These smashed Parmesan potatoes with garlic and lemon are possibly the best potatoes you’ll ever have! They’re soft and fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside.
Before I get to the recipe, I just wanted to say really quickly that if you’ve left a comment and I haven’t replied yet – I’m sorry! Since mid-December, we’ve had over 6 full weeks of being sick and I’ve been unable to really do anything. So I’m behind with everything.
It’s been a looong, tough winter.
But on to this week’s recipe! Potatoes are such a comfort food for me. Especially roasted potatoes, like these potato wedges. I will happily eat the whole tray if others aren’t quick enough.
You know what makes potatoes even more magical? Gremolata. It’s not as fancy as it may sound – it’s just a condiment that’s made up of parsley, garlic and lemon zest.
So for these smashed Parmesan potatoes, what you do is boil the potatoes, place them on a baking tray and smash them with a meat tenderizer or the bottom of a glass, roast them and then cover them in the gremolata. Easy!
I love to serve these smashed potatoes at parties. You can prepare almost everything in the morning.
I boil and flatten the potatoes, cover them on their pan, and refrigerate. I also make the gremolata and refrigerate. Then when it’s time, I roast the potatoes and add the gremolata.
I’ve made the gremolata with fresh parsley and dried – and fresh is much better.
Usually, I don’t notice much of a difference but in these smashed potatoes? Totally worth a trip to the store or your garden if you are one of the lucky ones!
It’s hard to tell by the photos, but these smashed potatoes are nice and crisp. And if you get a little messy with the smashing part of the process, even better!
Then you’ll end up with more crispy bits. Those are the best parts!
This recipe has so few ingredients and is so easy that I don’t have much to say about it. These smashed Parmesan potatoes may not look or sound that exciting but I hope you’ll give them a try! These Buttery Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes also look fantastic.
If you’re unlike me and like to eat other food with your potatoes rather than just 2 pounds of potatoes, try this pecan-crusted salmon! It’s also great for dinner parties as you can prepare the topping ahead of time and keep it refrigerated until needed.
I think these potatoes would also go great with steak, like this grilled T bone steak. New York Strip Steak would be equally as tasty!
Smashed Parmesan Potatoes
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (900 grams) fingerling potatoes or other smallish potatoes
- 1/3 cup (80 milliliters) olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup (~ 5 grams) minced fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 1 medium lemon)
- 1/3 cup (30 grams) Parmesan or Pecorino Romano, grated
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
- Boil the potatoes in a medium-sized pot and let simmer until the potatoes are cooked through. This took me about 10-15 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes and let them dry on a kitchen towel.
- Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the potatoes.
- Stir to make sure that all of the potatoes have been covered with oil.
- With the bottom of a glass or a meat tenderizer, gently press the potatoes down to a thickness of about 3/4".
- Drizzle the remaining olive oil and sprinkle the salt over the smashed potatoes.
- Roast the potatoes for 15 minutes and then flip them over using a spatula or tongs.
- Return the potatoes to the oven to roast for another 15 minutes or until the edges are crisp.
- Meanwhile, prepare the gremolata by mixing the remaining ingredients together in a small bowl.
- After 30 minutes of total roasting time, remove the potatoes from the oven.
- Let them sit for 5 minutes and then sprinkle on the gremolata and stir.
- Serve immediately.
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14 comments on “Smashed Parmesan Potatoes (so easy!)” — Add one!
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This looks amazing, im going to make them tonight!
what happens if you bake the gemolata with the potatoes?
I’m sorry for just now seeing your question! I haven’t tried it, but I’d imagine the gremolata might dry up and burn.
Hello,
I want to make these for xmas, to take to my mothe n laws. Can I make ahead and bake at her house?
Thank you,
Martina
Hello! I’m so very sorry for just now seeing this. Yes, you can prepare everything and then bake it later. Sorry again!
I’m going to try these this week. My hubby & teen son will love these! I hope your feeling better. I had something in early January that lasted almost 6 weeks. Get as much rest as you can <3
Thanks so much! I’m glad you’re better. :) Hope you’ll like the potatoes!
You had me at potatoes and cheese! So good!
You say these are the best…. and I believe you!
Hope you’ll get to try them out! :)
Such a perfect side dish! I love smashed potatoes and they are even better with cheese.
Yummmmmm! These were off the charts! I’ve made similar recipes before with duck fat but I must say we all prefer this olive oil version with the gremolata hands down. I haven’t had a chance to look through your entire blog/recipe archives yet but I didn’t know you did savory things too Erin! Wooohooo 🥳
Woohoo! This was nice to wake up to. :) Thank you! I’m so happy you liked them. I don’t have many savory recipes but the ones I do have are from many years ago. Since I still don’t have my taste back, I’ve been reposting some savory recipes every now and then that had terrible photos and got no pageviews so that people will take a look at them again. Thanks for your comment and have a great weekend! :)
Made these tonight and they were really delicious! Had them with salmon & salad which went really well. I shall do them again, hubby loves potatoes, mashed, roasted, chipped, boiled, any way at all, but I can take them or leave them if they’re not chips or roasted. These were super yummy. Thank you!
Oh, yay! I’m so very happy to hear that you and your husband enjoyed the potatoes. :) I bet they were great with salmon and salad! Yum. Thanks a bunch for your comment and sorry for just now replying!