Red Bliss Smashed Potatoes
Red bliss smashed potatoes are boiled until tender, pressed flat, and baked at 425°F until the edges turn golden and crunchy. Love the corner piece of a roasted potato? This whole pan is made of that part. I smash mine with the bottom of a measuring cup, so there’s no special tool to dig out.
The hands-on part takes about ten minutes. The pot and the oven do the rest, which leaves you free to get a main dish going. The Parmesan goes on the second the pan comes out, and it melts right into all the cracks. The garlic powder bakes right into the browned tops. The edges are my favorite part.
For more cheesy side dish recipes, be sure to also try my carrots with garlic butter, green beans with italian seasoning, or keto brussel sprouts.
What You’ll Love About These Garlic Parmesan Smashed Potatoes
Smashed Red Potatoes Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make these Garlic Parmesan Smashed Potatoes:
Ingredient Notes
Red Bliss Potatoes: Look for small ones, about 1½ to 2 inches across. Similar sizes cook through at the same time and smash into bite-size rounds. A bag labeled “petite” or “baby” reds, or any small red potatoes, works just as well. Scrub them, but leave the skin on.
Butter and Olive Oil: You want both. The butter brings the flavor. The olive oil handles the browning, since it can take high heat without burning. Salted or unsalted butter both work, but with salted, start with ¾ teaspoon of salt. Keep about a teaspoon of the oil aside for greasing the pan.
Parmesan: Grate it yourself from a wedge. I buy the Kirkland Parmigiano Reggiano wedge at Costco because it’s the real aged cheese, without the anti-caking powder in the shaker kind, so it melts into the hot potatoes. You’ll only use half a cup here. Wrap the rest tightly and it keeps for weeks in the fridge for pasta, eggs, and salads.
Salt and Seasonings: I use kosher salt for sprinkling because the bigger flakes are easier to spread evenly. Black pepper and garlic powder round it out.
Parsley: Fresh flat-leaf parsley is the garnish, and it adds color and a fresh bite. Chopped chives or scallions are a good swap. Dried parsley doesn’t do much here, so I’d skip it.
Red Bliss Smashed Potato Variations
Extra Garlic: Stir 2 minced garlic cloves into the melted butter before you drizzle it on. Short on time? About 1 teaspoon of jarred minced garlic works too.
Herb Smashed Potatoes: Sprinkle 1 teaspoon chopped fresh herbs, like rosemary or thyme, over the potatoes before they bake. Rosemary is my pick for a holiday table.
Make It Spicy: Add ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes or a pinch of cayenne with the salt and pepper. It’s a gentle heat.
Loaded: Skip the parsley. Top each potato with a small spoonful of sour cream, crumbled cooked bacon, and sliced scallions. For a lighter option, plain Greek yogurt works in place of the sour cream and adds a little protein.
Make It Lighter: Use 1 tablespoon of butter instead of 3 and cut the Parmesan to ¼ cup. You’ll still get browned edges, since the olive oil does most of that work. It’s an easy swap.
How To Bake Garlic Smashed Red Potatoes
Here are quick visual instructions. Be sure to check out the full instructions with exact ingredients in the printable recipe card below.
Step 1: Cover the potatoes with cold water in a large pot and boil them until fork tender.
Step 2: Drain them and let them sit for 5 to 10 minutes so the skins dry.
Step 3: Spread the potatoes out on a lightly oiled rimmed baking sheet while your oven preheats to 425°F.
Step 4: Press each potato flat with a measuring cup or potato masher.
Step 5: Drizzle the melted butter and olive oil over the tops.
Step 6: Season with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
Step 7: Bake until the edges turn deep brown.
Step 8: Top with Parmesan and parsley while they’re hot.
What Are Red Bliss Potatoes?
Red Bliss is a red-skinned potato with thin skin and waxy, creamy flesh. It’s one well-known variety in the bigger red potato family. Most grocery stores use the name for any small, round red potato. Don’t stress over the label.
What matters is the texture. Waxy red potatoes hold together when you smash them, so you get one flat round with browned edges. A russet is starchier and crumbles under the cup into something closer to mashed potatoes. Yukon golds land in the middle and work in a pinch.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
Let them steam dry. Give the drained potatoes 5 to 10 minutes before smashing. A dry surface browns in the oven. A wet one just steams.
Hold the potato while you smash. Steady it with one hand and press down gently with the other. The pan is oiled. A hard, fast smash can send a potato sliding right off the sheet.
Push broken ones back together. Some potatoes split into pieces when you smash them. Nudge the pieces back into a round. They’ll bake into one potato.
Skip the flip. Flipping halfway makes them more likely to fall apart. For crispy smashed red potatoes with extra crunch, smash them thinner instead.
Stop the sticking. Oil the bottom of your cup or masher. You can also lay a square of parchment paper over each potato before you press, so the potato stays on the pan instead of lifting with the cup.
What to Serve With Parmesan Smashed Potatoes
These go with almost anything you’d put next to a baked potato. I like them with air fryer steak bites since both are ready in about the same window. They’re also great next to a chuck roast reverse sear on a Sunday. Steak and potatoes never gets old.
On a weeknight, pair them with pork chops coated in homemade shake and bake, roast chicken, or a simple sheet pan salmon. Add a green salad or steamed broccoli. Dinner’s done.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Raw potatoes are too firm to flatten, and the oven alone won't cook the middle before the outside burns. In a pinch, you can microwave them covered for about 8 to 10 minutes. I still prefer boiling, because it cooks them more evenly.
Right when they come out of the oven. At 425°F for 30-plus minutes, Parmesan can scorch and turn bitter. For a baked-on cheese crust, sprinkle it over for just the last 5 minutes of baking.
You bet! Boil and smash them up to a day ahead, then cover the pan and refrigerate. When it's time to eat, drizzle with the butter and oil, season, and bake straight from the fridge, adding about 5 minutes.
Once you’ve tried these, drop a comment and a few stars below. Tell me which topping your family voted for!
More Side Dish Recipes
Garlic Parmesan Smashed Potatoes
Ingredients
For the potatoes
- 2 pounds red bliss potatoes (small ones, about 1 1/2 to 2 inches across) scrubbed
For the butter and seasoning
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
For topping
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Fresh parsley chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Add the potatoes to a large pot and pour in cold water until they're covered by about an inch. Once the water boils, let them cook about 30 minutes, until a fork slides into the center with no resistance.
- While they cook, heat the oven to 425°F. Brush a large rimmed baking sheet with about 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, or give it a light coat of cooking spray.
- Drain the potatoes in a colander. Leave them there for 5 to 10 minutes so the steam escapes and the skins dry.
- Arrange the potatoes on the baking sheet in a single layer, with a few inches between them. Steady each one with your hand and press it flat with the bottom of a measuring cup, a potato masher, a large fork, or a spatula. Thinner potatoes brown more; thicker ones stay softer in the middle.
- Spoon the 3 tablespoons melted butter and the rest of the olive oil over the potatoes. Season evenly with 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and ¼ teaspoon garlic powder.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the edges are deep brown and crisp.
- Scatter the ½ cup Parmesan and the parsley over the hot potatoes right away so the cheese melts. Taste one and add a pinch more salt if needed.
Notes
The nutritional details for recipes are estimated using MyFitnessPal and can vary with different products, measurement accuracy, and source reliability. We aim to provide accurate information but cannot guarantee the precise accuracy of the nutritional data