Parmesan Crusted Red Potatoes

These Parmesan Crusted Red Potatoes are tossed with fragrant herbs and oven-roasted for a simple, versatile, and irresistible side dish. High heat gives these humble potatoes a deliciously crispy texture that will have you sneaking bites straight off the pan!

Main dishes are important, but every home cook also needs a collection of tasty, simple side dishes in their arsenal. This beautifully easy red potato recipe deserves a spot in yours!

Now, I’m not going to pretend this is rocket science. Recipes for Parmesan roasted potatoes are a dime a dozen, to be sure. But this is my favorite way to prepare them, and well worth sharing! I’ve been making potatoes this way since the very early days of the blog, and the very first time I served them, my husband took one bite, paused, and said, “hey, wow, what did you do to these potatoes!?” And these humble beauties are bringing smiles to our dinner table still, seven years later.

What makes this simple recipe stand out? Well, for starters, they have so much flavor and amazing texture! Caked with parmesan, seasoned with thyme, rosemary, paprika, and garlic powder, then roasted to extra-crispy perfection, these potatoes are not just a dinnertime role-player. When you serve these, people are going to enjoy the side at least as much as the main dish.

Ingredient & Substitution Notes

Here are a few notes and shopping tips about the ingredients you’ll need. Find full amounts in the print-friendly recipe card below.

• Baby red potatoes. For this recipe you want the little guys, so that you just need to halve or quarter them to get nice bite-sized pieces. Buy them pre-washed as a little gift to yourself.
• Grated Parmesan cheese.
• Extra-virgin olive oil.
• Dried herbs: rosemary, thyme, paprika, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper.

Can I use other types of potatoes?

Yes! Baby Dutch or Yukon gold potatoes will also roast well with these simple ingredients. Just be sure to still cut them into bite-sized pieces first, and test until fork tender, because different types of potatoes do vary in the length of time required to cook.

How To Roast Parmesan Red Potatoes

As the cook, my heart also sings because these are so easy and hands-off. It annoys me, for some reason, when I’ve been working in the kitchen and have dinner mostly under control, but then remember I need to prep the salad or veggie or whatnot. So these potatoes stave off that momentary “ugh, I still have to…. ” feeling, because I usually start them first, which only takes a couple of minutes, then they roast away happily and quietly in the background.

First, cut your baby potatoes into cubes. Don’t peel, just cut them into halves or quarters, so they are bite-sized. Place in a large prep bowl.

Stir them up with all the seasonings: olive oil, Parmesan, and all those delicious dried herbs. Start by adding about 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and toss well. Add up to another Tablespoon of oil if needed to moisten the herbs and Parmesan mixture enough that it adheres well to the potatoes.

Spread the seasoned potatoes out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Line the baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat. This achieves two goals: it ensures your delicious seasoning stays with the potatoes, instead of sticking to the pan, and makes your post-meal clean-up super easy.

Some recipes will emphasize arranging cut-side of each potato down. I personally don’t find this makes a big deal and prefer the mix of having some potatoes get extra crispy on the skin while others get that treatment on the more tender cut-side.

Pop the sheet pan in the oven, and let the heat take it from there! High heat is important for these potatoes to roast quickly and get crispy edges: 450 degrees F.

How to tell when baby potatoes are done?

When you pull out the baking sheet roughly 30 minutes later, you’ll be greeted with crispy roasted potato perfection. The cheese mixture crisps up along the edges of each potato and a bit on the bottom of the pan, and is truly irresistible.

To be certain the potatoes are done, pierce one of the larger ones with a fork. The inside should be tender and give way easily.

Sprinkle the potatoes with a little fresh parsley, fresh rosemary, or any other herb that you may have on hand, and serve them up! Red pepper flakes are always useful for extra heat, if you like.

My kids especially like them with a little ketchup on the side. Yours might like them with sour cream or even Ranch dressing!

Perfect Pairings

These potatoes go beautifully with lots of different meals, but some of my favorite pairings include grilled lemon pepper chicken, dry rub chicken, lemon herb or mustard-crusted salmon, and boneless baked pork chops. They’re also terrific alongside steak or roast whole chicken.

Storage & Reheating

Although these are very easy to roast while the rest of your dinner cooks and take out of the oven right when you want to eat, they can also be made earlier in the day if needed. Just be sure to re-warm them in the oven, rather than the microwave, to keep that delicious crispy texture.

Leftovers can go in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, and should be warmed in the oven for best results.

Related Recipes

Vibing with the great potato? We also love a good, light herbed potato salad and tossing them with sheet pan chicken sausage and veggies for a totally quick yet complete meal.

Some of other favorite quick side dishes include a French carrot salad, 5-minute arugula Parmesan pine nut salad, and these truly divine 1-hour homemade breadsticks.

So that’s that! Remember these babies the next time you need a simple side dish. You won’t be disappointed, and neither will the hungry mouths that you’re feeding!

If you try these Parmesan Crusted Red Potatoes, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. I love hearing how recipes turn out in your kitchen, and it helps other readers, too.

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This post was originally published in August 2017 and has been updated with new photos and more helpful information on variations and storage.