Random Food of the Week - Smashed Potatoes

I see these a lot on Pinterest and it always looks so yummy so I decided to try it for the Fourth of July. However, the total cooking time usually involved is close to an hour and you have to move oven racks. So I decided to cook it in the microwave and then transfer it to the oven. It worked well and it was easy to smash and it saved time. However, it just tasted like I had smashed a potato. I'm going to have to try the real time intensive pin to see what I'm missing, if anything.