An irresistible side dish to serve alongside all your summer mains – loaded smashed potatoes with bacon & parmesan. Potatoes boiled until tender, smashed, and then baked (or pan-fried) until crisp, topped with a simple sour cream sauce, crispy bacon, lots of scallions + chives, and a very generous sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan cheese. You get a little bit of everything in each bite, with all the rich flavors of a loaded baked potato!
loaded smashed potatoes – the details
These loaded smashed potatoes are truly something special. You’ll start by par-cooking the potatoes in boiling water. A quick soak in ice water after will allow the cooking process to stop so they don’t become mush when cooking again in the oven. You’ll first roast off some bacon, smash the potatoes flat, and then cook them until crisp in the hot bacon fat.
I think the oven process is the simplest way to go, and makes the clean-up nice and easy. However, I also occasionally like to crisp the smashed potatoes in a hot skillet on the stovetop (like I did for these crispy smashed potatoes). They crisp up every so slightly more by doing them in the skillet.
Both methods are outlined in the recipe…so pick the one that sounds best to you!
What makes these smashed potatoes “loaded” are the very generous toppings – a little crumbled bacon for saltiness, some parmesan cheese for richness, and a creamy sauce of sour cream & scallions for a tangy onion bite.
The combo cannot be beat. All the flavors you could want in a potato side dish. I’d serve these alongside some grilled steaks or even with this garlicky grilled chicken. And maybe complete the meal with a summer squash salad to round things out!
PrintLoaded Smashed Potatoes with Bacon & Parmesan
loaded smashed potatoes topped with bacon, parmesan, scallions, chives, and a sour cream sauce
servings: 4-6
Ingredients
- 2 ½ lbs fingerling potatoes
- kosher salt
- ½ lb bacon
- olive oil
- 8 oz sour cream
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp minced chives
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan
- freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Add the potatoes to a large pot and cover with cold water. Add a large pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook the potatoes for about 8-12 minutes, or until just fork tender.
- Meanwhile, lay the bacon onto a sheet pan in an even layer. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and allow to drain.
- Increase the oven temperature to 450°F. Drain the potatoes and transfer them to a bowl of ice water for a couple of minutes. Once cool, transfer the potatoes to paper towels and let fully dry. Use your hands or a measuring cup to smash the potatoes flat. Transfer them to the sheet pan in the bacon fat. Drizzle olive oil over top to coat them well. Season with a generous pinch of salt. Roast the potatoes for about 20-25 minutes until crisp, flipping halfway through.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the sour cream and lemon juice in a small mixing bowl. Stir in the lemon zest, chives, and scallions. Season with salt to taste. Crumble the bacon into small pieces.
- Transfer the potatoes to paper towels to drain. Plate them with the sour cream sauce dolloped over top. Garnish with the bacon, freshly grated parmesan, and lots of freshly cracked black pepper.
Notes
Sometimes I find cooking the smashed potatoes in a hot skillet works best to crisp them up…
To Cook the Potatoes on the Stovetop:
- Place a 12” cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Pour the bacon fat into the skillet and add enough oil to come up the sides about ¼ of an inch. Once the oil is hot, place the smashed potatoes into the pan, working in batches so that you don’t overcrowd the oil.
- Pan fry the potatoes until crispy on one side. Flip them over and continue to fry until crispy on the other. Lower the heat if needed so that the potatoes don’t burn before crisping. Transfer the potatoes to a sheet pan lined with paper towels. Immediately sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Continue to fry all of the potatoes.
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