Tangy Salt & Vinegar Smashed Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic
Talk about a burst of flavor! These potatoes never fail to absolutely satisfy the desire of something salty and tangy! Salt and vinegar chips are a wonderful treat, but they are not common in our home because we seriously try to avoid 'snacks' such as these because of obvious reasons...they turn into a meal! Thus the dream of something more vibrant, homemade, and child friendly was created!
Vinegar is a flavor enhancer, use it generously just as you would salt. Pepper on the other hand, will change the flavor of your food, not enhance it.
These smashed potatoes will hit on all cylinders. They produce a mouth watering sensation just from the smell of melted butter, rosemary, roasted garlic, and a healthy dose of vinegar. Top it with a heavy hand of salt and viola, perfection. Some of the finishing touches are a spritz of lemon juice, a sprinkle of chopped cilantro, all served on a bed of whole milk yogurt truly makes this side dish an absolute must at your next meal. Once you start cooking and preparing these babies, you will have no issue of everyone coming back to the table. Enjoy!
Family Table Talk
Here is some fun information about this recipe that can be used to spur on loving and open conversations between family and friends!
What is it?
White Vinegar - acetic acid that is created from grain alcohol being exposed to oxygen and then fermenting!
Salt - NaCl chemical compound of Sodium Chloride. An 'element' of life.
Mushroom - It is the 'fruit' formation from the reproduction of fungi!
What are we? (answers below)
1. How many bones are in the human body? And have you broken any?
2. How many organs are in the human body? Are bones an organ?
3. What is the largest and smallest organ?
4. What do you find most fascinating about the human body and why?
You can find the answers in the 'recipe notes' section. Have fun!!
Tangy Salt & Vinegar Smashed Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic
Servings: 4 Time: 75mins Difficulty: medium
1 1/2 pounds of baby medley potatoes
1 cup white distilled vinegar*
4 cups of water
salt to taste
3-4 tbsp of grapeseed oil
Seasoning
1/2 tsp sea salt, fine
1/2 tsp of rosemary, dried**
1/2 tsp of onion powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 cayenne
pepper to taste
Glaze
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp of butter, unsalted and melted
Additions
vinegar for brushing
flaked salt for serving
whole milk yogurt for serving***
Fill a small pot with water, vinegar, potatoes and a large sprinkle of salt and bring it to a boil. Cook the potatoes until you feel no resistance when checking them with a knife, about 20 minutes. The smell of vinegar will become joyfully intense!
Preheat the oven to 425F degrees and mix together all the spices for seasoning the potatoes. Mince your garlic and combine it with the melted butter, keep warm.
Once potatoes are finished boiling, strain them in a colander and let them cool for 5 minutes.
Place potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Smash each potato with a fork, making sure not to completely crush them. Toss them in grapeseed oil and sprinkle on half the seasoning. Make sure that the potatoes are not touching one another to help with making them crispier in the oven.
Bake for 30 minutes. Flipping the potatoes half way through.
Remove potatoes after 30 minutes and now brush them generously with vinegar and the remaining spices, I like to do this twice to coat them well. Toss the potatoes one last time. Once that is finished, spoon on the melted butter mixed with garlic.
Bake an additional 10 minutes, and serve immediately on a bed of yogurt topped with chopped cilantro, flaked salt, and a wedge of lemon.
*We encourage you to use apple cider vinegar if you desire the smallest hint of sweetness. However, you may need to use more vinegar to get the 'punch' of flavor that you want.
**Using fresh rosemary is a wonderful addition to this recipe. You can use between 1/2 to 1 tbsp of fresh rosemary herbs to replace the 1/2 tsp of dried.
***We never buy sour cream so we always replace it with yogurt. However you can use sour cream, Greek yogurt, cream fraiche, or even Mexican creama.
Family Table Talk Answers
1. There are 206 bones in the human body, the 3 smallest being located in the inner ear.
2. Some say there are 78 organs, others say over 100. There is no absolute definition of what an 'organ' is so there is no clear answer. However, bones are considered an organ, some count the bones as an organ system others just say they all count as 1 organ.
3. Your skin is the largest organ in your body! The smallest organ is the pineal gland, located in the center of your brain and it produces melatonin, as it is a part of your endocrine system.
