Friday 3 February 2017

Garlic Parmesan Smashed Potatoes


I did a bit of spring cleaning before the Chinese New Year and one of my targeted areas was my fridge. Hah! This is one place in the house where UFOs (unidentified fridge objects) go to hide.

Right behind the vegetable drawer, I found 5 small chat potatoes. I also found a packet of taukwa (beancurd) that was infested with mold. Yuks!

I was trying to clear my stocks and what could I do with 5 small potatoes?


That's when I remembered a recipe for smashed potatoes which looked incredibly tempting. The recipe makes 2 pounds (approximately 1kg) of potatoes, so I had to make adjustments for 5 potatoes, which wasn't that hard.


One ingredient that I always avoid (when cooking and eating out) is parmesan cheese. I find this cheese incredibly smelly strong tasting and the smell overpowering.

But guess what? I had a small packet of parmesan in the fridge which I bought because I wanted to conquer my fear of this cheese. If Anthony Bourdain can eat fish sauce and durian, surely I can stomach parmesan cheese.


So I opened the packet, took a tentative sniff, and then a taste.  Hey, it's not that bad. Maybe this particular parmesan is not like the ones I came across at the restaurants.


So I did not hesitate to sprinkle the cheese onto the potatoes. And wow, when these babies came out of the oven, the smell was incredible.

I took one potato while it was still warm and ohh..la..la... this is one of the most delicious potato dishes I have had in a while. It's great served with steak. Try it!



Garlic Parmesan Smashed Potatoes
Recipe source : Adapted from Little Spice Jar

Ingredients :
- 5 chat potatoes
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed using a garlic press (or finely mince)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt to taste (about 1/4 tsp)
- some Italian parsley, chopped
- some grated parmesan cheese

Method :
1. Steam the potatoes for 20 minutes until tender (or boil).
2. In a microwave safe bowl, mix garlic, butter, olive oil, salt and some Italian parsley.
3. Microwave for 10 seconds to melt the butter. Stir to combine.
4. Place the steamed potatoes on a lined baking tray.
5. Using a spatula or any other implement, gently flatten each potato.
6. Drizzle the melted butter/garlic oil over each potato and bake in the oven at 180C for about 15 minutes.
7. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on the potatoes and continue to bake for another 5 minutes or until the potatoes are brown and crispy around the edges.
8. Sprinkle with remaining parsley before serving.

42 comments:

  1. My girl would love this - there's potatoes...and there's cheese. She loves 'em!!!

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  2. Sedap parmesan tu PH..cuma harga nya tu 'cantik" skit.

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    1. Dulu PH tak suka, sekarang ni minat plak :)

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  3. "If Anthony Bourdain can eat fish sauce and durian, surely I can stomach parmesan cheese."

    - yes, that's the spirit for all foodies! Gotta try new food because some food is an acquired taste.

    I love to eat potatoes and cheese so I know I will definitely love eating these. Oh, you still have a piece of good quality beef steak in your fridge? So handy for times like this to go with the potatoes. :) I see you cooked it medium well this time - looks tender and tasty, very little pink only .

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    1. This brand of parmesan was pleasantly tasty and I was very, very surprised that I actually liked it.

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  4. I love your smashed potatoes and will definitely make them to eat! Any cheese is yummy to me. The more stinky is the merrier!

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  5. You know what....I did the exact same thing once. I bought parmesan cheese once and sprinkled it on something (pasta, I think) but no, it was incredibly smelly, so I tossed the whole can away (I think the taste really depends on the brand we buy, some can be less strong tasting, maybe I should look for one made by Italians with a medium flavour like yours....haha!) :D

    Do potatoes have a longer shelf life if stored in the fridge? I just keep them mine in the kitchen counter top and it usually starts sprouting in a week :( I first learned to make smashed potatoes from Jamie Oliver coz he told me that the bigger the surface area of the potato, the crispier the edges. I see you've cooked your steak to a perfect medium this time...clap, clap, clap! ;) Meat and potatoes...a perfect combo...I'd enjoy this dish very much ^o^

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    1. Is the can green in color and used like a shaker? If it is the one that I think it is, then yes, I have to agree that one is very smelly! Some restaurants put it on the table for customers to help themselves. You could (if you are brave enough hah..hah...) try the one that I bought. If I like it, you might too.

      Yes, potatoes do have a much longer shelf life if kept in the fridge. I've kept them for a few weeks and they were fine.

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  6. If i had anything in mind to cook, must ask you for advise liao, hehe...

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  7. Pass me the steak, please! :P

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  8. i'd gobble this up right away too ... potatoes are among my top 10 all-time favourite ingredients, and i've always believed that garlic makes everything better! here's a garlic cake recipe to prove it: http://www.lisagraff.com/garlic-cake-recipe.html :D :D :D

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    1. I love garlic but garlic cake is taking it too far hah..hah...

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  9. Hi Phong Hong, Gong Xi Fa Cai! I love cheesy potatoes and yours look so delicious!

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    1. Hi Ann! Gong Xi Fa Cai! This is my first ever cheese potatoes and I loved it :)

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  10. Kiranya ni mcm bergedillah kan PH. Tp bergedil ala ala western gitu.

    Emmm....menarik juga! Boleh cuba nanti!

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    1. Sedap ni, Hainom. Cubalah. Anak2 dan Pak Jilap sure suka :)

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  11. I like parmesan. Better than cheddar actually. ^^

    Love your cheesy potatoes. Anything with cheese, sure is good.

    I also toss many stuff out from my fridge. Old out, new in. Lol.

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    1. Oh, you are a true blue cheese lover :) I prefer cheddar as it is mild.

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  12. Oh my... I think I have to loosen my belt for at least two inches during festive season..non stop eating and seeing your potatoes and beef, I feel I have eaten them for you! :)

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    1. hah..hah..seeing is eating! So dangerous :D

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  13. oH! I like parmesan! Dalam resepi kek lapis masam manis pun saya bubuh keju parmesan!

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    1. Amie, tahu...PH ada print resipi tu tapi fikir banyak2 kali, nak letak ke tidak? hah..hah...

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  14. You so creative la PH especially in masak2, hihi

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    1. PH just ikut apa orang lain buat ala ala copycat gitu...

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  15. I am definitely going to love these garlic cheese potatoes. I love potatoes and I love cheese, great combination! Since I don't cook everyday, I also store my ginger and potatoes in the fridge.

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    1. Try it because they are incredibly tasty. I wish that I could store ginger and onions in the fridge too but not enough space :(

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  16. What a fabulous meal!! We love crispy smashed potatoes! Next batch will be topped with Parmesan :)

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    1. Parmesan would make them and smashing hit!

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  17. wow!! it's easy to cook, but yummy...

    Please visit: http://from-a-girls-mind.blogspot.com

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  18. Something new to me, but guess I will like it since garlic and potato are my favorite ;)

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  19. These look sooo delicious. It's only 5am but these are making me hungry.

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    1. You could have these for breakfast hee..hee..

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  20. Terus lapor tengok hidangan PH ni..
    Anak2 memang suka kentang ni..
    Kalau makan soto memang ambil pegedil yg besar :)
    Boleh cuba PH punya resepi tapi kena beli parmesan tu lah pulak :D

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    1. Yati, kalau tak letak parmesan pun OK, boleh tahan sedap.

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  21. A very easy recipe that I'm interested to try but..... my oven died yesterday & I need to find someone to repair it before I can whip this out ~>_<~

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    1. Hope your oven can be repaired or else get a newer better one :)

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