Crispy smashed fingerling potatoes with a basil pesto / Italian style chimichurri sauce heavy on the garlic and balanced with a fresh squeeze of lemon.
Scrub and rinse the fingerling potatoes well. Transfer to a medium pot, cover with cold water by 2 inches and bring to a boil. Season with a heavy pinch of coarse salt and boil about 12 minutes until cooked through.
Drain the potatoes in a colander and allow them to dry in their own steam.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 450”F.
Oil the bottom of a rimmed baking dish and place the potatoes on top without touching each other. (If you have a cast iron pan this is when you want to use it)
Use a potato masher, flat spatula or a flat bottom glass and gently smash each potato until flattened. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and chili flakes.
Bake the potatoes in the preheated 450”F oven for 25 minutes flipping them halfway using a small spatula.
Prepare the Pesto / Chimichurri
Add the parsley, basil, olive oil, lemon juice and grated garlic (+ nuts if making pesto) to a food processor and using the pulse button process until combined but with a little texture. Add more olive oil as needed. Transfer to a bowl and adjust seasonings with sea salt, chili flakes and more lemon juice. At this point you can even add more garlic if desired.
Drizzle the crispy roasted fingerling potatoes with the pesto / chimichurri sauce and enjoy promptly.
Notes
Pesto vs Chimichurri - technically one contains nuts the other one doesn't. I decided to do a basil parsley garlic fusion without the nuts. You could of course add some pine-nuts or walnuts, use only basil leaves or go a different direction altogether with onion chives, sun dried tomatoes or even a black olive tapenade..
Should I Boil the Potatoes? - Absolutely! In order to achieved a perfectly crisp potato on the outside without drying the center it is mandatory that the potatoes are boiled first. You'll be happy you did!