I am a huge fan of garlic butter, clearly. Everything that I’ve posted for 2017 Thanksgiving involves garlic in some way. Garlic paste, garlic crumble, and now we have garlic butter atop these crispy smashed potatoes. Garlic butter with RANCH and parmesan, might I add. Oh yeah, these are gonna be good.
This will actually be one of the easiest side dishes you put together. I mean, they’re all pretty easy but this one is really easy. You literally just boil some small potatoes and then smash them and drown them with garlic ranch butter and sprinkle parmesan on top. What a dreamy side dish!
My favorite part is that the broken skin gets so extremely crispy and it’s like eating the perfect french fry — crispy exterior and perfectly soft and fluffy interior.
If you’re bored with mashed potatoes, smashed potatoes are a great alternative. They’re basically mashed potatoes but less smooth and creamy, if that makes sense. They’re like the same thing but not.

Parmesan Garlic Ranch Butter Smashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (907 g) small red potatoes
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon ranch powder
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Equipment
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the potatoes. Cook until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Remove and place on a baking sheet.
- Preheat oven to 400 °F (204 °C)
- Gently, using a potato masher or similar, smash the potatoes. Not too hard or you'll end up with crumbled potatoes. Just enough pressure to smash them.
- In a small measuring cup, whisk together melted butter, ranch powder, and minced garlic.
- Evenly pour the butter mixture atop the smashed potatoes then sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the tops are brown and the edges/skin get crispy.
- Serve and enjoy!
NUTRITION FACTS
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.
The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.
Katherine
Wednesday 16th of January 2019
What is ranch powder? Who makes it?
Julie Wampler
Sunday 20th of January 2019
Hidden Valley: https://www.hiddenvalley.com/products/ranch-seasoning-mixes/seasoning-mix-packets/original-ranch/
Elizabeth @ Take On E
Thursday 16th of November 2017
Yay! I can't believe I've never made smashed potatoes before. These look delightfully crispy, and the flavor combos sound so comforting! Can't wait to try!
Theresa
Wednesday 8th of November 2017
Looks so yummy,can't wait to make them.Thank You
Julie
Thursday 9th of November 2017
Thank you! I hope you enjoy!