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So you’re camping and tired of the same boring baked potatoes wrapped in foil, right? Enter the most satisfying potato technique you’ve ever tried over a campfire.
This Blackstone Smashed Potatoes recipe takes baby potatoes, boils them until tender, smashes them flat, and then crisps them up on a hot griddle or cast iron surface until they’re golden, crunchy, and absolutely irresistible.
This campfire Blackstone Smashed Potatoes recipe is adapted for outdoor cooking and works brilliantly on a camp griddle, large cast iron skillet, or even a Blackstone griddle if you’re fancy enough to haul one camping.
The result?
Crispy edges, fluffy insides, and enough surface area to get maximum crunch and garlic butter flavor. It’s the kind of side dish that people fight over, and honestly, it’s so good it could be the main event.
The best part? You can make these with minimal equipment, basic seasonings, and potatoes that travel well in your cooler.
No fancy ingredients, no complicated techniques, just pure potato perfection cooked over fire while you feel like an outdoor culinary genius.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Let’s talk about why this campfire Blackstone Smashed Potatoes recipe is about to become your go-to camping side dish.
First off, it’s got the perfect texture contrast—crispy, golden, almost hash brown-like edges with fluffy, creamy centers. It’s basically what french fries and mashed potatoes would create if they had a delicious baby.
The smashing technique creates all this surface area that gets crispy and caramelized, which is where all the flavor lives. Regular baked potatoes could never.
Second, these potatoes are insanely versatile. They work as a side dish with literally anything—grilled meat, campfire chili, breakfast sausages, or honestly just eat them on their own with a pile of toppings.
They’re also customizable with different seasonings and toppings, so you can make them garlic-herb, spicy with paprika and cayenne, loaded with cheese and bacon, or keep them simple with just salt and pepper.
The Blackstone Smashed Potatoes recipe is basically a blank canvas for whatever flavor profile you’re craving.
Third, baby potatoes are the perfect camping ingredient. They’re durable, they last forever in a cooler without going bad, they don’t need to be peeled, and they’re already portion-sized.
You’re not trying to manage giant russet potatoes that take an hour to bake. These cook relatively fast and are much easier to work with when you’re cooking outdoors with limited space and equipment.
Fourth, the cooking method is actually pretty foolproof. You boil them until tender (hard to mess up), smash them flat (therapeutic and fun), and then crisp them up on a hot surface (just watch them and flip when golden).
There’s no precise timing that’ll ruin everything, no delicate technique required. If you can boil water and use a spatula, you can make this Blackstone Smashed Potatoes recipe successfully.
Fifth, they look impressive. When you serve up a platter of perfectly crispy smashed potatoes at a campsite, people lose their minds.
It doesn’t look like “camping food”—it looks like restaurant-quality food that someone put actual effort into. But we both know it was actually pretty easy, and that’s the secret we’ll keep between us.
Plus, there’s something deeply satisfying about smashing potatoes. It’s like stress relief you can eat. Highly recommend.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what you need to pack for smashed potato glory:
The Potatoes:
- 2 pounds baby potatoes (red, yellow, or a mix—golf ball sized or smaller work best)
- Alternative: Fingerling potatoes if you want to be fancy
For Boiling:
- Water (enough to cover the potatoes in your pot)
- 2 tablespoons salt (for the boiling water, makes the potatoes taste better)
For Smashing and Crisping:
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter (or a combo of both for maximum flavor)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced, or 1 tablespoon jarred garlic)
- 2 teaspoons salt (flaky sea salt is ideal but regular salt works)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper (freshly cracked if you’re feeling fancy)
- 1 teaspoon paprika (smoked paprika adds extra campfire vibes)
- Optional: Fresh or dried rosemary, thyme, or your favorite herbs
For Topping (all optional but highly encouraged):
- Sour cream (the classic topping)
- Shredded cheddar cheese (because cheese makes everything better)
- Crumbled bacon (pre-cooked, because we’re camping not running a diner)
- Chopped green onions (adds freshness and color)
- Fresh parsley or chives (chopped, for garnish)
- Hot sauce (for the spice enthusiasts)
Equipment You’ll Need:
- Large pot with lid (for boiling the potatoes)
- Camp griddle, large cast iron skillet, or Blackstone griddle (for smashing and crisping)
- Potato masher, spatula, or the bottom of a small pot (for smashing)
- Large spatula (for flipping)
- Tongs (helpful for moving hot potatoes around)
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Get your campfire or camp stove ready for boiling. You need a strong, steady flame to bring a pot of water to a boil. If using a campfire, set up a grate over hot coals.
If using a camp stove, crank it to high heat. This Blackstone Smashed Potatoes recipe starts with properly boiled potatoes, so don’t skip this foundation step.
2. Prep and boil your potatoes. Rinse your baby potatoes to remove any dirt. No need to peel them—the skin adds texture and flavor. Put them in your pot, cover with cold water by about an inch, and add 2 tablespoons of salt.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender. You should be able to easily pierce them with a knife but they shouldn’t be falling apart.
3. Drain the potatoes carefully. Pour the potatoes into a colander or carefully drain the water from the pot (watch out for steam).
