Fill a medium sized pot with water and bring to a boil.
Carefully slide the potatoes into the pot and boil for 15 minutes, until just fork tender. You don’t want the potatoes to fall apart in the water! They also won’t get as crispy in the oven if you cook them too much at this step.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Prepare the ranch seasoning: combine all the herbs and spices in a small bowl and set aside.
Drain the potatoes and pat dry with a towel. When they’re cool enough to handle, transfer them to the parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and gently smash with a fork, until they’re about ¼-½ inch thick. Drizzle the melted oil over all the potatoes, then sprinkle with 2 Tbsp ranch seasoning. You will have some leftover.
Bake the potatoes for 30 minutes, until crispy. Top with some reserved ranch seasoning (if you like), and maybe some ranch dressing + hot sauce!
Recipe by Dana Monsees Nutrition at https://www.realfoodwithdana.com/zesty-ranch-smashed-potatoes-is-your-salt-real/