Crispy Smashed Potatoes (garlic parmesan flavor)

Crispy Smashed Potatoes are so fluffy on the inside, golden/crispy on the outside, and smothered in garlic and parmesan cheese!  The perfect family-pleasing side dish to serve with dinner.

This Crispy Smashed Potatoes recipe is one of those recipes we have with so many of our family dinners.  We also love easy side dish recipes like my Roasted Mushrooms and Crockpot Mashed Potatoes.  This is one of my Side Dishes recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!

SMASHED POTATOES

I don’t know about you, but when I’m planning meals for the family, I seem to always forget a side dish!  The main dish is always the focus, so I tend to think about that and not the side.

But once we tried these crispy smashed potatoes… we were HOOKED!  This is a side dish that I’ll literally plan the whole meal around.

Perfect alongside some meatloaf or pork chops, they’re amazingly flavorful, crispy and fun to make.

The texture of these smashed potatoes is out of this world.  Perfectly crispy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside.  And to top it all off, the garlic Parmesan topping will have you coming back for seconds… or thirds!

HOW TO MAKE CRISPY SMASHED POTATOES

1. Boil potatoes. Using salted water makes sure to flavor the potatoes from the inside out. Just boil the potatoes until fork tender and set aside to dry.
2. Smash. When smashing the potatoes, don’t worry if they fall apart a bit… they’re supposed to look plenty rustic.  
3. Season. Drizzling the melted garlic butter over the potatoes adds amazing flavor, but don’t forget to sprinkle with salt and pepper, then add the cheese!
4. Bake.  Baking at 450°F ensures a nice, crispy potato!

ADDITIONAL COOKING TIPS

• THE POTATOES – in order for the potatoes to all turn out evenly crispy, you’ll want them to be on the smallish side – about 1 1/2″ in diameter.  I always buy baby potatoes for this reason.  I also don’t recommend using Russets for this, as they’re too starchy and tend to fall apart during the smashing process.
• THE SMASH – you want to give the potatoes a good smashing, but don’t smash them all the way through.  You’re looking for the smashed potatoes to be about 1/2″ thick.  Sometimes I use the bottom of a glass, and others I use a potato masher.

VARIATIONS OF THIS RECIPE

• POTATOES – I normally use yukon gold potatoes for this recipe, but red skin potatoes work really well too.  The golds and reds are waxier potatoes that hold up better to the smash process.
• EXTRA CRISPY – for maximum crispness, get some of the melted butter underneath the potatoes too, and flip them over halfway through cooking.  Just be careful when you flip, so the don’t completely fall apart.  Also, if you’re planning to do this, don’t add the Parmesan cheese until after they’ve baked.
• HERBS – just because I used fresh thyme in this recipe, that doesn’t mean you can’t use some fresh rosemary, or utilize your spice rack and use some dried herbs.  Just remember that dried herbs are more potent, so use less than if you were using fresh!
• FAT – butter is great, but you know what’s even better?  Bacon grease!  I love to use either all bacon grease, or a mixture of part butter and part grease.  Amazing flavor!
• CHEESE – feel free to switch up the cheese you use, or even omit it altogether!
• LOADED – it’s like potato skins, but in a fun, bite-sized version!  Try these baked with some shredded cheddar and crumbled bacon, then topped with a dollop of sour cream and some green onions!

MAKING SMASHED POTATOES AHEAD OF TIME

Besides the amazing flavor and texture, I love that these potatoes can be made partially ahead of time!

I found the potatoes made fresh had the best texture, so I don’t advise making these completely ahead of time and reheating them to serve.

But you can do the busy work… the boiling and smashing the potatoes… up to 1 day ahead of time.  Just let the potatoes cool completely, and store them on the pan, covered with foil, in the refrigerator.

Then to serve all you have to do is top the potatoes with the garlic Parmesan mixture, season, and bake!

STORAGE

Leftovers should be refrigerated in an airtight container and consumed within 4-5 days.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT FOR THIS RECIPE

• Rimmed Baking Sheet – you can use any size baking sheet, but this half sheet pan is really versatile and what I used here.  As a bonus, it’s a 2 pack!

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Crispy Smashed Potatoes

5 from 8 votes

Author: The Chunky Chef

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Calories: 347

Servings: 6 servings

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Crispy Smashed Potatoes are so fluffy on the inside, golden/crispy on the outside, and smothered in garlic and parmesan cheese!

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 lbs. baby Yukon gold potatoes (red potatoes would work as well)
• ▢ 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• ▢ 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
• ▢ 4-5 cloves garlic minced (approximately 2 Tbsp)
• ▢ 2 1/4 tsp kosher salt divided
• ▢ 1/2 tsp black pepper
• ▢ 5 sprigs fresh thyme leaves stripped

Instructions

• Scrub potatoes clean. Bring a large pot of salted water (use 2 tsp kosher salt) to a boil, then addd potatoes and boil about 20 minutes until fork tender. Pat dry. Careful, they will be very HOT.
• While potatoes are boiling, preheat oven to 425°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
• Place boiled potatoes in a single layer on baking sheet. Use the bottom of a glass, or a potato masher to smash each potato.
• Combine melted butter and garlic paste then drizzle over each smashed potato. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp salt, black pepper and fresh thyme over the top. Top with Parmesan cheese.
• Bake for 30 minutes until crispy.

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Nutrition Disclaimer

The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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