Once you try crispy smashed potatoes in a salad, there’s no going back. Roasted until golden and crunchy, they bring serious texture and flavor, especially when they’re tossed with creamy tzatziki sauce, crispy bacon, and loads of fresh herbs. It’s light but satisfying, and easy to make. A fabulous crowd-pleasing side that’ll have your guests immediately asking for the recipe.
When I first saw this idea doing the rounds on social media, I wasn’t convinced. Surely the lovely crispy potatoes you’ve just spent time perfecting would immediately go soggy once tossed in the dressing? But surprisingly – they don’t.
This is my twist on the viral smashed potato salad recipe made famous on TikTok. And using tzatziki as the dressing is, in my humble opinion, an absolute game-changer. I’m honestly annoyed it took me this long to try it! It’s the perfect light, zesty dressing here. You’ve got the freshness of the cucumber, zest of the lemon, and creaminess of lovely Greek yogurt. It pairs PERFECTLY with the crispy potatoes and other ingredients in the salad.
Yes, there’s an extra step compared to a regular boiled potato salad, but it’s 100% worth it. Smashing and roasting the potatoes adds a much-needed boost of crunch and contrast, and turns a classic into something a little more special. It’s also lovely warm, cold, or at room temperature, which makes it super versatile for BBQs, potlucks, or whenever you need to bring a plate to a gathering!
If you’re after some more twists on viral salads, try this ‘Marry Me’ chicken crispy rice salad, chicken Caesar pasta salad, or satay crispy rice salad next.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- A crunchy twist on a classic. The crispy, golden potatoes serve up a serious amount of crunch and texture that regular boiled potato salads just don’t have.
- Light, zesty (but still creamy) dressing. Using a creamy tzatziki yogurt-based dressing keeps things fresh and light, with no mayo in sight.
- Fabulous warm or cold. Serve it up as the potatoes come out of the oven, or after being stored in the fridge, making it brilliant for BBQs and potlucks.
- An absolute crowd-pleaser. This isn’t your regular potato salad – it looks impressive, tastes gorgeous, and always gets people asking for the recipe!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Baby potatoes. You want them to be reasonably small and uniform if possible, but don’t worry too much if they’re a bit mixed in size (you can cut them in half).
- Tzatziki. Store-bought is totally fine for speed, but homemade is truly so easy and much fresher. All you need is thick Greek yogurt, cucumber, lemon, garlic and salt. Use coconut yogurt or another plant-based yogurt for a vegan version.
- Scallions. I prefer these over raw onions because they’re milder and won’t overpower the salad. If you don’t mind raw onion, though, diced red onion is a good swap.
- Bacon. There’s nothing quite like crunchy, salty little bites of crispy bacon throughout a salad, but you can leave the bacon out for a vegetarian version. Or, use smoky chorizo to switch things up.
- Pickled jalapeños. These add a lovely spicy, vinegary flavor to the salad, which helps to balance the creamy dressing. We’re not using a lot, so it’s not too spicy, but you could swap in regular dill pickles instead if you prefer.
How to Make the Crispy Smashed Potato Salad
This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make the potato salad – the full ingredients list, with quantities and instructions is in the recipe at the bottom of the page for you.
1. Start by getting your potatoes boiling in a large pot of well-salted water. Once you can pierce your potatoes easily with a fork, drain them.
2. Arrange the potatoes on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, then use the bottom of a glass to flatten – or smash – them into the tray. Drizzle with olive oil and pop into the oven.
3. Make your creamy tzatziki dressing.
4. Cook your bacon and prep the remaining salad ingredients.
5. The potatoes will look super crispy and golden once they’re ready. Don’t worry if they’re a little charred around the edges!
6. Add the crispy potatoes to a large mixing bowl along with the other ingredients, then dollop with the dressing. Toss to combine.
7. Transfer the salad to a serving platter, then sprinkle with extra chives. Serve with the remaining tzatziki dressing on the side.
Crispy Smashed Potato Salad FAQs
You can absolutely play around here! Try adding more fresh herbs like flat-leaf parsley, cilantro (coriander), basil, oregano, or mint, or you could add finely diced red onion. Swap the jalapeños for chopped sundried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, capers, or jarred artichokes. I love throwing in crumbled or cubed feta, too – or you could add easy marinated feta.
