Trendy Cooks

Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Trendy Cooks

Crispy Smashed Potatoes

These potatoes are all about contrast. Shattering crispy edges giving way to soft, buttery centers. They take minutes to prep, look impressive on the plate, and disappear faster than you can make a second batch.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs baby gold potatoes
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons salted butter, melted
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • Fresh parsley, chopped
  • Flaky sea salt for finishing
  • Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Boil the Potatoes

Add the baby potatoes to a large pot of well-salted water. Bring to a boil, then cook for 15 to 20 minutes until a fork slides through with zero resistance. Drain and let them sit for a minute so surface moisture evaporates.

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Baked Feta Pasta

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Baked Feta Pasta

This is the recipe that broke grocery store feta supplies in 2021 and it still holds up. One block of feta, a pile of cherry tomatoes, and 30 minutes in the oven. The result is an impossibly creamy pasta sauce with zero heavy cream.

Ingredients

  • 1 block (8 oz) feta cheese
  • 2 pints cherry tomatoes
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 10 oz pasta (rigatoni or penne)
  • Fresh basil leaves

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Set Up the Baking Dish

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Scatter cherry tomatoes across a 9x13 baking dish. Place the feta block right in the center. Toss in the smashed garlic cloves around the edges.

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Salmon Rice Bowl

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Salmon Rice Bowl

This is the bowl that broke TikTok and never really went away. Crispy-skinned salmon over seasoned sushi rice with spicy mayo, nori, and avocado. It takes 20 minutes, tastes like it costs $18 at a poke shop, and uses stuff you probably already have.

Ingredients

  • 2 salmon fillets (about 6 oz each), skin on
  • 2 cups cooked sushi rice
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 3 tbsp Kewpie mayo
  • 1 tbsp sriracha
  • 1 sheet roasted nori, crumbled
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 2 green onions, sliced
  • Sesame seeds
  • Salt and pepper

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Cook the Salmon

Pat the fillets dry with a paper towel. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place salmon skin-side down and press gently with a spatula for the first 30 seconds to keep the skin flat. Cook 4 minutes until the skin is crispy, flip, and cook another 3 minutes. Remove from heat and break into rough chunks with a fork.

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Smashed Cucumber Salad

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Smashed Cucumber Salad

This salad has been all over TikTok for a reason. Smashing the cucumbers creates jagged edges that soak up the dressing way better than slicing ever could. Fifteen minutes, no cooking, and it goes with basically everything.

Ingredients

  • 4 Persian cucumbers (or 2 English cucumbers)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp chili crisp (Lao Gan Ma is the classic)
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Smash the Cucumbers

Lay your cucumbers on a cutting board. Press the flat side of a wide knife or cleaver on top and give it a firm whack with your palm. You want them to crack open, not turn to mush. One or two good hits per cucumber.

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Spicy Vodka Rigatoni

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Spicy Vodka Rigatoni

This pasta has been everywhere for a reason. The sauce comes together in the time it takes to boil the noodles, and the combination of tomato paste, vodka, and cream creates something way more complex than the ingredient list suggests. It’s the kind of recipe you make once and then can’t stop making.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb rigatoni
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (more to taste)
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/3 cup vodka
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup pasta water (reserved)
  • 3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano
  • Fresh basil for garnish
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Cook the Rigatoni

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the rigatoni until it’s one minute short of the package directions. Before draining, scoop out a full cup of that starchy pasta water. You’ll need it.

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Korean Corn Dogs

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Korean Corn Dogs

These crispy, cheesy Korean corn dogs have taken over street food stalls and TikTok feeds for good reason. A yeasted batter gives them that signature chewy crunch, and a panko coating adds extra texture you won’t get from a regular corn dog.

Ingredients

  • 6 hot dogs or mozzarella cheese sticks (or half and half)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup rice flour
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp instant yeast
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup warm water
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • Vegetable oil for frying
  • Ketchup and mustard for serving

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Make the Batter

Whisk together the all-purpose flour, rice flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a tall, narrow bowl or large cup. Pour in the warm water and stir until you get a thick, sticky batter. It should be thicker than pancake batter. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for about 30 minutes at room temperature.

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Cottage Cheese Flatbread

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Cottage Cheese Flatbread

This flatbread broke TikTok for good reason. Two main ingredients, no flour, and it comes out of the oven golden and crispy with a soft, almost chewy center. It packs around 15g of protein per serving, which makes it a genuinely useful snack.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cottage cheese (use full-fat for best results)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons shredded parmesan
  • Fresh rosemary or everything bagel seasoning for topping
  • Olive oil for brushing

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Prep the Oven and Pan

Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Don’t skip the parchment, the batter will stick to bare metal.

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Birria Tacos

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Birria Tacos

These tacos are everything. Slow-braised beef in a deeply spiced chile sauce, stuffed into crispy, cheese-lined tortillas, and served with a bowl of rich consomme for dipping. Once you make them at home, you’ll never order them out again.

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into chunks
  • 5 guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
  • 3 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
  • 2 Roma tomatoes
  • 1/2 white onion, quartered
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cloves
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • Salt to taste
  • 12 corn tortillas
  • 2 cups shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese
  • Fresh cilantro, diced onion, and lime for serving

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Toast and Soak the Chiles

Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast the guajillo and ancho chiles for about 1-2 minutes per side until fragrant and slightly puffed. Transfer to a bowl, cover with hot water, and let them soak for 15 minutes until soft.

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Crispy Chili Oil Eggs

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Crispy Chili Oil Eggs

These eggs took over TikTok for a reason. Lacy, crispy whites with runny yolks swimming in spicy, crunchy chili oil. They take five minutes and you will make them every single morning.

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons chili crisp oil
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
  • 1 scallion, thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
  • Flaky salt to taste

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Heat the Oil

Pour the chili crisp oil into a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Wait until the oil shimmers and the chili flakes start to sizzle and pop. This takes about a minute. The sediment in the oil is what gives you those crispy bits, so scoop it in.

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French Onion Meatballs

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French Onion Meatballs

All the flavors of French onion soup, but with meatballs. This one-skillet dinner has been blowing up on TikTok for good reason. Caramelized onions, beefy gravy, melted Gruyere on top. It comes together in under an hour.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef (80/20)
  • 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 1 cup beef broth (or 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon beef base dissolved in water)
  • 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
  • Fresh thyme for garnish

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Make the Meatballs

Combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix until just combined. Don’t overwork the meat or the meatballs will be tough. Roll into 16 even balls.

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