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These Parmesan Smashed Potatoes are one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. They’re crispy, cheese-crusted, and infused with browned butter, which just gives life to everything you put it on. I’m using super small potatoes and baking them on a pillow of grated Parmesan. That layer of cheese underneath turns into a crisp golden layer, and more Parmesan goes over the top in the last few minutes. And of course, there’s plenty of garlic and a yummy dipping sauce.
Our family is diverse when it comes to potatoes. We’ve got some who won’t touch mashed potatoes, some who refuse to eat baked potatoes, and some who don’t even want my Garlic Roasted Baby Potatoes. But these parmesan smashed potatoes are one potato dish that my entire family agrees on.
We serve these with Cast Iron Skillet Ribeye Steak, Meatloaf Muffins, and pretty much any grilled or roasted meat. They are the perfect accompaniment for almost everything.
Testing results for parmesan smashed potatoes
- So I rarely buy pre-grated cheese, but the first time I made these potatoes I was under a time crunch and just grabbed some pre-grated Parmesan. Yuck. The cheese didn’t melt properly and just didn’t get crispy like I wanted. You can use pre-grated, but you just won’t get the best results. Freshly grated is what gives you that crisp layer.
- I’ve tried this recipe using larger potatoes, and they stayed dense in the middle after smashing. They tasted fine, but they weren’t crispy. The ones closer to an inch and a half cooked through evenly.
I hope you make this recipe. I think you’ll love it!
Ingredient notes
Here are a few things to know about the ingredients in this recipe.
➡️➡️➡️ The full ingredient amounts and instructions are listed below on the printable recipe card. Scroll below the recipe card for frequently asked questions and tips for success.
Little potatoes: Any small waxy potato works, Yukon Gold or red. Keep them between one and two inches across, the smaller, the better. Smashed little potatoes crisp along the torn edges and stay creamy in the center, and anything much bigger stays dense no matter how long it boils.
Kosher salt: I don’t really measure this; I just dump some in the pot. You want to add at least 1-2 tablespoons to a large pot of water.
Butter: You brown it yourself as the first step of the recipe, so start with a quarter cup of regular unsalted butter. Cooking off the water toasts the milk solids and leaves a nutty flavor the hot potatoes soak right up. Use a light-colored pan if you have one, since you need to be able to see the color.
Parmesan: Grate it yourself from a wedge, on the fine side of a grater or a microplane. Pre-grated Parmesan is coated in starch to keep it loose in the bag, and that starch keeps it from melting into a single sheet.
Mayonnaise: A quarter cup in the dip, alongside the yogurt or sour cream. It keeps the dip thick enough to hold onto a hot potato.
Prepared horseradish: Half a tablespoon. That’s enough to sharpen the dip without turning it into cocktail sauce.
Related 📖 ➡️ Duke’s Mayo vs. Other Mayo: What’s the Difference?
Pin this now to save it for laterHow to make parmesan smashed potatoes
- Boil the potatoes in heavily salted water until a fork slides in without resistance. Drain them and let them sit until the steam stops and the skins look dry.
- While they boil, melt the butter and keep it on the heat past the foaming stage until the milk solids turn golden and smell nutty. Off the heat, stir in the grated garlic, lemon juice, and salt, then toss the hot potatoes through it.
- Spread the seasoned Parmesan across the parchment-lined pan. Press each potato flat and set it down on the cheese.
- Bake until the bottoms have set into a crust, then add the last of the Parmesan over the top and finish in the oven until it browns.
How the Parmesan crust forms
Parmesan spread straight onto parchment behaves differently than Parmesan sprinkled over food. The fat renders out first, then the water cooks off, and the protein and milk solids left behind set into a thin, brittle sheet. That’s what parmesan-crusted smashed potatoes means here. The crust is baked onto the potato rather than just scattered across the top.
Letting the boiled potatoes steam-dry before they hit the pan also protects that crispiness. A wet potato set down on melting Parmesan releases steam into the cheese layer, and the cheese softens instead of crisping.
Variations
- Pecorino instead of Parmesan. Sharper and saltier, so cut the salt in the cheese mixture back to a pinch.
