Looking for a delicious and easy-to-make side dish that's perfect for any occasion? Try these Smashed Potatoes with Lemon Dill Cream Sauce! Baby potatoes are boiled until tender, coated in salt, and smashed before roasting to a golden crisp. The resulting dish includes fluffy and buttery potatoes with delightfully salty and crispy skin. A creamy and tangy lemon dill cream sauce is drizzled over top, ensuring that this easy side dish becomes the highlight of your dinner!
Jump to:
- Ingredients needed for Smashed Potatoes with Lemon Dill Cream Sauce
- How to Make Smashed Potatoes with Lemon Dill Cream Sauce
- What kind of potatoes are best for smashed potatoes?
- Tips for Perfect Smashed Potatoes
- How to Make Lemon Dill Cream Sauce
- Serving Suggestions for Smashed Potatoes with Lemon Dill Cream Sauce
- A note for special diets
- What tools do I need to make these smashed potatoes?
- Looking for more side dish recipes?
- Smashed Potatoes with Lemon Dill Cream Sauce
Ingredients needed for Smashed Potatoes with Lemon Dill Cream Sauce
- Baby potatoes - I like to use a tri-color of red, gold, and purple but you can use whatever baby potatoes you like best. Fingerling potatoes also work well!
- Unsalted butter
- Sour cream
- Mayonnaise
- Dijon mustard
- Lemon - Just the lemon zest is used so you'll want to have a citrus zester like this one on hand!
- Fresh dill
- Olive oil
- Garlic-infused olive oil - fresh minced garlic or garlic powder can also be used if you prefer!
- Kosher salt
How to Make Smashed Potatoes with Lemon Dill Cream Sauce
Smashed potatoes are cooked twice: First, they're boiled, then they're roasted. Boiling the potatoes first allows the potato to become fully cooked and tender while retaining their fluffy insides. Then, after coating in olive oil and a generous sprinkle of kosher salt, the potatoes are gently smashed with a fork (or potato masher), drizzled with melted butter, and roasted in the oven until their skins are nice and crispy. The 2-step cooking method produces a fluffy and crispy combination that is really the best of both worlds.
What kind of potatoes are best for smashed potatoes?
Baby potatoes are best for smashed potatoes because they can be boiled and roasted whole, which helps ensure that the texture of the inside of the potato stays soft and fluffy and the outside crisp. Larger potatoes will not cook as evenly when boiled whole and slicing a large potato before boiling will not yield the same texture as the skin helps create a barrier to steam the inside of the potato and prevent them from disintegrating.
For this smashed potato recipe I usually use a mix of red, gold, and purple baby potatoes, but feel free to use whatever baby potatoes are easily accessible to you. This recipe also works really well with fingerling potatoes as an alternative.
Tips for Perfect Smashed Potatoes
- Use baby potatoes of a similar size - Potatoes of a similar size will roast and crisp more evenly than those that are oddly sized.
- Gently pat potatoes dry after boiling - After boiling the potatoes I like to gently pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel so they are not water-logged. Water will encourage the potatoes to steam in the oven rather than crisp, and will make it that much harder for olive oil to coat the skins. Be gentle when patting dry or your potato skins are likely to peel off the flesh.
- Coat the potatoes in oil and salt - After the potatoes have been pat dry to remove excess water, I like to lightly coat them in olive oil and then generously sprinkle them with kosher salt -- This is my go-to kosher salt! The olive oil will help the skins crisp and brown better and helps the salt stick to the skins.
- Roast them in one even layer - The smashed potatoes will take up most of the space on a baker's half-sheet pan, but they should all fit in one even layer.
- Use unsalted butter - I prefer to use unsalted butter for drizzling the insides of the smashed potatoes for two reasons. One, because the skins are already generously coated in salt, and second because the lemon dill cream sauce will add additional salt once added to the potatoes. If you feel that the potatoes would benefit from additional salt, I find that it's best to add it to taste once fully assembled.
- Drizzle with a creamy sauce - The lemon dill cream sauce is one of my favorite ways to enjoy smashed potatoes. Other favorite smashed potato recipes are these Buffalo Smashed Potatoes or these Smashed Potatoes with Avocado Chimichurri Sauce.
How to Make Lemon Dill Cream Sauce
The lemon dill cream sauce is creamy, bright, and tangy owing to a balance of creamy mayo and sour cream, Dijon mustard, lemon zest, garlic-infused olive oil, fresh dill, and just a pinch of kosher salt. Simply mix the ingredients together until combined and top your smashed potatoes!
I prefer to use lemon zest rather than lemon juice in this creamy lemon sauce because the natural oils of the peel offer a pure lemon flavor that nicely balances the flavor of the sauce without overpowering it with acidity. Lemon juice, on the other hand, has a sharp acidity that can sometimes overpower a creamy sauce like this. Although most traditional graters come with a fine grating side, I find that a citrus zester makes a world of difference when zesting citrus -- This is a good citrus zester!
