Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Insurance Cheese

LEVEL: Anyone can execute | TIME: 45 minutes | MAKES: A side for 4

I have learned the hard way, again and again, to always get insurance. That’s where the dusting of Microplaned cheese comes into play on these crispy smashed potatoes. Because the truth is, there’s plenty you can do to maximize crispy edges and tender centers. The baking soda in the cooking water, the rough toss with cooking fat before the high heat roast, and the temperature all contribute texture. But every now and again, you’ll come across a bag of potatoes that refuses to turn golden and crunchy.

INGREDIENTS

Obsessed with The Best Ella Quittner

• About 1 ½ pounds (1 bag) mini creamer potatoes or fingerling potatoes or russet potatoes

• About 5 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1 cup freshly grated or Microplaned Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. If using creamer potatoes, slice in two; leave any tiny ones whole. If using fingerlings, slice in half lengthwise. If using russet potatoes, quarter them.

3. Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with about 2 quarts of water. Set over high heat. Add 4 teaspoons of the salt and the baking soda to the water. Cover and bring to a rolling boil. Cook until you can easily pierce the largest potato all the way through with a butter knife—you’re looking for it to feel like a super-ripe pear, not a firm apple, about 10 minutes after the water comes to a boil. Drain. Pat with a kitchen towel to remove any excess moisture from the exterior of the potatoes. Place them in a large bowl.

4. Heat the oven to 450°F.

5. Add the oil and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt to the potatoes and roughly toss and mix until the potatoes are coated in a downy layer of potato guts.

6. Transfer to the parchment-lined sheet pan. Separate the potatoes so no two overlap, with the cut sides facing down (if sliced). Use the flat bottom of a bowl or molcajete to swiftly, harshly smash each potato to about 1/3 inch flat. (If you have trouble with potato bits sticking to your smashing device, you can place another sheet of parchment over the potatoes before smashing.) The flatter the potato, the crispier its edges will get.

7. Roast for about 20 minutes, until the edges of the potatoes are turning golden. (If you really wanted gorgeous, cover-girl crispy potatoes, you would at this point—before the next instruction with the cheese—flip each one over, so its browned flesh is facing upward.) Sprinkle a few pinches of Parmesan over each potato, then roast for another 10 minutes, or until the Parmesan is browned and the edges of the potatoes are supremely crispy.

UPGRADE: Roast in duck fat or schmaltz instead of olive oil.

Excerpted from the book Obsessed with the Best, provided courtesy of William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Copyright © 2026 by Ella Quittner. Reprinted by permission. Photographs by Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott

When you shop using our links, we earn a small commission. It’s a great way to support public media at no extra cost to you.