These crispy, flavor packed smashed potatoes prove that the vegan version can be the most delicious! These are intensely crispy and flavorful, roasted with spices and then loaded with Mediterranean style toppings. The creamy, dreamy tahini sauce makes them easy to keep dairy free. A perfect side dish, snack or appetizer that vegans and non vegans alike will delight in.
I know that tasty potato based delights can be synonymous with a lot of non vegan friendly ingredients. Butter, cheese, bacon, sour cream? Well those guys aren’t invited today, and we don’t miss them.
We have so many other delicious things going on here.
Our potatoes are roasted with spices! Smoked paprika and fennel seeds which give them incredible umami flavor. A drizzle of lemon juice to brighten them up. Olives, sundried tomatoes, and chives add pops of Mediterranean goodness. A creamy Tahini sauce which feels soooo luxurious.
I mean look at that. You know they’re tasty.
What are Smashed Potatoes?
For the uninitiated, smashed potatoes are roasted potatoes that have been… smashed. Beaten up a little. Smushed. Roughed up.
The benefits to this are that you get increased surface area for roasting, and more distinction in texture. You get crispy skins, plus some crispy exposed bits, but always soft fluffy middles.
As you can see, my weapon of choice is a Gu Pud ramekin. If you know, you know.
The Tahini Sauce
Tahini is a really nice ingredient in dairy free recipes because it addresses both the creaminess you might have missed from something like sour cream AND the umami you might have missed from cheese. It ties in perfectly with the other Mediterranean ingredients we have going on here.
Making your own sauce might make this recipe sound like more effort than it is, but not to worry, this is a 3 ingredient delight. Tahini + Lemon Juice + Maple or Golden Syrup. That’s all! You just whisk it together, thin it out with water, and drizzle away.
You’ll drizzle some of the sauce, but there’s more left for dipping too.
How to serve smashed potatoes
They’d make a fantastic side dish to my Vegan Sausage Casserole or alongside my Vegan Caesar Salad.
These would be a delicious addition to a non traditional mezze style meal, with lots of roasted veggies, hummus, rice, etc.
Or would add a twist to a more traditional meal, served for example with some vegan sausages or roasted portobello mushroom “steaks” and some stir fried greens.
These smashed potatoes don’t travel well, so as delicious as these would be for a potluck or barbecue dish, you’d want to be the host of the event. If they aren’t served immediately, the potatoes will sit out too long and lose their crisp.
So while I wouldn’t advise making them ahead of time, you could get as far as smashing the boiled potatoes and then save them to roast later on if that helps.
If you need to reheat these, putting them back in the oven is the best way to preserve the texture. It’s fine if there are some toppings and drizzle on when you reheat them. They’ll never be the same second time around, but still tasty.
Vegan Smashed Potatoes with Tahini Sauce
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs (680 g) baby potatoes
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- salt
- 6 sundried tomatoes, sliced
- 10-15 kalamata olives, sliced
Tahini Sauce
- ¼ cup (4 tbsp) tahini
- 1 lemon, divided
- ½ tsp maple syrup or agave nectar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C / 390F
- Boil the potatoes (whole, with the skins on) for 10-12 minutes until they're just tender. A knife should go through them smoothly, but don't leave them any longer than that. Once ready, drain and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Use a heavy glass, bowl or potato masher to press each potato until they smush up a little (a glass ramekin is my favorite tool for this job!) You don't want them to break, but you want them misshapen.
- Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with the spices. Add salt and pepper to taste, then drizzle a tiny bit more oil on top.
- Place in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until browned and crispy.
- While the potatoes are cooking, prepare your tahini sauce by whisking the tahini, the juice of 1/2 of the lemon and the golden syrup in a small bowl. Thin it out by whisking warm water in until it's the desired texture. I like mine thin enough to drizzle, but scoopable is nice too. Taste test – add more syrup if you would prefer a sweeter finish.
- Take out of the oven and squeeze the remaining 1/2 lemon over the potatoes. Drizzle the tahini sauce on top, scatter with the olives, sundried tomatoes and chives.
- Serve.