Grill marks, charred flavor, and weekends in the sun. Can you say hellllloooo Spring?! I’ve been scratching the bottom of the fresh food that is in the fridge at this point (COVID problems) and I needed a side dish to go with my dinner. Looking around at what I had on hand, Smashed Potatoes with Charred Scallion Chimichurri seemed to be my best option for a spring side dish.
A quick grill of scallions lends a great smoky flavor to the Chimichurri Sauce and roasting the potatoes at high heat gives them a great crunch and crust. Pair with steak, chicken, veggies, or add an egg and have it for breakfast, you will not be disappointed. Plus, who doesn’t like smashing things, especially these days!
If you’ve never had smashed potatoes before, you are in for quite a treat. It’s pretty much the best kind of potato side dish you could ever have – fluffy on the inside yet incredibly crisp on the outside. Couple that with some garlic scallion and herby chimichurri sauce and it is absolute perfection. It’s so good, you’ll want to devour it all without a main dish!
Chimichurri is an uncooked sauce used both in cooking and as a table condiment for grilled meat. It originated in Argentina and Uruguay, and comes in a green and a red version. It is made of finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano and red wine vinegar.
I took the base of that recipe and mixed it up a bit for these Smashed Potatoes with Charred Scallion Chimichurri. I charred some scallions first, then blended them into the sauce and added a bit of red pepper flakes for spice.
THE CLASSIC CHIMICHURRI RECIPE
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 3–4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or finely chopped
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more
- ½ cup finely chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 Tbsp. finely chopped oregano
- ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Combine shallot, red pepper flakes, garlic, vinegar, and 1 tsp. salt in a medium bowl. Let sit 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro, parsley, and oregano. Using a fork, whisk in oil.
TO USE AS A MARINADE: Transfer ½ cup chimichurri to a small bowl; season meat with salt and reserve as sauce. Place meat in a glass, stainless-steel, or ceramic dish. Toss with remaining chimichurri. Cover and chill at least 3 hours or up to overnight. Remove meat from marinade, pat dry, and grill. Spoon reserved chimichurri over grilled meat.
If you enjoy this recipe, you will love these other recipes as well!
- Roasted Summer Vegetable Herb Bean Salad and Buttermilk Chicken
- Summer Succotash Salad
- Fresh Corn and Zucchini Salad
- Citrus Fennel Burrata Salad
- Green Bean and Potato Salad
Smashed Potatoes with Charred Scallion Chimichurri
Smashed Potatoes with Charred Scallion Chimichurri. A quick grill of scallions lends a great smoky flavor to the Chimichurri Sauce and roasting the potatoes at high heat gives them a great crunch and crust. Pair with steak, chicken, veggies, or add an egg and have it for breakfast, you will not be disappointed.
Ingredients
- 24 ounces Dutch yellow baby potatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, smashed (divided into two)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 bunch scallions, cleaned and ends cut off
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more
- ¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
- In a large pot of boiling water, cook potatoes until tender, about 15-20 minutes; drain well.
- Place potatoes onto the prepared baking sheet. Using a potato masher, the bottom of a cup, or a fork, carefully smash the potatoes until flattened but still in one piece. Top with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Place into oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.
- As the potatoes cook, make the chimichurri sauce. Lightly toss the scallions with EVOO, Salt and pepper. Grill on a HOT grill, or grill pan, until you see some charred action (3-5 minutes).
- Blend the remaining ingredients in a blender, and set aside. You can also dice the ingredients and mix in a bowl (to keep it chunky)
- Top the potatoes with the chimichurri sauce ASAP to have it all melt together. Enjoy licking the plate 🙂 Serve immediately.
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The Cook Nook 