Some of my other favorite easy sauce recipes that would be delicious on smashed potatoes:
- Avocado Chimichurri Sauce
- Romesco Sauce
- Buttermilk Jalapeno Ranch Dressing
- Lemon Herb Tartar Sauce
- Special Sauce
- Basil Walnut Pesto
Serving Suggestions for Smashed Potatoes with Lemon Dill Cream Sauce
These Smashed Potatoes with Lemon Dill Cream Sauce pair perfectly as a side dish to main courses such as roasted chicken, steak, or fish -- I particularly love serving these potatoes with roasted salmon! If there happens to be any leftover sauce, I love to drizzle it over roasted veggies like asparagus, broccoli, or Brussels sprouts.
A note for special diets
These Smashed Potatoes with Lemon Dill Cream Sauce are easily enjoyed as a grain-free, gluten-free, and vegetarian dish. If you opt to use garlic-infused olive oil and lactose-free sour cream, they can also be considered friendly for low-FODMAP diets.
What tools do I need to make these smashed potatoes?
- A cutting board
- A chefs knife
- A citrus zester
- A kitchen scale
- Measuring spoons
- A large pot
- A colander
- A clean kitchen towel
- A small bowl
- A regular fork (or potato masher)
- A regular spoon (for mixing and drizzling the sauce)
Are you looking to upgrade your cooking tools or replenish your pantry? Check out my kitchen tools shop page and pantry staples shop page to find my must-have kitchen tools, pantry items, and other Whip & Wander favorites.
Looking for more side dish recipes?
Love this Smashed Potatoes with Lemon Dill Cream Sauce recipe? Here are some more of my favorite easy side dish recipes to make your dinner extra delicious!
- Smashed Potatoes with Avocado Chimichurri Sauce
- Buffalo Smashed Potatoes
- Twice-Baked Colcannon Potatoes
- Creamy Dijon Dill Potato Salad
- Roasted Greek Potatoes with Whipped Feta
- Roasted Cinnamon Garlic Sweet Potatoes
- Charred Broccolini with Lemon, Pine Nuts, and Parmesan
- Za'atar Roasted Carrots with Labneh, Honey, and Pistachios
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Honey Sriracha Sauce
Smashed Potatoes with Lemon Dill Cream Sauce
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Sides
- Method: Oven / Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Looking for a delicious and easy-to-make side dish that's perfect for any occasion? Try these Smashed Potatoes with Lemon Dill Cream Sauce! Baby potatoes are boiled until tender, coated in salt, and smashed before roasting to a golden crisp. The resulting dish includes fluffy and buttery potatoes with delightfully salty and crispy skin. A creamy and tangy lemon dill cream sauce is drizzled over top, ensuring that this easy side dish becomes the highlight of your dinner!
Ingredients
For the smashed potatoes:
- 2 lbs baby potatoes, scrubbed clean (I used tri-color)*
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
For the lemon dill cream sauce:
- 6 tbsp (90 g) sour cream
- 4 tbsp (56 g) mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil (see notes for substitutions)**
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, minced, plus more to garnish if desired
- Zest of 1 lemon, plus more to garnish if desired
- ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- Optional: cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
For the smashed potatoes:
- Add the potatoes to a large pot, cover with water, and set to boil over high heat. Cook the potatoes until they are fork-tender. I find in most cases that this takes around 25 minutes from when you first set the pot to heat.
- While the potatoes boil, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit / 220 degrees Celcius. Line a baker's half-sheet pan with parchment paper and set it to the side.
- Once the potatoes are fork-tender, drain them into a large colander. I like to take a clean kitchen towel and give them a gentle pat dry. Don't worry about getting all the water or drying the potatoes individually! You just want to make sure that the potatoes aren't water-logged so that the oil coats the skins properly and they crisp up better.
- Transfer the potatoes to the sheet pan and give them another pat dry if needed. Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil on top of the potatoes and coat by hand (or gently with a wooden spoon if they are too hot to the touch!). Repeat with 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt, until the potato skins have an oily, grainy texture.
- Using a fork (or a potato masher), gently press down on each potato with the flat portion of the fork tines until the skin breaks and they flatten slightly leaving a crater in the center. Don't worry if some of the potatoes break in half, some of them likely will and they will still be perfectly delicious.
- Drizzle the melted butter over the potatoes, making sure that each crater has butter.
- Roast for 30-40 minutes (depending on size of your potatoes) or until the skins and edges have gone crisp and the lighter-colored potatoes are starting to turn golden.
For the lemon dill cream sauce:
- Combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic-infused olive oil (or olive oil + garlic), Dijon mustard, minced dill, lemon zest, and kosher salt (all of the sauce ingredients) in a small prep bowl. Mix together with a spoon until well combined.
