Garlic & Herb Smashed Potatoes
Cook Notes
BBQ Used: Kamado Joe Classic II
Cooking Method: Indirect (in Petromax 35cm skillet)
Fuel used: Kamado Joe Big Block Lumpwood Charcoal
Cooking Temperature: 200C
Ingredients
1.5kg Baby Potatoes
Approx 4-5 tbsp Oil
Approx 1 tbsp Fresh Rosemary, chopped
Approx 1 tbsp Fresh thyme
3 cloves Garlic
Salt & Pepper, to season
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
6 rashers Streaky Bacon, Cooked and blitzed
1 cup Breadcrumbs
Method
This recipe was part of a challenge set to me by Marston's Brewery. Their Pedigree Amber Ale is now used in the Pukka Pies Steak and Ale Pie - so they got in touch and asked if I'd like to come up with the ultimate side dish to go along with it.
Add your baby potatoes to a large skillet or roasting tray. Drizzle with the oil of your choice, I went for the Hickory Smoked oil from Broighter Gold. Adjust the measurements to suit your needs. You want all the potatoes to be covered in the oil but not so much that there is oil in the bottom of the skillet.
Next add the 3 garlic cloves ( I left them whole so they roast down with the potatoes), chopped rosemary and thyme then season generously with salt and pepper.
Set your BBQ up for Indirect cooking at a temperature of 200C. For this cook, I used my Kamado Joe Classic II with Kamado Joe Big Block Charcoal.
Place the skillet of roasting tin on the BBQ and roast the potatoes for approximately 1 hour, or until you can push a cocktail stick into them with no resistance. Give them a toss every now and again to stop them burning on the bottom and to keep the flavours mixing together.
While the potatoes are roasting, you can prepare your crumb topping. I cooked off my bacon in my lodge skillet before I placed the potatoes on to cook. I used my Kenwood Triblade blender to make them into a crumb. Mix the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and bacon crumb together and it is ready to go on top of the potatoes.
When you are happy your potatoes are soft all the way through, remove the skillet from the BBQ and smash the potatoes using a potato masher. The aim isn't to make them smooth and creamy like mashed potato, but to leave them a little more rustic with some chunks in there.
Sprinkle the crumb topping over the potatoes and place it back onto the BBQ for a further 20 minutes or so, until the topping has become crisp.
I served these potatoes with the Pukka Pies Steak and Ale Pie and some buttered mushy peas.