Let them sit for a minute to release excess moisture. Drier potatoes = crispier results when you smash and fry them.
This is a crucial step in the Blackstone Smashed Potatoes recipe that people often skip and then wonder why their potatoes aren’t crispy.
4. Prepare your garlic oil or butter mixture. While the potatoes are draining, mix your olive oil or melted butter with minced garlic in a small bowl.
This garlic-infused fat is going to coat your potatoes and make them absolutely delicious. If you’re using dried herbs, add them to this mixture now so they bloom in the fat.
5. Heat your griddle or skillet over the fire. Get your cooking surface screaming hot over medium-high heat. If you’re using a cast iron skillet, let it preheat for 3-4 minutes.
If using a griddle or Blackstone, get it to about 400°F if you have a temp gun, or just hot enough that water droplets dance and evaporate immediately. The hotter your surface, the better your crispy edges will be.
6. Oil your cooking surface generously. Add about half of your garlic oil mixture to the hot griddle or skillet. You want enough fat to coat the entire cooking surface—don’t be shy here.
The oil is what creates those crispy, golden edges we’re after. Spread it around with a spatula or brush.
7. Place potatoes on the hot surface and smash them. Working in batches if necessary (don’t overcrowd), place your boiled potatoes on the oiled surface spacing them about 2 inches apart.
Now comes the fun part: take your spatula or potato masher, the bottom of a small pot, or a sturdy spatula and firmly press down on each potato to flatten it to about 1/2 inch thick.
You want to smash them enough that they crack open and create lots of irregular edges (that’s where the crispiness happens), but not so much that they completely fall apart.
8. Drizzle with more garlic oil and season. Brush or drizzle the remaining garlic oil mixture over the tops of your smashed potatoes. Immediately season generously with salt, pepper, and paprika.
Don’t be timid with the seasoning—potatoes need a lot of salt to taste good. This is your moment to make this Blackstone Smashed Potatoes recipe your own with whatever seasonings you love.
9. Let them crisp up without moving them. This is the hardest part: resist the urge to mess with them. Let the potatoes cook undisturbed for 5-7 minutes.
You want the bottoms to develop a deep golden-brown crust with crispy edges. If you move them too soon, you’ll interrupt the crisping process and they’ll stick. You’ll know they’re ready to flip when the edges are visibly golden and crispy.
10. The crucial flip. Use a sturdy spatula to carefully flip each smashed potato. They should release from the surface easily if they’re properly crisped. If they’re sticking, give them another minute.
Cook the second side for another 5-7 minutes until equally golden and crispy. You can press down on them gently with your spatula to maximize surface contact with the hot griddle.
11. Manage your heat throughout the process. If your campfire is running too hot and the potatoes are burning before they crisp, move your griddle to a cooler spot or raise it higher above the coals.
If they’re taking forever to brown, move closer to the heat source. Campfire cooking requires active heat management, and that’s part of what makes you feel like a cooking wizard when you nail it.
12. Work in batches if needed. Depending on the size of your cooking surface, you might need to cook these in two or three batches.
That’s totally fine—keep finished batches warm by wrapping them in foil and placing them at the edge of the fire where it’s warm but not hot.
The beauty of this Blackstone Smashed Potatoes recipe is that they stay delicious even if they sit for a few minutes.
13. Optional: Add cheese for the last minute. If you’re making loaded smashed potatoes, sprinkle shredded cheese over the potatoes during the last minute of cooking on the second side.
Cover with a lid or piece of foil to help the cheese melt. This takes them from great to absolutely phenomenal.
14. Top and serve immediately. Transfer your crispy smashed potatoes to a serving plate or platter. Top with your choice of sour cream, bacon bits, green onions, fresh herbs, or any combination thereof.
Serve them while they’re hot and crispy for maximum impact. These are best eaten fresh, though honestly they’re still pretty great even after they cool down a bit.
15. Alternative pie iron method. If you want individual portions and have pie irons, you can actually make mini versions.
Place a small boiled potato in the pie iron, smash it gently, brush with garlic butter, season, and cook directly in the coals for 3-4 minutes per side. It’s a fun variation and kids love making their own.
Pro tips for perfect smashed potatoes: Choose potatoes that are all roughly the same size so they cook evenly during boiling. Don’t skip the salted boiling water—it seasons the potatoes from the inside out.
Let the potatoes dry well after draining to ensure maximum crispiness. Use enough oil or butter—you need fat to get crispy edges. Don’t flip too early or they’ll stick and fall apart. Fresh herbs added at the end (after cooking) taste brighter than dried herbs cooked in.
This Blackstone Smashed Potatoes recipe scales easily—just make more batches. You can prep these by boiling the potatoes at home, storing them in the fridge, and then just smashing and crisping them at camp to save time.
For extra flavor, add grated Parmesan cheese in the last minute of cooking along with or instead of cheddar. And remember: the irregular, craggy edges are what get crispy, so don’t worry about making them look perfect when you smash them.
Messy smashing = more crispy surface area = better potatoes.
The magic of this recipe is that it takes humble potatoes and transforms them into something legitimately crave-worthy using nothing but heat, fat, and seasoning.
It’s simple cooking at its finest, and it works beautifully over a campfire.