Let me share my take on this incredible potato dish that’s been taking social media by storm! It’s all about transforming humble baby potatoes into crispy, cheesy bites of heaven. Parmesan Potatoes are essentially roasting your potatoes on a layer of parmesan cheese. With heat, the cheese melts and form a lace that is crispy and favourful; making it a great way to make your potatoes extra crispy. The magic happens when the parmesan creates a lacy crust that’s absolutely irresistible.

Why This Recipe Works

Through multiple test batches, I’ve discovered that scoring the potatoes allows the potatoes to cook evenly while staying crispy on the outside. The combination of herbs and spices infuses flavor throughout, while the parmesan creates an incredibly crispy base that elevates this beyond basic roasted potatoes.

Understanding Key Components

1. Potatoes: Baby potatoes are crucial for this recipe’s success! If your potatoes are too big, it won’t have enough time to cook in the oven, or your cheese will burn when the potatoes are cooked. To help speed up the cooking process, you should definitely score the cut-side of the potato; essentially making diagonal cuts in the flesh of the potato but not all the way through to the skin! This will allow heat to penetrate through a lot quicker and more surface area for your seasoning.
   • Baby red potatoes for waxier texture while small yellow potatoes for creamier interior
   • Avoid large potatoes entirely or cut them up into small pieces.
   • Ideally uniformly sized for even cooking
2. Parmesan: The parmesan cheese transforms from a simple topping into a crispy, lacy foundation. In the oven, the cheese will melt and the oil will split from the milk solids. Don’t panic – it’s not done yet. Once the cheese lace is dry and golden, you can take it out of the oven.
   • During baking, the cheese will go through several stages – melting, separating, and finally crisping into a golden lattice.
   • Alternatives to Parmesan: Grana Padano for milder flavor, Pecorino Romano for sharper taste. Recommended to use fresh-grated cheese for a stronger cheese taste
3. Flavours: The combination of fresh and dried seasonings creates layers of flavor that complement both potato and cheese. you can definitely mix and match differently flavour combos since potatoes are so versatile! Just make sure you season it well with salt.
   • Substitutions: Fresh herbs try rosemary, thyme, sage. Dried spices try Italian seasoning, cajun blend
   • Fresh garlic or garlic powder either are fine
   • Always include salt for proper seasoning

Tips

• Use a small paring knife to score your potatoes and avoid cutting through to the skin.
• Keep an eye out for your cheese in the oven. It can burn easily
• Don’t overcrowd pan. We want each potato to have its own space which allows for each colouring and crispiness. Layering potatoes on top of one another will cause the potatoes to steam, not roast.
• Pat your potatoes dry before you season them. We don’t want moisture as it creates steam.
• Potatoes need salt! Season them properly to ensure a tasty potato!

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

• You can cut and score potatoes earlier in the day, allow them to soak in salted water to prevent browning for an hour, rinse then drain and leave to dry until you’re ready to bake.
• Prepare seasonings ahead of time
• Grate cheese just before using
• Best served immediately. Can reheat in hot oven

Ingredients

1kg baby potatoes, halved and scored.

Parsley, finely chopped

Chilli flakes, to taste

2 garlic cloves, minced

1tbsp onion powder

½ cup parmesan cheese, grated

Sauce of choice (truffle mayo, sweet chilli mayo etc).

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
2. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients except the parmesan and sauce. Mix well so that the potatoes are nicely coated.
3. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. Drizzle over some olive oil and evenly spread on the parmesan cheese. Place your potatoes on top of the cheese cut-side down and bake at 180C/350F until the cheese is golden brown (around 30 minutes for me, time may vary).
4. Break apart and serve with sauce of choice. Highly recommend sweet chilli mayo (equal parts sweet chilli sauce and mayo).