Baby potatoes cooked in their skins, gently smashed, then roasted in olive oil until the edges turn golden.
The split skins crackle under your fork, olive oil glistens in the cracks, and a few salt crystals melt into the warm flesh. Batatas a murro are small potatoes cooked in their skins, gently smashed, then oven-roasted until their edges turn golden. The Portuguese name refers to a fist, because a simple press of the hand is all it takes to split them open. They come to the table in their baking dish, alongside fish or grilled meat.
What Are Batatas a Murro ?
These are baby potatoes prepared in two stages. First, they are boiled or steamed whole, with their skins on, then smashed and roasted in the oven. Use a gentle touch : the idea is to split the skins and open up the flesh, not mash the potatoes. Each potato keeps its shape, flattened just enough to expose more surface area to the heat.
The olive oil runs into the cracks, conducts heat, and forms the crust ; salt, added as soon as the potatoes come out of the oven, clings to the hot skins. One serving provides about 197 calories and 38 g of digestible carbohydrates, with 5 g of protein and 6 g of fiber.
A Portuguese Recipe
In Portuguese cooking, these potatoes are a rustic staple : few ingredients, a precise technique, and very high heat. They traditionally accompany salt cod or octopus ร lagareiro, two dishes in which olive oil also takes center stage.
They go just as well with roast chicken, a grilled pork chop, oven-baked fish, or meat seared on the grill. To balance the plate, a crunchy cabbage salad or simply cooked vegetables add freshness. Go easy on the sauce : the crust, oil, and salt already provide plenty of flavor.
The Main Ingredients
For two people, allow 500 g of baby potatoes. The term refers to their small size : small Charlotte or Nicola potatoes work well, as long as they are all roughly the same size so they cook evenly. Choose firm potatoes with no sprouts, wash them, and trim away any damaged spots.
A generous drizzle of oil does the rest. Mild olive oil gives the expected flavor, while avocado oil or high-oleic sunflower oil serves the same purpose with a more neutral flavor. Pour it on generously so it reaches into the cracks.
Finish with a generous sprinkling of pink Himalayan salt or Celtic sea salt. For a variation, a tablespoon of chili flakes adds gentle, lingering heat, and two sprigs of rosemary infuse the oil with flavor.
Technique and Serving Tips
Boil or steam the baby potatoes for about 20 minutes, until the tip of a knife slides in without resistance, and preheat the oven to 240 ยฐC. Drain them thoroughly, arrange them in a single layer in the baking dish, then gently smash them with your fist, thumb, the back of a spoon, or the bottom of a shot glass. Pressing too hard breaks them into pieces that dry out in the oven. Drizzle generously with oil and roast for half an hour, until the edges are golden and the skins are crisp.
Salt the potatoes as soon as they come out of the oven and serve immediately, when the contrast between the crust and the flesh is at its best. Leftovers keep for up to four days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. About ten minutes in a 200 ยฐC oven will crisp them up again ; the microwave softens the crust.
Ingredients
- 0.5 kilogram baby potatoes
- a generous drizzle avocado oil, mild olive oil or high-oleic sunflower oil
- Salt Himalayan pink salt or Celtic sea salt
Variation
- 1 tablespoon chili flakes
- 2 sprigs rosemary
Instructions
- Make sure your baby potatoes have no sprouts. Wash the potatoes and trim away any damaged spots. Boil or steam them for 20 minutes.0.5 kilogram baby potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 240 degrees Celsius.
- Drain the potatoes and place them in an ovenproof dish. Gently smash them with your fist (murro), your thumb, the back of a spoon or the base of a liqueur glass.
- Drizzle generously with olive oil. Roast for half an hour until they develop a crisp crust.a generous drizzle avocado oil, mild olive oil or high-oleic sunflower oil
- Sprinkle generously with good-quality salt (such as Celtic sea salt).Salt, 1 tablespoon chili flakes, 2 sprigs rosemary