This is a lovely one to serve at BBQs, garden parties, or summer meals. It works wonderfully in a spread of salads (try it with something fresh and zingy like this crunchy Asian cabbage slaw or rainbow chopped salad). It’s also great with grilled meat. I love pairing it with miso grilled chicken, honey harissa grilled chicken, charred peanut butter chicken, or juicy lamb koftas.
You can! The salad keeps well for 3 to 4 days in the fridge, and leftovers are just as great cold. If you’re making it for a party or gathering, prep all the elements earlier in the day (or even the day before!) and then combine everything when you’re ready to serve. The tzatziki will keep for up to a week in the fridge.
Watch How to Make the Salad
Like this Recipe? Here are More Easy Salads to Try
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.
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Crispy Smashed Potato Salad with Tzatziki
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
Once you try crispy smashed potatoes in a salad, there’s no going back. Roasted until golden and crunchy, they bring serious texture and flavor, especially when they’re tossed with creamy tzatziki sauce, crispy bacon, and loads of fresh herbs. It’s light but satisfying, and easy to make. A fabulous crowd-pleasing side that’ll have your guests immediately asking for the recipe.
Ingredients
For the salad –
- 2 pounds (1kg) baby potatoes (try to choose small, evenly sized ones)
- Salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 slices bacon
- 4 scallions (spring onions)
- Small bunch of chives
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños
For the tzatziki dressing –
- 1/2 large cucumber
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup thick Greek or Greek-style yogurt
- 1 lemon, juiced and zested
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes. Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C fan). Add the baby potatoes to a large pot, then cover with cold water. Add a big pinch of salt (at least 1 tablespoon), then set over high heat and bring to a boil. Cook for about 12 minutes, until you can easily pierce the potatoes with a fork. Drain the potatoes, then return them to the empty pot.
- Smash the potatoes. Drizzle two baking sheets with olive oil, then arrange the drained potatoes on the trays, leaving a little space between each. Use the bottom of a glass, or a potato masher, to gently press down and ‘smash’ each potato flat (smashing them). Drizzle more olive oil on top, then sprinkle a little salt over each potato.
- Roast the potatoes. Transfer the smashed potatoes to the oven, and roast for 30 minutes, flipping them over halfway through the cooking time. They should be super crispy and golden brown when ready.
- Make the tzatziki dressing. While the potatoes cook, grate your cucumber into a colander set over a bowl. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and toss to combine. Use the back of a spoon to press down on the grated cucumber, squeezing as much liquid as possible into the bowl underneath. Once you think you’ve squeezed most of the water out, in a separate bowl, mix the grated cucumber with the yogurt, crushed garlic, lemon juice, zest, and a good grind of black pepper. Taste, then add a little more salt if needed.
- Prepare the salad ingredients. Cook the bacon in a small pan over medium-high heat until super crispy. Finely chop the pickled jalapeños, scallions, and chives.
- Mix the salad. Once the potatoes are super crispy, you’re ready to mix the salad. Add the crispy potatoes, jalapenos, crispy bacon, scallions, and chives to a large mixing bowl. I like to tear the potatoes into smaller pieces, just so they’re a little easier to eat with a fork. Dollop a couple of heaped spoonfuls of the tzatziki dressing into the bowl, and toss to combine. Add a little more dressing if you like it saucier.
- Serve the salad. Transfer the salad to a serving platter or bowl, and serve with the rest of the tzatziki on the side.
Notes
INGREDIENT NOTES: Skip the bacon to make the salad vegetarian, or use smoky chorizo. Swap the chives for mint, basil, flat-leaf parsley, or cilantro. I recommend making your own tzatziki for the best flavour, but a good store-bought tzatziki will work too.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: The salad keeps well, for about 3 to 4 days in the fridge. It’s great cold, and the potatoes do stay reasonably crispy. If you’re making it for a party, I recommend not mixing the dressing through the salad until you’re ready to serve, just to make sure everything stays super crispy.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: This is a perfect summery side or salad to take to BBQs and garden parties. I love serving it as part of a salad spread – it’s great alongside a crunchy Asian slaw, broccoli crunch salad or rainbow chopped salad. Pair it with grilled meat – miso grilled chicken, juicy lamb koftas or honey harissa chicken is great, or as a side to juicy lamb burgers.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 35
- Category: salads
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 300g
- Calories: 328
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 1005.7mg
- Fat: 18.4g
- Saturated Fat: 5.6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11.8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30.8g
- Fiber: 4.5g
- Protein: 11g
- Cholesterol: 24.7mg
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