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This crispy potato salad combines golden, crunchy smashed baby potatoes with a creamy garlic and dill Greek yogurt sauce. What I love about it is getting those crispy potato edges and the cool, tangy sauce together in one bite.
When I made this, I spread the yogurt sauce across a serving plate and layered the crispy potatoes on top rather than immediately mixing everything together. They were delicious served like that, with their crunchy tops still exposed. At the end, I tossed everything together for more of a classic creamy potato salad. Both ways were lovely, but the layered platter is how I would bring it to the table.
I made the potatoes in both the oven and air fryer, so you’ll find instructions for either method below. Use the oven for a larger batch, or cook them in the air fryer in smaller batches.
For the potatoes on their own, without the yogurt dressing, try my Super Crispy Smashed Potatoes.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Baby potatoes: Small baby or new potatoes work best. Choose similar-sized potatoes so they cook evenly.
- Extra virgin olive oil: For coating the potatoes and helping them crisp, plus a little for the yogurt sauce.
- Greek yogurt: Use thick Greek yogurt, ideally full-fat, for a rich, creamy sauce.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic gives the sauce the best flavor. Grate or finely mince it so it mixes in evenly.
- Fresh dill: Adds freshness and pairs especially well with the potatoes and yogurt. Parsley or mint can be used instead, though the flavor will be different.
- White wine vinegar: Adds tanginess to the yogurt sauce. Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar will also work.
- Salt and black pepper: To season the potatoes and yogurt sauce. Add the pepper to the potatoes after cooking.
See the recipe card below for the full ingredient quantities.
How to make crispy potato salad
1. Boil the potatoes
Scrub the baby potatoes, leaving the skins on. Place them in a large saucepan and cover with cold water by about 1 inch/2–3 cm. Add salt to the water.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for 15–20 minutes once simmering, depending on their size, until a knife slides easily through the center.
The potatoes should be tender enough to smash without much resistance, but not falling apart.
For the oven method, preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C, or 400°F/200°C fan, while the potatoes cook.
2. Drain and steam-dry
Drain the potatoes thoroughly, then spread them out on a baking sheet and leave them to steam-dry for 5–10 minutes, until their surfaces no longer look wet.
3. Smash and season
Using the flat bottom of a sturdy glass or mug, gently press each potato to about ½ inch/1–1.5 cm thick. Keep each potato mostly together, with plenty of cracked edges.
Brush both sides with olive oil, using a spatula to lift them carefully. Make sure the oil reaches the edges and crevices, then season with salt.
4. Crisp in the oven or air fryer
Oven method
Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on a large metal baking sheet, leaving space between them. Use two sheets if necessary rather than crowding them together.
Bake at 425°F/220°C, or 400°F/200°C fan, for approximately 25–35 minutes, until deeply golden and crisp. Check the undersides partway through and carefully flip them if they need more even browning.
Use their color and texture as your guide. Add a few extra minutes if they are still pale or soft around the edges.
Air fryer method
Preheat the air fryer to 400°F/200°C if your model requires it.
Arrange the smashed potatoes in a single layer in the basket without overlapping. Cook in batches as needed.
Air fry for approximately 15–20 minutes per batch, carefully turning halfway through, until golden and crisp. Check toward the end, as the timing will vary with the size of the potatoes and your air fryer.
Season the cooked potatoes with freshly ground black pepper.
5. Make the garlic and dill yogurt sauce
While the potatoes crisp, combine the Greek yogurt, grated garlic, chopped dill, white wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and black pepper in a bowl.
Stir until evenly combined, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Keep the sauce refrigerated until you’re ready to assemble.
6. Assemble and serve
Spread the yogurt sauce across a large serving platter. Arrange the freshly cooked crispy potatoes over the top, then finish with extra dill and an optional drizzle of olive oil.
Serve immediately, with the potatoes sitting on top of the sauce. This was the part I particularly enjoyed when making it: taking a crispy potato with a little of the creamy yogurt underneath.
For a more evenly dressed salad, lightly toss everything together just before eating, as I did at the end. Don’t mix it ahead of time, as the potatoes will soften once coated in the sauce.
My tips for the best crispy potato salad
- Keep the layered serving idea. This is how I served mine first, and I loved the contrast between the crispy potatoes and the creamy base. You can always mix it at the table.
- Use the potato texture as your guide. They need to be tender before smashing and properly golden after crisping. Cooking times are a guide, not a reason to take pale potatoes out of the oven.
- Dry them and give them space. Let the boiled potatoes steam-dry, oil both sides, and avoid overlapping them on the baking sheet or in the air fryer.
- Keep the sauce thick. It should spread over the platter rather than run across it. Thick Greek yogurt works well for this style of serving.
