Getting Smashed - Smashed Potatoes With Reverse-Seared Ribeye

There are meals that feel like a plan… and then there are meals that feel like a small, well-earned rebellion.

This one started with potatoes.

I had been seeing those smashed potatoes everywhere. Golden, craggy, unapologetically crisp. The kind of potato that doesn’t sit politely beside dinner but elbows its way into the center of the plate and says we’re doing this differently tonight.

And once you decide on potatoes like that, you can’t exactly serve them with something timid.

So I didn’t.

There was a three-inch, bone-in ribeye waiting in the refrigerator like a co-conspirator. And a head of broccoli, because even rebellions need a little green to keep things honest.

Extra crispy on the outside. Fluffy on the inside. They taste like French fries, but richer, more buttery, and just a little bit unruly.

Smashed Potatoes (The Ones That Ruin All Other Potatoes)

INGREDIENTS

1.4 lb small potatoes (12–14)

1 tbsp salt

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 tbsp olive oil

3/4 tsp salt (for sprinkling)

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 bone-in ribeye, about 3 inches thick

Kosher salt

High-heat oil (avocado or canola)

2 tbsp butter

4 cloves garlic, smashed

Optional: rosemary sprigs

1 head broccoli, cut into florets

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

METHOD

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add 1 tbsp salt. Add potatoes and cook until soft, 20–30 minutes depending on size. It’s fine if the skins split.

Preheat oven to 390.

Drain potatoes and let sit in the colander for about 5 minutes.

Place potatoes on a piece of parchment on a baking tray. Use the bottom of a glass with a little oil on it to gently flatten, keeping them in one piece. Don’t use a potato masher - it breaks the potato in pieces.

Let potatoes sit on the tray another 5 minutes to steam dry.

Drizzle with melted butter, then olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 45–55 minutes until deep golden and crisp. Do not flip.

Salt the ribeye generously on all sides. Let sit uncovered in the refrigerator for up to 1 hour, or 15–20 minutes at room temperature.

Set oven to 250. Place steak on a rack over a sheet pan and cook until internal temperature reaches 110–115°F for medium-rare or 120°F for medium. For a steak this thick, this takes about 35–50 minutes.

Heat a cast iron skillet until very hot. Add a small amount of oil and sear the steak 1–2 minutes per side, including the edges.

Add butter and smashed garlic. Tilt the pan and baste continuously, spooning the hot butter over the steak until a deep crust forms.

Remove steak onto a carving board and let rest 5–10 minutes before slicing.

     Toss broccoli with olive oil and salt. Roast at 400°F for 15–20 minutes or sauté until tender with slight char.

Slice the steak and serve with smashed potatoes and broccoli, spooning any pan juices over the meat. The potatoes crackle under the fork, all crisp edges and soft centers.

This is the kind of meal where you realize halfway through that nothing on the plate needs improving.

And those potatoes?

They’re not a side anymore.