking.
After the smashed potatoes come out of the oven, you can simply drizzle the chili oil over the top, perhaps replacing the dill (or combining the two, if that's your preference). Or, you can present the chili oil in a bowl to dip your smashed potatoes into to give yourself more control over exactly how much oil goes into each bite.
Other potato dishes to pair with chili oil
After you've tried the smashed potatoes drizzled with chili oil, you'll be ready to try out just about any potato and chili oil pairing. Firstly, you can start simple with a baked potato. Baked potatoes are typically served with butter, and you might as well add some heat to it by drizzling chili oil over the top to complement the butter's creaminess.
Speaking of creamy, a straightforward mashed potato recipe could also use some spice. You can try blending a small amount of chili oil directly into the potatoes as you stir them to your desired creaminess level — the chili oil will add a nice kick to each bite. Tasting Table also has a recipe for Spanish-style potatoes, which are kept in their round shape, making it easy to dip them into a bowl of chili oil for anyone looking for a spicy element.