Crispy Smashed Potato Salad with Feta, Olives & Creamy Lemon Dressing

Crispy smashed potatoes with golden, crispy edges, layered with feta, Kalamata olives, red onion and plenty of fresh herbs. A creamy lemon dressing brings it all together in a generous potato salad made for barbecues, shared lunches and gathering around the table.

Golden, crisp potatoes make a very different kind of potato salad. Rather than being folded through a heavy dressing and left to soften, these are boiled until tender, pressed flat with the base of a drinking glass until their skins split, then roasted until every broken edge turns deeply golden.

They go onto the platter while they are still warm, so the creamy lemon dressing slips into the soft centres while plenty of those crisp edges stay exposed. Salty feta and Kalamata olives give it real character, and red onion, parsley, dill and mint carry freshness through every bite.

It is generous enough for a gathering and uncomplicated enough to sit alongside whatever comes off the barbecue. Crisp edges, creamy dressing, sharp lemon, a handful of herbs and little salty pieces of feta and olive tucked throughout: everything I want from a good potato salad, all on one platter.

Prep: 15 min · Cook: 60 min · Serves: 6 · Cuisine: Mediterranean · Category: Salad

Ingredients

Crispy Smashed Potato Salad

• 1 kg baby potatoes, preferably small waxy potatoes
• 2–3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• ½ small red onion, very thinly sliced
• ½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup fresh dill, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, roughly torn
• 150 g Greek feta, crumbled
• ½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped

Creamy Lemon Dressing

• ½ cup thick Greek yoghurt
• ¼ cup whole-egg mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
• Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
• 1½–2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• ½ tsp honey
• Sea salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper

Method

1. Heat the oven to 220°C fan-forced. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover generously with cold, well-salted water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a steady simmer and cook for 15–20 minutes, or until a small knife slides in easily.
2. Drain the potatoes thoroughly and leave them in the colander to steam dry for 5–10 minutes. The drier the surface, the crisper the edges will be.
3. Drizzle a large oven tray with about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Arrange the potatoes over the tray, leaving a little room between each one. Using the base of a drinking glass, gently press each potato to about 1.5 cm thick, until the skin splits around the edges.
4. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and season generously with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Roast for 30–40 minutes, or until deeply golden and crisp around the edges. There is no need to turn them unless they are colouring unevenly.
5. While the potatoes roast, prepare the Creamy Lemon Dressing.
6. Remove the potatoes from the oven and leave them to stand for around 5 minutes. They should still be warm when the salad is assembled, but not piping hot.
7. Arrange the smashed potatoes over a large shallow serving bowl or platter. Scatter over the red onion, Kalamata olives, parsley, dill and mint.
8. Spoon about two-thirds of the Creamy Lemon Dressing over and around the potatoes, leaving some of the crisp edges exposed. Finish with the crumbled feta and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper, and serve the remaining dressing alongside.
9. Whisk together the Greek yoghurt, mayonnaise, olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic, lemon zest, 1½ tablespoons lemon juice, red wine vinegar and honey until smooth and creamy.
10. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Taste and add the remaining lemon juice if you would like a little more brightness.

Serving Suggestion

On a summer Christmas table, it sits beautifully beside Portuguese Christmas Ham with Madeira Glaze, with a bowl of Australian Christmas Coleslaw for crunch. Through the rest of the warmer months, serve it alongside Charred Peri Peri Roast Chicken or Greek-Style Lamb Loin Chops for an easy dinner. When the barbecue is going for a crowd, it pairs well with Portuguese Style Garlic, Lemon & Paprika Pork Cutlets or Lamb Kofta, and holds its own on a longer table beside Low and Slow Smoked Beef Brisket.

Make Ahead Notes

The dressing can be made a day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. The herbs, olives, feta and onion can also be prepared ahead and refrigerated separately. For the best texture, roast the potatoes close to serving and assemble the salad while they are still warm.

Storage Notes

Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The potatoes will soften once refrigerated with the dressing, so the salad is at its best on the day it is made.

Notes

Small waxy baby potatoes work particularly well here because they hold together when smashed while developing crisp edges in the oven.

Let the potatoes steam dry fully before smashing. Any water left on the surface turns to steam in the oven and softens the edges.

Press the potatoes to about 1.5 cm thick. Flattened too thin, they can break apart or catch before the centres are ready.

Give the potatoes plenty of room on the roasting tray. Crowding traps steam between them and makes it harder to achieve those deeply golden, crisp edges.

Thick Greek yoghurt gives the dressing the best consistency. A thinner yoghurt can make the finished dressing runnier than intended.

The potatoes are best assembled while still warm rather than completely cooled. Warm centres take on some of the creamy dressing while the exposed edges keep their crunch.

If you are cooking for vegetarians, check the feta label. Traditional Greek feta is often made with animal rennet.

The Grace Table Tip

Soak the thinly sliced red onion in a bowl of iced water while the potatoes roast, then drain and pat dry before scattering it over. It keeps all of its crunch but loses the harsh edge, so it sits comfortably alongside the herbs, lemon and feta.

For a lighter dressing, replace the mayonnaise with extra Greek yoghurt and loosen it with a little more olive oil.