Smashed potatoes . . .

[Charles Doyle]

Yesterday the Food Channel's Rachael Ray was discussing "smashed potatoes."  I assumed the phrase was just another of her many annoying cuteisms.

However, the phrase has a whopping 1,090,000 Google hits, in comparison with just 1,400,000 for "mashed potatoes."

Does "smashed" represent a childish misunderstanding or mispronunciation of "mashed"?  I wouldn't have supposed the verb "mash" is any less transparent or intelligible than "smash."

--Charlie

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