Smashed Potatoes with Parmesan Gremolata are a great winter side dish.
Potatoes are a wonderful accompaniment to so many meals.
Because of their simplicity, they compliment a wide variety of main dishes: steak, chicken, soup, etc.
And they are incredibly easy to cook and serve; just adding salt, pepper and butter makes them delicious.
This recipe for Smashed Potatoes with Parmesan Gremolata is written by: ERICA KASTNER of Cooking for Seven
But sometimes it’s nice to break from the norm and try something new.
This method of cooking and serving potatoes turns boring, boiled potatoes into something full of amazing flavors.
The beauty of these potatoes is that they look and taste as if they were a lot of work.
In reality they are very easy to make.
Simply boil the potatoes until tender, smash, bake for half an hour and toss with the gremolata.
And don’t let the fancy term “gremolata” scare you (I had no idea what it meant).
It’s simply a mix of parsley, lemon, parmesan and garlic.
But it certainly packs a punch of awesome flavors.
While photographing these tasty Smashed Potatoes with Parmesan Gremolata, the smell nearly killed me.
“Oh my goodness,” I said out loud.
It was torture trying not to gobble them down before I could finish.
Looking for a main dish to serve these with these Smashed Potatoes with Parmesan Gremolata?
Try one of these scrumptious-looking recipes from Katie’s kitchen:
- Chicken Marsala
- Citrus and Rosemary Roast Chicken
- Seared Filet with Mixed-Herb Gremolata
- Smoky Black Bean Soup with Andouille Sausage
- Lemon Chicken and Orzo Soup
- Gingered Skirt Steak with Snow Peas
What is your favorite way to serve potatoes?

Smashed Potatoes with Parmesan Gremolata
Boiled potatoes transformed into something extremely flavorful with roasting and a parmesan-parsley gremolata.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced (about 1/4 cup once minced)
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Wash and scrub the potatoes clean. Cut off any “eyes” or other undesirable spots. Place in a large pot and cover with water, bringing the water about 1 inch above the potatoes. Bring to a boil. Simmer the potatoes until fork-tender, about 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of your potatoes.
- While the potatoes are simmering, preheat your oven to 400° F (205° C).
- Drain the potatoes and dry them on a clean kitchen towel. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Place the potatoes on the prepared baking sheet (in a single layer) and gently “smash” each potato with the flat side of a meat tenderizer. Potatoes should be about ½ to ¾-inch thick. Drizzle more olive oil over the potatoes and sprinkle with coarse salt.
- Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, flip the potatoes and cook for an additional 15 minutes.
- While the potatoes are cooking, mix together the parmesan gremolata: in a small bowl combine the garlic, lemon, parsley and parmesan cheese. Once the potatoes are done cooking, toss with the gremolata. Serve hot.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 488Total Fat 29gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 23gCholesterol 5mgSodium 670mgCarbohydrates 52gFiber 6gSugar 3gProtein 8g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
Tery
Tuesday 16th of February 2021
Just wondering where the whole 1/2 cup olive oil comes in. Is that at the drizzle point? Seems like a lot to drizzle, but maybe that’s just me.
Thanks!
Tery
Saturday 20th of February 2021
@Katie,
Thank you for answering my question. I will experiment with how much oil to use. I tend to go light, but not too light for these delicious potatoes!
Tery
Katie
Thursday 18th of February 2021
Yes, it is for greasing the pan and drizzling on the potatoes. Feel free to use less if you prefer.
Ruth bavetta
Saturday 27th of June 2015
These were absolutely delicious. I doubled the recipe for only 6 of us and they were all gobbled up. Only problem was I had to cook them much longer and jack the oven up to 500.
Claire Gallam
Thursday 17th of April 2014
I love love LOVE smashed potatoes. These look SO good!
cathy
Tuesday 7th of January 2014
I use a potato masher to "smash" em!
Nikki R.
Tuesday 11th of June 2013
I like the potato idea with the honey mustard chicken and the roasted broccoli, but it seems like a lot to juggle in the oven at one time. Any suggestions?
Katie
Tuesday 11th of June 2013
I have a double oven so it works, but if you don't you could make steamed broccoli or a green salad. Or use a slimmer pan for both so that you can fit both pans in side by side. You could also cover the chicken with foil when it is done and removed from the oven and then cook the broccoli since it only takes a few minutes.