Crispy Smashed Potatoes With Miso Butter: The Salty, Savoury Side for a Younger Thanksgiving Table

Miso is having a quiet Thanksgiving. USA Today's 4 November report on how Gen Z is rewriting the holiday says chefs and cooks expect gochujang, chili crisp, miso and harissa to turn up in glazes, butters and dressings on classic dishes. The savoury, slightly sweet depth of fermented soybean paste is a natural fit for the plainest thing on the table: the potato.

The technique here is the smashed potato, boiled until tender, flattened and roasted at high heat until the surface fries in its own oil. America's Test Kitchen published a version with miso butter by Nik Sharma on 14 October, which uses small red potatoes, a very hot oven and a miso and chive butter. Ours is an adaptation in metric, with a boil before the roast so the centres stay creamy.

The result is a bit of a contradiction. Edges that crackle like a crisp, a soft middle, and a glossy butter that is salty and faintly sweet at once. They can sit on a Thanksgiving table beside the turkey, or stand alone at a Friendsgiving.

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6 as a side. Total time about 1 hour 15 minutes.

• 1 kg small waxy potatoes, 3 to 5 cm across, scrubbed and unpeeled
• 1 tablespoon fine salt, for the boiling water
• 60 ml olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon flaky salt
• 60 g unsalted butter, softened
• 30 g white (shiro) miso
• 1 small garlic clove, grated
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Method

1. Heat the oven to 230 C (210 C fan) and put two large baking trays in to heat for 10 minutes.
2. Put the potatoes in a large pan of cold water with the fine salt. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until a knife slides in with no resistance.
3. Drain well and leave the potatoes in the colander for 5 minutes so the steam escapes and the skins dry.
4. Mash the butter with the miso, garlic, chives and pepper in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside at room temperature.
5. Pour 2 tablespoons of oil onto each hot tray. Put the potatoes on the trays and press each one flat to about 1.5 cm thick with the bottom of a glass, so the skin splits but the potato holds together.
6. Drizzle the potatoes with the remaining oil and sprinkle with flaky salt and sesame seeds. Roast for 25 minutes, then turn each potato and roast for 10 to 15 minutes more, until deep golden and crisp.
7. Tip the hot potatoes into a large bowl, add the miso butter and toss gently until coated. Serve immediately.

Tips, swaps and make-ahead

Miso is salty, so go easy on seasoning the butter and taste before adding more. Red miso is stronger and darker, so use about 20 g if that is what you have. For a dairy-free version, use a neutral oil and a good vegan butter.