Caesar Salad-Style Potatoes Are The Zesty Side You've Been Missing
Potatoes are a comforting, tasty side dish, no matter how they're prepared. Make them mashed, baked, fried, or in a potato salad and they're still a crowd-pleaser. Likewise, there are few salads as iconic as the Caesar salad, which is a combination of romaine lettuce, croutons, parmesan cheese, and creamy Caesar dressing. But, have you ever wondered what would happen if you combined the two by creating a Caesar-style potato dish? There have long been recipes for Caesar salad-inspired potato salad, as detailed in a recipe by Spicy Southern Kitchen that uses Caesar dressing in place of mayo.
However, what if the recipe was served with warm potatoes instead of in a cold dish? In recent months, a recipe that combines potatoes and Caesar salad has swept the internet and although it might sound like an unlikely pairing, if the rave reviews and comments are any indication, the two marry quite well. So what's the skinny on this zesty and, dare we say, trending, side dish?
Smashed, not mashed, potatoes
In early 2022, Instagram user @saratane shared a video detailing how to make Caesar salad smashed potatoes. At the time of this article writing, there are over 50,000 views on the video, and if those views are any indication, then Instagram users are definitely digging this recipe. Before we go further, it's important to note smashed potatoes aren't mashed. According to Recipe Tin Eats, a smashed potato is a small potato that's been boiled, smashed on a baking sheet, then baked. The ultimate draw here is that the outside gets crispy from the oven, while the inside stays creamy.
Now, getting back to the Caesar salad-style potato recipe, fans of the Caesar salad will recognize some of the dish's ingredient list. As outlined in the recipe that appears on Sara Tane's website, the smashed potatoes dish features a medium head of chopped romaine lettuce, Yukon gold potatoes, and a Caesar salad-style dressing made from anchovies, lemon juice, egg yolks, and Dijon mustard. Of course, the best way to really understand the perfection of this side dish is to make it yourself.