I made this loaded potato salad on a lazy night when a burger in a bowl felt too sensible. So I made the worst decision.
The crispy potatoes and seasoned potatoes do the heavy lifting, while beef and potatoes, plus burger toppings, make it wildly unnecessary. No regrets.
It lands somewhere between loaded baked potato salad and ground beef recipes for people who want hearty meals. It disappears fast.
Cripy Big Mac Loaded Smashed Potato Salad
EQUIPMENT (PAID LINKS)
- Sheet pan
- Drinking glass or potato masher
- Serving platter or shallow bowl
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds baby potatoes
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon pickle relish
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 8 ounces ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup chopped dill pickles
- 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
Instructions
- Boil the Potatoes: Add the baby potatoes to a large pot of salted water and boil until fork-tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain them well and let them cool for a few minutes so they are easier to handle.1 1/2 pounds baby potatoes
- Smash the Potatoes: Place the potatoes on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Use the bottom of a drinking glass or a potato masher to gently smash each one until flattened but still mostly holding together.
- Roast Until Crispy: Drizzle the smashed potatoes with olive oil and season with the salt and black pepper. Roast at 425°F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden brown and crispy around the edges.1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Make the Sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, ketchup, yellow mustard, pickle relish, white vinegar, and paprika until smooth and creamy.2/3 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 1 tablespoon yellow mustard, 1 tablespoon pickle relish, 1 teaspoon white vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- Cook the Beef: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a spatula, until browned and fully cooked, about 6 to 8 minutes. Season with the garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and black pepper.8 ounces ground beef, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Assemble the Base: Arrange the crispy smashed potatoes on a serving platter or in a shallow bowl. Spoon the hot ground beef evenly over the potatoes
- Add the Toppings: Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over the hot beef so it softens slightly. Scatter the chopped dill pickles and shredded iceberg lettuce over the top.1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup chopped dill pickles, 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
- Finish with Sauce: Drizzle the burger sauce over everything and serve right away while the potatoes are still crisp.
Big Mac Loaded Smashed Potato Salad: Little Fixes for Maximum Chaos
This is the part where I save you from avoidable nonsense. Because this recipe is easy, but it can still go sideways if you get cocky.
Pick potatoes that can handle the drama
Baby potatoes are the move here because they boil fast, smash well, and crisp up without turning into mashed potato sadness. Yukon Golds also work if you cut them into chunks first, but I would skip russets unless you enjoy potatoes that crumble the second you look at them wrong. Not every potato was built for greatness.
Don’t overboil them like you’ve given up
You want the potatoes fork-tender, not one breath away from soup. If they’re too soft, they’ll stick to the pan, fall apart when smashed, and test your patience for no good reason. I usually drain them and let them sit for a few minutes so the steam can escape. Wet potatoes do not crisp. They just sulk.
Smash gently, not like you’re settling a personal score
Use the bottom of a glass, jar, or mug and press just enough to flatten them. You’re making craggy little platforms for sauce and beef, not potato pavement. Those rough edges are what get extra crispy in the oven, which is really the whole point of showing up.
Give the pan some space
Crowding the potatoes is how you end up with steamed bottoms and disappointment. Use a big sheet pan and leave a little room between them so the heat can actually do its job. If you have to use two pans, use two pans. This is not the moment to be optimistic.
Roast longer if they still look pale and embarrassed
Oven times are always a suggestion dressed up as a fact. If your potatoes are still blond and floppy at 20 minutes, keep going. What you want is deep golden edges and that crisp, almost fried look. A sad potato with sauce on it is still a sad potato.
Use ground beef with enough fat to taste like something
I like 85/15 here because it gives you flavor without turning the whole dish into a grease slick. Super lean beef works, but it can taste a little dry and joyless unless you help it out with extra seasoning. If that’s what you have, use it, but don’t expect applause.
Add the cheese while the beef is hot
This is not a complicated culinary revelation, but it matters. If you add the cheddar after everything has cooled off, it just sits there like shredded office supplies. Sprinkle it over the hot beef so it softens a little and actually joins the party.
Shred the lettuce at the last minute
Iceberg is best here because it stays cold and crunchy and doesn’t try to make this dish feel healthier than it is. I wouldn’t prep it too far ahead unless you enjoy limp lettuce ribbons. Romaine works too, but iceberg gives you that fast-food burger energy that makes the whole thing make sense.
Tweak the sauce without making it weird
If you like it tangier, add a little extra mustard or vinegar. If you want it sweeter, a tiny spoonful of relish does the job. If you only have dill pickle relish instead of sweet, that’s totally fine and honestly sometimes better. The sauce is forgiving, unlike some recipes I could name.
Pickles matter more than people admit
Use dill pickles for that sharp, salty bite that cuts through the richness. Bread and butter pickles will work if that’s all you’ve got, but the whole thing gets sweeter fast. Not bad, just different. I’ve done both, and dill is the one I go back to when I want it to taste less confused.
This is one of those “assemble right before serving” situations
If you build the whole thing too early, the lettuce gets sad, the potatoes lose their crisp edges, and the sauce starts turning everything into a soft pile. You can prep all the parts ahead, though. Roast the potatoes, cook the beef, mix the sauce, chop the pickles, then throw it all together when it’s time to eat. That’s the lazy genius version, and I fully support it.
Leftovers are good, but not exactly glamorous
Store the beef, potatoes, sauce, and lettuce separately if you can. That way you can reheat the potatoes and beef without warming the lettuce into a tragic little ribbon situation. If everything is already mixed together, it will still taste good the next day, just in a more “late-night fridge raid” kind of way.
You can swap the beef if needed
Ground turkey works, ground chicken works, even plant-based meat works if that’s your thing. Just season a little more aggressively because beef brings a lot of flavor on its own. With leaner swaps, I usually add an extra pinch of onion powder, garlic powder, and salt so it doesn’t taste like I’m being punished.
Make it for people who “don’t want a heavy dinner.”
This is one of my favorite fake-light meals because technically there’s lettuce involved, and somehow that changes the mood. It eats like comfort food, looks chaotic in a very appealing way, and disappears fast. Nobody has ever taken one bite and called it restrained.
