Hot Honey Butter Smashed Potatoes
Tiny, parboiled potatoes that are crushed into a smattering of crispy deliciousness? Sign me up. I am an artist and smashed potatoes are my preferred medium. This hot honey variation, in a lot of ways, speaks to my personality. After boiling the potatoes, you toss them in a mixture of melted butter, honey, hot sauce, and red pepper flakes; then smash them; roast them; and brush them with more spicy butter before serving. They taste like a warm, fiery hug, and I guarantee you’ll eat them all straight off the sheet pan.
A classic hot honey butter is typically made with softened, room-temperature butter, making it the perfect spreadable consistency for cornbread or a fresh batch of biscuits. But here, we’re melting the butter to make a dreamy sauce for the smashed potatoes. Once melted, you’ll stir the honey and hot sauce directly into the saucepan. When it comes to hot sauce, I prefer the RedHot. To me, it has the perfect balance of heat, acidity, and saltiness, and it’s only made more delicious in a buttery, honey-laden sauce. If you don’t have the RedHot or there’s a different hot sauce you prefer, that will certainly work, too.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds baby Yukon gold potatoes (10 to 14)
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives (optional)
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce, such as Frank’s RedHot
- Pinch of red pepper flakes