Flattened, crispy potatoes

Are there any new ways of making potatoes? It must be the most experimented-with vegetable in existence, and there aren’t many ways of making them that aren’t good. But I found a new potato-cooking method —I got it from Fine Cooking magazine—that’s I'm going to make again. You boil, smash, then roast red potatoes. They’re crispy/creamy and delicious, but possibly their real appeal is in their funny, rustic look.


Wash some small red-skin potatoes, cover them with water in a pot, add some salt, bring it to a boil and cook them until they’re soft. Take them out of the pot with a slotted spoon one at a time onto dish towels on the counter. Let them dry a little, then cover with another towel and smash each one with the heel of your hand: not enough to mash them, just so the skin breaks and they flatten out. Put them on a cooking sheet. You can put them away at this point, in the fridge if it’s going to be a while.
Pour olive oil around them on the sheet, picking them up so some goes under, and brush some on top. Salt and pepper them. Put in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or so, until they’re crispy. Pile them up on a plate and serve.