Parmesan Smashed Potatoes – The Side Everyone Loves
Need a quick and delicious side dish? Look no further. These easy parmesan smashed potatoes are the perfect blend of crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and loved by all.
With harvesting hundreds of pounds of potatoes every year, I am always on the lookout for new potato recipes to feed our family. We’ve tried several variations of smashed potato recipes over the years, and this recipe for parmesan smashed potatoes is the one we keep coming back to.
In fact, when we harvest potatoes, we’ve started harvesting smaller potatoes that are roughly 1” in diameter into a separate bin from the rest. Then, whenever we want to make smashed potatoes, I can grab from that bin without having to sort through all of our potatoes for the ones that are the right size.
Ingredients in Parmesan Smashed Potatoes
Potatoes – You want to use smaller potatoes, around 1-2” in diameter, to make these smashed potatoes. I’ve made this recipe with several different potato varieties, yellow, red, white, or purple potatoes, and they’ve all been delicious.
Olive Oil – Olive oil is my favorite in this recipe to give it a nice crispy texture, but a different heat-stable cooking oil could work as well. If you are using a solid fat like coconut oil or tallow, it will need to be melted.
Sea Salt – Our favorite is Redmond Real Salt.
Parmesan Cheese – We actually shred our farmhouse cheddar and sprinkle it over these smashed potatoes, which is similar to the taste of parmesan cheese. But you could also swap a different type of cheese.
How to Make Smashed Potatoes
Place the potatoes in a saucepan or stockpot and cover the potatoes completely with water. Add a sprinkle of salt to the water and heat the water over high heat, bringing it to a boil. Cook the potatoes until they are fork tender and remove from heat.
You don’t want to cook the potatoes too long so that they turn into mashed potatoes and fall apart when you go to smash them.
Strain potatoes from the water and dry them.
Drizzle a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Note: You could also use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to line the pan, but I like the extra crispiness that the olive oil gives the bottom of the potatoes.
Place potatoes on the pan and smash them down. The goal here is to smash them so that they stay together but just flatten. I’ve tried several tools to smash potatoes like a fork or potato masher, but my favorite is the large, flat surface of a metal spatula.
After your smashed potatoes cover the pan in a single layer, sprinkle with sea salt and another drizzle of olive oil over the top.
Roast potatoes at 450°F for 20-25 minutes. Depending on how thin or thick you smash them, you may need to cook them for a little bit longer to get them nice and crispy.
Once the potatoes are starting to get crisp, remove them from the oven.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and then pop the pan back into the oven for 5 minutes until the cheese melts.
Let cool for a few minutes before serving because the insides of the potato will hold a lot of heat.
We love serving these smashed potatoes alongside meatloaf or burgers.
Frequently Asked Questions
– What type of potatoes are best to use?
The most popular types of potatoes to use to make smashed potatoes are a yellow potato like Yukon gold or a red potato.
In our experience, there’s really no bad option. The biggest thing is the size of the potato. Look for potatoes that are around 1” (no larger than 2”) in diameter for the ultimate smashed potato.
– Can you make these parmesan smashed potatoes in advance?
Yes! There are a couple of options here.
You can either boil the potatoes in advance and put them in the fridge. Then, when you are ready to cook them, bring them out and smash and roast the potatoes.
The other option is to boil, smash, and roast the potatoes, then store them in the fridge. When you are ready to eat them, sprinkle the cheese on top and warm them for 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted.
Parmesan Smashed Potatoes Recipe
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
– 20-24 Small Potatoes (Roughly 1-2” in Diameter)
– Olive Oil
– Sea Salt
– ½ cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Directions:
1. Boil potatoes in a saucepan over medium-high heat until fork tender (don’t overcook or the potatoes will fall apart when smashed).
2. While potatoes are cooking, preheat oven to 450°F.
3. Once fork tender, remove from heat and dry.
4. Drizzle olive oil over a rimmed baking sheet.
5. Place potatoes one by one on pan and smash down (my favorite tool for this is the large, flat surface of a metal spatula).
6. When all of the potatoes are smashed, sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with olive oil.
7. Place the smashed potatoes in the oven to roast for 20-25 minutes (potatoes that are smashed thinner will need less time than thicker potatoes).
8. Once potatoes are starting to get crispy on the outside, remove from oven.
9. Sprinkle the potatoes with parmesan cheese and return to the oven for 5 minutes until cheese is melted.
10. Wait a few minutes before serving and enjoy!
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More of our favorite Potato Sides:
Parmesan Smashed Potatoes
Need a quick and delicious side dish? Look no further. These easy parmesan smashed potatoes are the perfect blend of crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and loved by all.
Ingredients
- 20-24 Small Potatoes (Roughly 1-2” in Diameter)
- Olive Oil
- Sea Salt
- ½ cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- Boil potatoes in a saucepan over medium-high heat until fork tender (don’t overcook or the potatoes will fall apart when smashed).
- While potatoes are cooking, preheat oven to 450°F.
- Once fork tender, remove from heat and dry.
- Drizzle olive oil over a rimmed baking sheet.
- Place potatoes one by one on pan and smash down (my favorite tool for this is the large, flat surface of a metal spatula).
- When all of the potatoes are smashed, sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with olive oil.
- Place the smashed potatoes in the oven to roast for 20-25 minutes (potatoes that are smashed thinner will need less time than thicker potatoes).
- Once potatoes are starting to get crispy on the outside, remove from oven.
- Sprinkle the potatoes with parmesan cheese and return to the oven for 5 minutes until cheese is melted.
- Wait a few minutes before serving and enjoy!
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