Smashed Potatoes

April 2037. Kai's agroecology paper published—his third from the land's work, covering twelve years of data from the food forest through the demonstration beds. River was cited as co-author on the section documenting his own beds. He received this with the equanimity of a sixteen-year-old who understood the significance without needing to perform about it. He said: I guess my field notes were worth keeping. I said: they were always worth keeping. He said: yeah but now there's a journal that agrees. Fair enough.

Lily called when the paper came out. She said: your land is in three peer-reviewed journals now. I said: Danny's land. She said: Danny's land that you've been farming for fifteen years. I said: same thing. She said the book's fourth printing came out in September and she was working on a second—broader scope, multiple communities, but with the Kenwood land as the central case study throughout. I said: I'll keep doing what I'm doing. She said: I know. That's why it works. That's the whole methodology: do the thing, let the thing be documented, keep doing the thing. The documentation follows the practice, not the other way around.

After Kai’s paper came out and River said what he said—yeah but now there’s a journal that agrees—I didn’t want anything elaborate for dinner. Fifteen years of practice on this land has taught me that the most meaningful things stay close to the ground, and so does the food I reach for when those moments land. Smashed potatoes are what I made: pulled from the same soil the food forest sits in, pressed flat and crisped hard, nothing hidden, nothing performed. Lily’s whole methodology could describe them—do the thing, let the thing be documented, keep doing the thing.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 50 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 lbs small Yukon Gold or baby potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for boiling water
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons fresh chives or parsley, chopped (for serving)
Flaky sea salt, for finishing

Instructions

Boil the potatoes. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until fork-tender, about 20—25 minutes. Drain and let steam dry for 5 minutes.
Preheat the oven. Set oven to 450°F (230°C). Drizzle 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil onto a large rimmed baking sheet and spread evenly.
Smash the potatoes. Arrange the boiled potatoes on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. Use the bottom of a flat glass or a potato masher to firmly press each potato down to about 1/2-inch thickness.
Season and oil. Drizzle the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil over the smashed potatoes. Sprinkle evenly with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.
Roast until crispy. Roast on the top rack of the oven for 25—30 minutes, until edges are deeply golden and crisp. Do not flip—let the bottoms develop a crust undisturbed.
Finish and serve. Remove from oven and immediately finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt and the fresh chives or parsley. Serve hot, directly from the pan.

Nutrition (per serving)

Smashed Potatoes — What Grows From the Ground Deserves to Be Recorded