Loaded Smashed Potatoes

If you are looking for a fun and delicious snack, try these loaded smashed potatoes! These are fun to smash and bake. When these potatoes are done baking, they are topped with vegan parmesan, vegan bacon, a little garlic and finished with a dollop of vegan sour cream. Whether you are having a small get-together, super bowl party or just want delicious potatoes, these will hit the spot!

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How to make loaded smashed potatoes

These tiny potatoes are mighty in flavor and so easy to make! The secret to getting the right taste and texture for these potatoes is to select small ones. This allows even baking and the development of those crispy edges that taste so good. With the temperature getting chilly here in New England, this is a great dish to make. Bring on all the fat and carbs!

These potatoes are:

• easy and fun to make
• creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside
• perfect for game day or other parties
• can be topped with whatever you like! (suggestions below)
• dairy-free, vegan and delicious!

Start with tiny potatoes. You can select beige, red or purple potatoes. I like to use all three because it looks so pretty (especially the purple ones!) You want to start with parboiling your potatoes for about 20 minutes. After parboiling, dry well, then slightly smash with a potato smasher. You still want them to keep their shape and have some of the potato’s interior exposed.

What is parboiling?

Parboiling means to partially boil something. In this application, the potatoes are partially cooked just until they are slightly soft. The reason you don’t want them cooked all the way through is that you are going to bake them afterwards. Preparing the potatoes this way creates a creamy smooth interior and a crispy outer texture.

Once smashed, smother with melted vegan butter.

Seriously, get that vegan butter everywhere! Squirt some extra olive oil on the top if you want. Grease it up, that’s what’s going to help create those delicious edges and make these taste so good. Season with salt and pepper.

Then bake on the bottom rack of your oven at 500 for 10 minutes.

How to top off your smashed potatoes

Now it’s time to dress up your potatoes! Top with garlic, vegan parmesan or your favorite vegan cheese, and bake for 10 minutes more on the top rack of the oven. Dollop with some vegan sour cream and warm in the oven for a minute or two. Remove from the oven and top with vegan bacon, tempeh bacon or make this shiitake or maitake bacon recipe. Finish with a sprinkle of chives or scallions if you’d like.

Eat right off the baking sheet, so you can drag the potatoes through the mess. It’s fantastic.

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This week’s discoveries, favorite finds and gratitude!

I’m currently reading First, We Make the Beast Beautiful, by Sarah Wilson (which was suggested to me). It’s about anxiety, which Sarah describes as a disconnection to “Something Else.” What is that? Connection, clarity, the feeling that we “haven’t landed” and behaviors that compensate for that void or leave us grasping for this thing. But it’s also about so, so, so much more. I am loving reading about Sarah’s perspective, and feeling a deep connection to her emotions and experiences.

A New-To-Me Podcast: Being Boss. Even if some of the topics aren’t exactly relevant to my experience or goals, I feel empowered by listening to each episode.

A little gratitude for my plants

Every month I can keep all of my plants alive, I reward myself with a new one. Over the past few months, I brought home a big and small ficus, and a new peace lily. They are all so happy! I read somewhere that plants like to have “plant friends” to thrive. Is this true? I don’t know, but I love having them in each room, and adding more.