Other sauces to try
I made this version with the garlic and dill yogurt sauce, but here are a few other ways to serve the crispy potatoes.
Authentic Lebanese garlic sauce: For a more intensely garlicky version, try my Lebanese Garlic Sauce (Toum). Use a thin layer underneath the potatoes or serve a little on the side. It’s a richer, stronger sauce than the yogurt dressing, so start with much less rather than replacing it cup for cup.
Basil pesto: Spoon a little Homemade Basil Pesto over the potatoes just before serving for a herby alternative. Again, a few spoonfuls are a better starting point than a whole platter-sized layer.
Traditional tzatziki: Replace the yogurt sauce with my Authentic Tzatziki for a version with cucumber. Follow the draining step in that recipe so the sauce stays thick rather than watery. The sauce in this potato salad is tzatziki-inspired, but doesn’t contain cucumber.
What to serve with it
Serve this crispy potato salad alongside grilled chicken, salmon, kebabs, burgers, or roasted vegetables. It would also make a lovely addition to a mezze-style spread.
Bring the platter to the table just before eating rather than setting it out well ahead of the meal. The freshly crisped potatoes are the part you don’t want to miss.
Make-ahead and storage
To prepare ahead: Make the yogurt sauce up to 2 days ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. You can also boil and smash the potatoes the day before. Refrigerate them promptly in a shallow container, then oil and crisp them shortly before serving. Potatoes cooked from chilled may need a little extra time.
To store leftovers: Refrigerate promptly in an airtight container and use within 3 days, counting any time the components have already spent refrigerated. Keep the potatoes and sauce separate when possible. Don’t leave the assembled salad at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C.
To reheat: Reheat undressed potatoes in the oven or air fryer until hot throughout, reaching 165°F/74°C, then serve with the chilled sauce. Potatoes already mixed with yogurt will remain softer, so don’t expect the same crunch as the freshly assembled salad.
More recipes to try
If you love crispy potatoes and flavorful sauces, here are a few more favorites to try next.
Made this crispy potato salad? Leave a rating and a comment below. I’d love to hear whether you served yours layered or tossed together!
Crispy Smashed Potato Salad
Equipment
- large pot for boiling the potatoes until tender
- Potato masher for gently smashing the potatoes
- Baking sheet for roasting the smashed potatoes until crispy
- Mixing bowls for mixing the sauce
Ingredients
Crispy smashed potatoes
- 1 1/2 pounds baby potatoes about 700 g
- 2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt plus 1 teaspoon for the boiling water
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Garlic and dill yogurt sauce
- 1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt about 350 g
- 2 garlic cloves finely grated or minced
- 3 tablespoons fresh dill finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Optional garnish
- fresh dill
- A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes. Scrub the potatoes and place them in a large saucepan. Cover with cold water by about 1 inch/2–3 cm and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a gentle simmer, and cook for 15–20 minutes once simmering, until a knife slides easily through the center.
- Preheat and dry. For the oven method, preheat to 425°F/220°C, or 400°F/200°C fan, while the potatoes boil. Drain the cooked potatoes thoroughly and spread them out to steam-dry for 5–10 minutes, until their surfaces no longer look wet.
- Smash and season. Gently press each potato with the flat bottom of a sturdy glass or mug until about ½ inch/1–1.5 cm thick. Brush both sides with the olive oil, lifting them carefully with a spatula, and season with the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Cook using either method:Oven: Arrange in a single layer on a large metal baking sheet with space between the potatoes. Bake for 25–35 minutes, until deeply golden and crisp. Check partway through and flip if needed for even browning. Continue cooking a little longer if the edges aren’t crisp.Air fryer: Preheat to 400°F/200°C if required. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer without overlapping and cook for 15–20 minutes per batch, turning carefully halfway through, until golden and crisp.
- Make the sauce. While the potatoes cook, stir together the Greek yogurt, garlic, dill, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then refrigerate until serving.
- Assemble. Season the cooked potatoes with black pepper. Spread the yogurt sauce across a large platter and arrange the crispy potatoes on top. Garnish with extra dill and an optional drizzle of olive oil.
- Serve immediately. Enjoy layered, or lightly toss the potatoes through the sauce just before eating.
Video
Notes
- For maximum crunch: Steam-dry the potatoes, coat both sides with oil, and leave space around them while cooking. Assemble only when ready to serve.
- Alternative sauces: Try a thin layer of Lebanese garlic sauce, a few spoonfuls of basil pesto, or traditional tzatziki instead of the yogurt dressing. Toum and pesto are more concentrated, so don’t substitute them in the same quantity as the yogurt sauce.
- Cooking times: Potato size, thickness, equipment, and crowding all affect timing. Look for deeply golden, crisp edges rather than relying only on the timer.
