There’s something incredibly satisfying about a potato that shatters into crisp, golden, salty edges in the oven. These Australian-style Crash Potatoes hit that sweet spot between rustic comfort food and honest-to-goodness flavor. They’re ridiculously simple, wildly adaptable, and pair perfectly with just about anything you throw in an oven or air fryer.
If you’re looking for a complete meal pairing, these potatoes are fantastic next to Air Fryer Schnitzel, giving you that classic crispy pub-style combo without much effort — especially great for RV cooking.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Crispy edges with a soft, fluffy center
- Uses simple ingredients you probably already have on board
- Perfect for RV cooking — no complicated prep
- Easy to customize with herbs, spices, or cheese
- Pairs beautifully with lighter mains like Air Fryer Schnitzel
Recommended Tools
- Sheet pan or cupcake pan
- Potato masher (or the bottom of a sturdy mug)
- Large pot
- Olive oil sprayer or brush
Ingredients
- 12 whole new potatoes (or any small round potatoes)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- Rosemary or other herbs of your choice
- Finely grated Parmesan
Directions
- Heat the oven to 450°F.
A hot oven is key to getting those crispy edges. - Boil the potatoes.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until fork-tender. - Prep your pan.
Drizzle olive oil generously over a sheet pan. - Place the potatoes.
Arrange the cooked potatoes on the pan, leaving space between each one. - Smash each potato.
Use a potato masher to gently press each potato flat. Rotate the masher 90 degrees and press again to create craggy edges. Push any potato bits stuck to the masher back onto the top. - Drizzle and season.
Drizzle with more olive oil, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, rosemary, and Parmesan. - Bake.
Bake 20–25 minutes until golden brown and sizzling.
What We Learned Making Crash Potatoes
We’ve made these potatoes a couple of times now, and while they tasted absolutely amazing both times, the looks were… let’s just say rustic.
The first time we made them, we used a cupcake pan. Giving each potato its own little space helped keep them from sliding around and made smashing them much easier. They weren’t magazine-cover pretty, but they held their shape well and crisped up nicely.
The second time, we tried making them on a pizza pan, and that’s where things went sideways — literally. The potatoes slid all over the pan when we tried to smash them, making it harder to get that classic crash-potato look. Flavor-wise, they were still outstanding, but visually, they were more happy accident than intentional presentation.
Lesson learned: some form of containment helps. A cupcake pan or rimmed sheet pan makes smashing easier. Even skipping parchment paper can help, since parchment tends to make potatoes slide around more than bare metal.
And honestly? Even when they’re ugly, they’re still dangerously good — especially served alongside Air Fryer Schnitzel.
Crash Potatoes Recipe
Crash Potatoes
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat the oven to 450°F. A hot oven is key to getting those crispy edges.
- Boil the potatoes. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until fork-tender.
- Prep your pan. Drizzle olive oil generously over a sheet pan.
- Place the potatoes. Arrange the cooked potatoes on the pan, leaving space between each one.
- Smash each potato. Use a potato masher to gently press each potato flat. Rotate the masher 90 degrees and press again to create craggy edges. Push any potato bits stuck to the masher back onto the top.
- Drizzle and season. Drizzle with more olive oil, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, rosemary, and Parmesan.
- Bake. Bake 20–25 minutes until golden brown and sizzling.
Notes
Final Thoughts
Crash Potatoes might not always win a beauty contest, but they absolutely deliver where it matters most — flavor. Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and endlessly customizable, they’ve earned a permanent spot in our rotation.
Even when they don’t turn out picture-perfect, they’re still a hit every single time. A little trial and error with the pan you use goes a long way, and once you find what works in your kitchen or RV, these potatoes are almost impossible to mess up.
If you’re looking for an easy side dish that feels different than the usual baked or roasted potatoes, these are worth making again and again — especially paired with Air Fryer Schnitzel.
If you give these Crash Potatoes a try, let us know how they turn out in the comments. Ugly or beautiful, we’re betting they disappear fast.
Other Recipes
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