What you need:
2 pounds of small red potatoes (these should be 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter, nothing larger!)
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
Kosher salt and pepper
Start by adjusting the oven racks to the top and lowest positions and heat the oven to 500 degrees.
Arrange potatoes on rimmed baking sheet, pour 3/4 cup water into baking sheet, and wrap tightly with aluminum foil.
Cook on lowest rack until paring knife or skewer slips n and out of potatoes easily. Just poke right through the foil to test. This should take about 25 minutes.
Remove the foil and let cool for 10 minutes. This cooling allows the potatoes to be smashed without crumbling.
If there is any water remaining on the baking sheet, blot dry.
Drizzle 3 tablespoons of oil over the potatoes and roll to coat.
Space potatoes evenly on the baking sheet and either use a potato masher, or, another baking sheet, to flatten the potatoes until they are about 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick.
I prefer the masher as it leaves some great grooves.
Sprinkle with the thyme and season generously with salt and pepper. Then drizzle evenly with the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil.
Roast potatoes on the top rack for 15 minutes.
Transfer potatoes to lowest rack and continue to roast until well browned and the undersides are crisp. This could take as little as 4 minutes or as long as 30 minutes. (The first time I tried it, I went 20 minutes - way, way too long! Got burnt edges. I found 4 minutes was much better timing.)
Fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside!
