Parmesan Crusted Potatoes

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Parmesan Crusted Potatoes make the perfect side dish. They bake open face down in parmesan cheese creating a delicious buttery, cheesy crust.

Platter of Parmesan Crusted Potatoes with sour cream.

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Parmesan Crusted Baked Potato Halves

I got this recipe from a friend when I was back in college. She insisted that I give it a try because it was a favorite in her family. I was blown away! The potatoes were so much better than I imagined! I now whip up a fresh batch of these potato halves whenever I get the chance. I personally love to eat these with a side of sour cream, as it provides a nice cool balance to the savory, piping hot potatoes.

These Parmesan Crusted Potato Halves are a perfect side dish for all kinds of meals. The outer crust is buttery and cheesy and the inside is tender and flaky and so full of flavor. Try these as an alternative to quick baked potatoes. They cook up fast on a baking sheet and are always tender on the inside, while crisp and buttery on the outside. This is a terrific side to make when you need to use up leftover potatoes. Dress them up with green onions or chives. Delicious!

Ingredients for Parmesan Crusted Potatoes including Parmesan Cheese, potatoes, butter and garlic powder.

The Parmesan Cheese

I rarely use the powdery grated parmesan cheese from a canister. When it comes to pastas and other Italian dishes, I always use fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano. It’s just a high-quality choice. However, with this recipe, the powdery kind is the only way to go. It gives the potatoes a nice crispy crust. Fresh parmesan will melt differently and you won’t get the golden crispness these potatoes need. So for this recipe, embrace the plastic container of parmesan. The flavor is great and you will get perfect results every time.

Additions and Substitutions

These potatoes are fantastic as they are, but if you want to incorporate some additional flavors, try sprinkling any of the following on with the parmesan cheese before baking:

red pepper flakes
cayenne pepper
onion powder
thyme
rosmary
basil
oregano
fresh parsley

Hand holding a Parmesan Crusted Potato dipped in sour cream and chives.

Tips for Parmesan Crusted Potatoes

You can use parchment paper to cover the sheet pan but I have never needed it. With all the butter, the potatoes don’t stick.
Place baking pan in the oven with the butter while the oven is pre-heating, until the butter melts.
Place the potatoes cut side down on the baking dish.
Sprinkle a little kosher salt over the skin side.
Use a fork or a sharp knife to test if the potatoes are done before removing from the oven. The bottoms should be golden brown.
Let the potato halves cool for at least five minutes before removing them from the pan. If you take them off the pan right out of the oven, the parmesan crust on the potato comes right off. Just give it a little time and then take them off – the crust sticks to the potatoes beautifully.
Serve with a side of sour cream or Ranch Dressing in a bowl. Toss on some fresh chives.

How to Serve Parmesan Crusted Potatoes

Parmesan Crusted Potatoes are great on their own, but I especially love dipping them in a side of sour cream sprinkled with a little dried basil. Ranch dressing is also REALLY good! You can also make these with potatoes other than russets. I have made them with red potatoes and gold potatoes, and both turned out really good. Try these out for yourself and decide how you like them best!

Parmesan Crusted Potatoes on a serving dish with sour cream.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should You boil potatoes before roasting?

No, these cook up perfectly in the oven. No need to pre-boil.

Can I prep the potatoes ahead of time?

Sure. If cutting potatoes ahead of time, be sure to store them in cold water in the fridge until ready to use- then thoroughly pat dry. This method will also get out some starch and increase crispiness but isn’t necessary.

Are Parmesan Crusted Potatoes gluten-free?

Yes! No gluten in this recipe.

What should I do with leftover potatoes?

Store any leftover potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Re-heat in an air fryer, oven, or microwave.

Spatula holding a Parmesan Crusted Potato in a baking dish next to a platter of Parmesan Crusted Potatoes with sour cream and chives.

What To Serve With Parmesan Crusted Potatoes

My husband always requests these crispy Parmesan Potatoes as a side dish to go along with whatever meat he is grilling. It’s nice because I can throw these in the oven while he is grilling and all the food is ready at the same time. Some of our favorite grill recipes that we serve up with the Parmesan Crusted Baked Potato Halves are our New York Steaks and our Kansas City Baby Back Ribs. Both are so yummy. And if you like grilled chicken you should definitely try our Grilled Malibu Chicken, Grilled Balsamic Chicken, and Grilled Coconut Curry Chicken.

The Best Potato Recipes

These Parmesan Crusted Potatoes have been such a huge hit with our readers, that we have included them in our “Best Potato Recipes Straight From Idaho” post! You will find ALL of our top reader favorites in this post as well. Try them all!

More Potato Side Dishes

If you love potatoes as much as we do, you should definitely try some of these other potato sides. Similar to how we make the Parmesan Crusted Potato Halves, we have our Coconut Pecan Sweet Baked Potato Halves. These are loaded with coconut and pecan pieces and have a scrumptious cinnamon marshmallow dip. In the savory potato category we have our Broccoli Cheese Stuffed Potato Skins and Cheesy Bacon Potato Skins. Both are awesome for appetizers and parties! If you like potato wedges and fries we have traditional Potato Wedges, Loaded Potato Wedges and Sweet Potato Fries with a Tangy Chipotle Lime Dip. If you are a potato salad lover, we have you covered! Both our Homestyle Potato Salad and Bacon Gorgonzola Potato Salad are so incredibly good.