Parmesan Garlic Crash Hot Potatoes are crispy, creamy, cheesy and garlicky. Made in one pan and no boiling necessary, they’re the perfect holiday side dish.
Parmesan Garlic Crash Hot Potatoes have been an easy chef trick side dish of mine for years. They’re like french fries but with a ton of extra crispy wedges and a creamy interior. Clients loved them, thought they took forever (between you and me, they’re super easy and just look impressive) and always ended up on menus over and over again.
Parmesan Garlic Crash Hot Potatoes are normally boiled first in super salty water, then smashed onto a pan and crisped up. I used to make them the same way until I realized I was taking up a burner (a large one at that!) on my stovetop only to have to use the oven anyway.
If you’re in the middle of holiday prep the last thing you want is for a recipe to be so high maintenance that it takes up a large pot full of water and then still eats up a half an hour of oven time. 
Instead my method calls for high heat oven roasting! First the cut side is placed down on the sheet and roasted with olive oil until it browns, then the potatoes are flipped, smashed and topped with the rest of the ingredients to cook for the second half of the cook time. PS, if you let your toddler add the oil to the smashed potatoes you may end up with some that get MUCH more olive oil than others (check out the top left one!).
Benefits to my method of cooking these Parmesan Garlic Crash Hot Potatoes:
- No extra pot of water to heat/cook/make a salty mess of/use up precious kitchen space of.
- BOTH sides get browned and crispy with some high heat cooking against the pan, which is important because browned crispy edges = totally delicious.
- With the exception of taking it out halfway to smash and add toppings almost all the time is hands off.
You can also adjust the recipe to your needs. I used large red potatoes so that the centers would be creamy even given the length/high temperature in the oven. If you’re wondering why I didn’t pick smaller red potatoes, the answer is I couldn’t cut them in half to give the cut side long enough to brown before flipping and smashing. 
Using a smaller potato could certainly work if you choose to have a fully crispy potato, more like a cross between a crash hot potato and a potato chip, but you won’t have enough of a creamy center before they look as crisp.
Plus hey, the bigger ones always cost less right? So win win in my book!
Tools used in the Making of this Recipe:
Potato Masher: The classic masher, you’ll breeze past this step in seconds. Alternately a large Metal Serving Fork can be used.
9×13 Sheet Pan: Classic sheet pan, plenty of space for roasting.
Kosher Salt: Completely different than the table salt you’re used to it is perfect for roasting applications without making food too salty.
Microplane Grater: I use this tool for all cheese grating as well as zesting. It will save you on ingredient costs for cheese and makes perfect garnishes. This tool is in HEAVY use in my kitchen.
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Ingredients
- 7 large red potatoes , cut in half
- 6 tablespoons olive oil , divided
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese , I use freshly grated using a Microplane Grater
- Kosher Salt and black pepper to taste
- chopped parsley for garnish if desired
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425 degrees.
- Drizzle sheet pan generously with three tablespoons of olive oil.
- Place potatoes cut side down on sheet pan.
- Roast for 20-25 minutes or until the cut sides are golden brown.
- Flip the potatoes over so the skin side is down.
- Using a potato masher, press down each potato until smashed but not completely flattened.
- The more varied the top is, the more nooks and crannies that can brown in the second half of cooking.
- Brush tops of mashed potatoes with the remaining olive oil.
- In a small bowl mix the garlic and Parmesan cheese then add them to the top of the potatoes.
- Add Kosher Salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste.
- Bake for an additional 20 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped parsley or additional Parmesan cheese if desired.
Nutrition
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awesome and easy
I have made these 3 times now. So fast, so easy and delicious. I served them with sour cream. You can add bacon bits, mozzarella cheese, steamed broccoli-the toppings are unlimited. Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome, Debbie. Glad to know they’re such a hit!
