Tender on the inside, golden and crispy on the outside! Serve these scrumptious garlic smashed potatoes with creamy dairy-free basil aioli for a show stealing side dish that's also pretty darn easy to make.
- 1 ½ pounds golden potatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Salt, to taste (I used about ½ teaspoon)
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours, rinsed and drained
- 1 ½ cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ½ cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk, plus more as needed
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Place the potatoes into a large pot and cover them with a few inches of salted water.
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Place the pot over high-heat and bring it to a boil.
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Lower the heat a bit and boil the potatoes until easily pierced with a fork, about 20-25 minutes, depending on their size.
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While the potatoes boil, stir the oil and garlic together in a small bowl.
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Preheat the oven to 425°F and lightly oil a baking sheet.
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When the potatoes are finished boiling, drain them into a colander and let them cool for a few minutes.
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When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, arrange them on the baking sheet.
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Gently flatten each potato by pressing on it once or twice with a potato masher.
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Drizzle each potato with a bit of the garlic-olive oil mixture, and spread the oil around with your spoon or a basting brush.
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Sprinkle the potatoes with salt.
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Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake the potatoes until they brown and crisp around the edges, 20-25 minutes.
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While the potatoes bake, place the cashews, basil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and ¼ cup of milk into the bowl of a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
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Thin the mixture with the other ¼ cup of milk, or more if you like your aioli thinner.
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Taste-test the aioli and adjust any seasonings to your liking.
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Serve the potatoes immediately after they come out of the oven, with the aioli on the side or drizzled on top.
This recipe makes a big batch of aioli. If you have any leftover (you probably will), use it for another batch of potatoes, thin it and use it as a salad dressing, or place it in a sealed container and freeze it for later.