Made By Emily
Main Dishes

Crispy Potatoes with Creamy Spinach and Chickpeas

Crispy potatoes with spinach served on a plate, golden and delicious.

Recipe Summary

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Servings: 4
  • Cuisine: Global vegetarian home cooking
  • Course: Main dish or side
  • Calories: ~370 kcal per serving

Ingredients

  • 6 medium-sized potatoes
  • 480 g (16.9 oz) cooked and drained chickpeas
  • 200 g (7.1 oz) fresh spinach
  • 300 g (10.6 oz) cherry tomatoes
  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 200 ml (6.8 fl oz) cream or plant-based cooking cream
  • About 3 tablespoons olive oil (for frying, potatoes, and tomatoes)
  • Zest and juice of ½ organic lemon
  • Salt, to taste
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • Fresh parsley, for serving

Instructions

  1. Wash the potatoes thoroughly and boil them whole in salted water until tender when pierced (about 20-25 minutes).
  2. Drain the potatoes and let them rest briefly to allow some steam to escape—this helps drying for crispiness.
  3. Meanwhile, finely chop the onion and garlic.
  4. Heat about 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the onion until golden brown, around 5-7 minutes.
  5. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant but not burnt.
  6. Add drained chickpeas, stirring occasionally for 3 minutes to warm and slightly brown them.
  7. Pour in the cream or plant-based cream, then gradually stir in fresh spinach. Cook until spinach wilts and the sauce thickens, about 3-4 minutes.
  8. Season the mixture with lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Let it simmer briefly until creamy and aromatic.
  9. Preheat the oven to 220 °C (430 °F) with top and bottom heat.
  10. Arrange boiled potatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and gently flatten each one with a fork or potato masher—be careful not to break them apart.
  11. Brush the potatoes generously with olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper.
  12. Place the potatoes in the oven and bake for 25 minutes, until the edges are golden and crispy.
  13. In the last 15 minutes, put cherry tomatoes into a small ovenproof dish, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and add them to the oven to roast alongside the potatoes.
  14. Once golden and crispy, remove potatoes from the oven.
  15. Serve the crispy smashed potatoes topped with creamy chickpea-spinach filling and juicy roasted cherry tomatoes.
  16. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve immediately for best texture contrast.

Recipe Notes

  • Add the creamy filling just before serving to keep the potatoes crisp rather than soggy.
  • For extra crispiness, dry the boiled potatoes well after draining.
  • You can roast the cherry tomatoes in the same pan as the potatoes if space allows, to streamline cooking.

Nutrition Estimate

Per serving (serves 4):

  • Calories: ~370 kcal
  • Protein: ~12 g
  • Carbohydrates: ~45 g
  • Fat: ~12 g

Values are estimates and may vary by ingredients and portion size.