So I have made these three times now: 1) the first time I made exactly as written and they were really good, 2) the second I made exactly as written EXCEPT I added a thin pat of butter on top of the parmesan/garlic mixture before the 2nd bake a they were AMAZING, 3) tonight I made them “potato skin style” so instead of the parmesan/garlic, I topped with cheddar cheese crumbles and bacon bits and still added the pat of butter. Topped with fresh chives when finished and could NOT stop eating them!! Fabulous recipe as either a side or an appetizer! Thanks 🙂
Delicious! Those are some great sounding variations!
Thank you for the recipe Sabrina.
Greetings from Glyfada Greece.
You’re welcome!
Amazing – crispy and creamy.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Sabrina, can you use russets or you on potatoes?
Yes 🙂
I’ve made these several times and we love them. They’re even good cold. But what would be the best way to make these ahead of time and then heat them up again just before dinner. I’m thinking like at Thanksgiving, when the oven is too preoccupied with other meal items to have it cranked up to 425 for the potatoes.
I’m so glad you love them! I would suggest making them ahead of time and then popping them back in to warm back up before serving while your turkey is being carved. That’ll help with the oven shuffle, haha! Happy Thanksgiving!
Is there any way to group a whole meal of recipes together? For instance, my husband would love the bacon -wrapped pork loin and garlic parmesan smash potatoes. Instead of hunting up individual recipes in each category I could put these recipes together as a whole meal. I’m not much of a cook but I am trying to up my game. It would certainly be easier for me to figure out what to cook that way!
Susan, we’re working on implementing changes for the website that will accomplish that exact thing for you in the next month or so! I’m really excited for you guys to see it and play with it!
Hi Sabrina,
It looks like you are using some sort of textured mat in your pan in some of the pictures of the final product. I see that in the video it isn’t used though (so I assume it’s not necessary), what is it, and what is the benefit of using it? Thanks!
I love cooking and just found your site today, loving all the new ideas I’m seeing!! I was in my winter cooking rut…not anymore!
It’s a silpat silicon sheet liner and definitely not necessary but just makes clean up much easier.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the site. 🙂
Hi Sabrina,
I’m in the market for a new sheet pan. The pan in your photos doesn’t look smooth…what brand is it?
Can’t wait to try this recipe!
I love the Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker’s Half Sheet. Here’s a link to the exact one. http://amzn.to/2aX9F3Q
My husbands “favorite fruit” is POTATOES any way, and these look AMAZINGLY YUMMY and EASY- i “MUST” make these ASAP! I’ll let you know what he says after he’s eaten them. Thanks – I’m always looking for easy, yummy sides to make.
Haha, I love it!!
Found this reading through your blog this morning… hmmm.. There are 1/2 dozen new potatoes in a basket on my counter… LUNCH!!!
They were/are delicious… My wife said, “I can do with a side of potatoes only, once in a while.” :O)
(the only thing I added was some sriracha mixed with sour cream… love that on potatoes)
Perfect! Love the addition as well!
These look amazing!
Yum- these look incredible!
Made these tonight for dinner. Can you say “new favorite way to make potatoes”!
I love potatoes but I hate the hassle of making them…but no more. These were so easy and yummy! I used butter instead of oil when I flipped them over.
Yummo!
Those crispy look insanely delicious! I think I hear the potatoes calling out to me to make them asap!
These look perfectly crispy!!
Hahaha. That top left potato. At least they tried to help. 😀 And I love smashed potatoes! These look awesome.
These potatoes look tasty! I love cheesy and garlicky flavors! These are perfect!
We eat smashed potatoes about 2 or 3 times a week. They’re so good. I love this version. I’d eat the whole dish of them all by myself. Your photos are gorgeous.
Thanks, Kim!
Awesome! You had me at, “like french fries…” and “garlicky!” These look scrumptious. Love how easy they are to make!
Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside?! I’d choose these potatoes over fries and mashed potatoes, any day!
Yes, pleeeeease!! Those look absolutely perfect, I’m drooling over here!
What a great side dish! I know the Parmesan garlic flavor would be a huge hit with my family – I need to make these soon!
What a perfect potato side dish! I love anything with garlic 🙂
OH YES!!! These are like my pan roasted potatoes that I smash in the pan too 🙂 SO GENIUS!!! I bet the clients just eat them up!
Thanks, Mila!