Smashed Potatoes With Spicy Lamb
Ingredients
Potatoes:
- 2 lb baby potatoes bag yellow, red, purple or mixed, Boiled
- 1/2 teaspoon salt pink Himalayan or Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese divided in two half cups
Lamb:
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 10 ounces of ground American Lamb
- 1/2 cup onions finally minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt Pink Himalayan or Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder spicy
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 2 Tablespoons parsley and cilantro minced
Toppings:
- 1/4 cup onions finely chopped
- 1/4 cup tomatoes finely chopped
- 1/3 cup cilantro minced
- 1-2 jalapeños sliced or green chillies
- 1/3 cup guacamole homemade or store bought
- chilli flakes optional
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
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Place your boiled potatoes on a baking sheet and use a smasher to smash each potato flat. You don’t want to break the potatoes apart, you want to smash then flat only, but each potato should remain one piece. It doesn’t have to look perfect, in-fact it’s best when it looks rustic.
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Season the potatoes with salt and pepper and drizzle the olive oil evenly over the potatoes. Sprinkle half a cup of cheese over the potatoes, so about a heaping teaspoon over each.
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Bake the potatoes for 20 minutes until crispy and the cheese has melted.
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In the meantime, prepare the spicy lamb mixture. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat over a skillet.
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Add the onions, garlic and lamb. Season the lamb with all the spices (don’t add the fresh herbs) and start breaking the lamb. Sauté the lamb with the spices, garlic and onions until it cooks and crumbles.
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Once the lamb is read (about 6 minutes later), add in the fresh herbs, mix them in the lamb mixture and turn off the heat.
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As soon as the potatoes are ready out of the oven, start dividing the lamb mixture over the cheesy potatoes. About half a tablespoon per potato is what you should aim for.
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Divide the remaining amount of cheese between the potatoes and tope the lamb mixture with the shredded cheese.
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Place the baking sheet bake in to the oven for 8-10 minutes until the cheese has melted and the potatoes are extra crispy.
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In the meantime, have all your toppings ready.
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Once the potatoes are out of the oven, start piling the toppings and enjoy right away!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Start with baby potatoes.
Boiling the potatoes giver you a pillowy smooth interior to the potatoes.
When you boil the potatoes, salt the water to flavor the potatoes, the same way you were to cook pasta.
When smashing the potatoes, make sure you don’t break the potato. It has to remain one piece. The tops have to be broken up so you can have space for the toppings.
Seasoning the potatoes is very personal. I used salt and pepper to allow the lamb and toppings to shine, however you can season with chilli spice, cumin and your favorite spices.
Choose the type of cheese you like, any type works great.
Don’t skimp on the lamb—it’s the base of an incredible smashed potatoes recipe versus a bland smashed potato.
Make this recipe in advance by preparing the lamb, potatoes and leave the toppings only during serving.
Keep the ready cheesy potatoes in the fridge for up to 3 days, and reheat in the oven until warm and cheese has melted again, then top with your toppings and serve.