- A little heat. Half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes or a pinch of cayenne stirred into the Parmesan mixture.
- Bacon. Crumble cooked bacon over the potatoes along with the final Parmesan.
Make-ahead and storage
Make ahead. The dip is the part to get out of the way early. Stir it together, cover it, and keep it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. The potatoes are best straight out of the oven, so I like to serve them right away.
Storage. Leftover parmesan smashed potatoes keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Reheating. Use the oven at 400 degrees F or an air fryer, and spread the potatoes in a single layer so the edges can crisp again. Skip the microwave, which turns them soft all the way through.
What to serve with parmesan smashed potatoes
Parmesan smashed potatoes belong next to almost any main with a sear, or anything roasted or grilled. We love these potatoes with Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs and Pork Chops with Caramelized Onions.
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below!
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Parmesan Smashed Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds little potatoes
- 3 quarts water
- 1-2 tablespoons Morton kosher salt
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Dip
- ½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon prepared horseradish
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh chopped chives
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Put 1 1/2 pounds little potatoes in a large pot. Add 3 quarts water and 1-2 tablespoons Morton kosher salt, then set the pot over high heat and bring it to a boil. Cook until a fork slides into a potato without resistance, 5 to 15 minutes depending on size.
- While the potatoes cook, brown 1/4 cup butter. Melt it in a small light-colored saucepan over medium heat and stir every so often. It will foam up, then quiet back down, and the milk solids on the bottom will turn golden brown and smell nutty. Pull the pan off the heat as soon as that happens, since browned butter turns to burned butter fast.
- Pour the browned butter into a medium bowl, scraping in the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in 2 cloves garlic, finely grated, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of the Parmesan with 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. Mix gently.
- Drain the potatoes and leave them in the colander until the steam stops and the surfaces look dry.
- Add the potatoes to the bowl of browned butter and turn them until every one is coated.
- Spread the Parmesan mixture in an even layer over the parchment.
- Set one potato on a plate and press straight down with the bottom of a cup or a measuring cup until it flattens.
- Move it onto the Parmesan and repeat with the rest. Drizzle any butter left in the bowl over the top.
- Add the potatoes to the pan, giving them a little space around each other. (Ignore the photo, as these are way too close together). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. With 5 to 10 minutes left, remove the pan, sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan over the potatoes, and return the pan to the oven until the potatoes are crisp and the cheese on top has browned.
- While the potatoes bake, stir all the dip ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
- Serve the potatoes warm with the dip. Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley over the top if desired.
Notes
- You can stir the dip together ahead of time and keep it covered in the refrigerator until serving.
- Reheat leftovers in a 400 degrees F oven or an air fryer, spread in a single layer, until the edges crisp again. The microwave turns them soft.
Nutrition
Questions and tips
Storage
Leftover parmesan smashed potatoes keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The crust will soften overnight but will crisp up again once you reheat (unless you use the microwave). Reheat in a 400 degree F oven or an air fryer, spread in a single layer, until the edges crisp again.
Four things can contribute to this. Wet potatoes going onto the pan, a crowded pan where the potatoes touch, an oven that is not fully preheated, or pre-grated Parmesan that will not melt into a sheet. Let the drained potatoes steam dry, give each one room on the sheet, and grate the cheese fresh.
No, and I would not. The skin is what holds the potato together when you press it, and the torn edges of the skin are where most of the crisp comes from. Just scrub them well before they go into the pot.
You can get yourself a microplane zester because you will use it all the time! But if you don’t already have one, the finest side of a box grater will do for the Parmesan. For the garlic, a garlic press works, or mince it as finely as you can with a knife and then drag the flat of the blade over it a few times to break it down further.
Yes, but use two sheet pans rather than one. Potatoes crowded against each other will steam and never get crispy. If your oven only fits one pan at a time, bake them in two rounds.
A silicone baking mat works the same way. Skip foil and skip an unlined pan, because the cheese layer welds itself to both and you will lose the crust scraping it off.
You can melt it plain and the recipe still works, but you lose the toasted flavor that stands up to all that Parmesan. It only takes a few extra minutes on the stove while the potatoes boil, and it’s so worth it.