- Once the potatoes have come out of the oven, drizzle them with the sauce. If there's any sauce left over, it's delicious on fish, chicken, veggies, etc.
- Garnish with the optional extra chopped fresh dill, lemon zest, and a few cracks of black pepper if desired.
Notes
Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
4/4/23 This recipe was updated and may no longer fit specified dietary preferences from previous versions of this post.
* I usually use a mix of red, gold, and purple baby potatoes, but feel free to use whatever baby potatoes are easily accessible to you. This recipe also works really well with fingerling potatoes as an alternative.
** Garlic-infused olive oil is a staple in low-fodmap pantries. If it's not easily accessible to you, feel free to swap for an equal 1 tablespoon portion of olive oil plus 1 minced clove of garlic or ¼ teaspoon garlic powder.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 422
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 653 mg
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Carbohydrates: 41 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 48 mg
Maman de sara says
What a great combination of ingredients in that lemon dill cream sauce . These potatoes sound delicious.
Mary says
I can only imagine how great that sauce is on those potatoes! Sounds like an awesome recipe.
Natalie says
Oh wow... that looks and sounds absolutely delicious. I love flavors you combined here. That sauce sounds unbelievable... sooo good! Since I love potatoes and I'm always looking for new ways to enhance them, this recipe is definitely a winner. Saved!
Marisa F. Stewart says
This is one of our favorite ways to make potatoes.They are so easy to make and make such a great side with any entree. I haven't tried your lemon dill cream sauce but I know it would enhance the flavor of the potatoes ten times over. I'm making the sauce next time we have the potatoes.
Whip & Wander says
I hope you love them. The lemon dill cream sauce really makes them shine!
Karyl Henry says
I'm such a carb fiend, and potatoes are probably my favorite! But I've never tried to make smashed potatoes like these. They look fabulous, and I just happen to have some dill that needs to be used up...perfect excuse to make this recipe 🙂
Whip & Wander says
Sounds kismet, Karyl! Potatoes are my favorite carb too!
Jacqueline Debono says
I still haven't made smashed potatoes, which seems crazy considering how popular they have become! This recipe makes me want to go into the kitchen and make them now! That lemon dill cream sauce is calling my name!
Jeannette (Jay Joy) says
These look amazing! Are your purple potatoes sweet potatoes?I wonder how this will go with sweet potatoes. That is most of what we have in the island where I live. Great idea with the 2-step cooking metho!
Whip & Wander says
I think this lemon dill sauce would be lovely on sweet potatoes!
Amanda says
As if smashed potatoes weren't perfect little bites on their own, you went and made them even better with a creamy herb sauce! What a fantastic way to dress up and brighten the dish. I'm sure I could make an entire meal out of these, but what a great little nosh for a weekend snack as well. We would absolutely polish off a pan of these instead of our usual fry fare while watching a game!
Erin @ Platings and Pairings says
I love the sounds of the lemon tahini sauce with dill!!! I've had lemon tahini with basil, but the dill sounds amazing for these smashed potatoes!
jenna says
My community basket this week included way too many potatoes to make the regular old way. So I utilized this recipe and LOVED them. The fresh dill is such a brightener for the potatoes and great for Spring.
Whip & Wander says
Awesome! I'm so glad you liked this recipe. The dill really does pack such a refreshing punch for spring!
Pech says
Ooo I love the texture of smashed potatoes but never thought to whip up a dill sauce like this for them!
Catherine @ To & Fro Fam says
You had me at that first close-up photo! Also, I love smashed potatoes because of the name. Why mash 'em when you can smash 'em? 😉
Trish Bozeman says
I think you're right. Potatoes ARE the perfect food! I'm loving these potatoes with that sauce! Seems kind of like a spin on a baked potato with sour cream and chives. But so so so much better. 🙂
Kate says
I agree potatoes are the perfect food! And the flavors in the sauce sound really delicious together, plus it seems easy to make so I definitely want to try this recipe, thanks!
Kylie | Midwest Foodie says
YUM. YUM. YUM. Crispy, smashed potatoes are my absolute FAVORITE and that creamy lemon dill sauce has my mouth watering. Perfect side dish for Easter!
Carrie | Clean Eating Kitchen says
What an awesome side dish! I would never have thought of adding a sauce - it sounds so delicious and fresh! Can't wait to try this!
Jere Cassidy says
I make smashed potatoes but never add a sauce. Your looks amazing and I love the dill flavor.
Katherine | Love In My Oven says
I love the colour of these potatoes!! And potatoes go so well with dill - this is definitely a keeper! Perfect as an Easter side dish 🙂
Diana says
This is one of my all time favourite recipes. Smashed potatoes are so easy to make and loved by adults and children in our family. I need to try the dill cream sauce!
Tisha says
That dill cream sauce sounds so tasty and such a great addition to the potatoes!