Microwave jar-cooked smashed potatoes cook in just 12 minutes and can be vacuum-sealed for 15 days in the refrigerator. Like the jar-cooked roasted potatoes or the jar-cooked steamed potatoes, this recipe is really easy to make.
In this case, I was inspired by the original Portuguese smashed potatoes recipe, where the potatoes are crushed with a fist to create cracks before cooking. Don’t worry, you can use a meat mallet to smash the potatoes.
So in this case too, we will cook the whole potatoes in the jar, and the result is truly surprising. In the recipe for Portuguese jar-cooked potatoes, you’ll find instructions to use the microwave’s maximum power—this is not an error. To mimic a baking effect in the jar, there are two basic tips: use maximum power and jars with thin seals that are short and wide. They are called Fete and are made by Weck, the only ones, at this time, that allow us to prevent too much steam from forming in the jar.
Two more essential tips for cooking jar-cooked smashed potatoes: 1) don’t skimp on the oil. It’s the fat that the microwaves will heat intensely and will give us the crust on the cooked potatoes. 2) Choose potatoes of the same size that are new potatoes so they can be cooked with the skin on.
Now, get the jars ready and go make the jar-cooked smashed potatoes!
Also try these jar-cooked potato recipes:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Rest time: 20 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 3
- Cooking methods: Jar Cooking, Microwave
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 327.47 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 31.96 (g) of which sugars 1.51 (g)
- Proteins 3.78 (g)
- Fat 21.95 (g) of which saturated 3.16 (g)of which unsaturated 0.08 (g)
- Fibers 3.83 (g)
- Sodium 399.67 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 200 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Portuguese-style Jar-Cooked Potatoes
- 8 potatoes (new – about 2.3 oz each – total weight 19 oz)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 4 pinches salt
What you need to cook jar-cooked potatoes in the microwave
You can buy suitable jars for microwave jar cooking, already equipped with 4 clamps, on the website Decorazioni dolci, with the discount code WECK10.
- 1 Microwave oven
- 1 Jar low liter with thin seal
- 1 Meat mallet
- 1 Brush
Procedure
Wash and brush the potatoes thoroughly. To avoid water waste in the kitchen, I put them in a basin filled with water. Drain them and dry them well with a clean cloth. Place them on a surface and with a sharp blow, smash them with a meat mallet to create a couple of cracks.
Place the potatoes in the jar and season with the whole garlic clove, rosemary sprig, salt, and pour the oil over them. Clean the edges, close, and clamp the jar.
Place the jar in the microwave and start the cooking for 12 minutes at the power step 1-2 levels higher than tested. I used 800 watts on a scale of 6, to give an idea. After 8 minutes of cooking, you can shake the jar, protecting your hands with a cloth.
At the end of cooking, leave the jar closed to rest for at least 20 minutes. The jar-cooked smashed potatoes will finish cooking, and the vacuum will form in the jar, allowing you to store them for 15 days in the refrigerator. During the rest, and with due caution, you can shake the jar to distribute the seasoning of the smashed potatoes.
Extra tips for cooking whole potatoes in the jar
Extra tips for cooking whole potatoes in the jar
Whole Potatoes Gratinated in the Microwave
If for various reasons you cannot manage to get the potatoes browned, no problem. Place them in a microwave heating tray, set it on a rack, and grill them using the grill function for 4-5 minutes.
How to open the jar of smashed potatoes
Remove the clamps, place the jar in the microwave and run for 3 minutes using the defrost function to acclimate the glass. Then, run for 5-6 minutes at the same power used for cooking. The push from the internal steam will depressurize the jar.
