Crispy Parmesan Potatoes
Toss halved baby potatoes with olive oil and seasonings, roast them cut-side down at 425°F for 20 minutes, then flip and add Parmesan. Roast 10 to 12 minutes more until the potatoes are tender and the cheese has crisped into golden edges.
Crispy Parmesan Potatoes are what plain roasted potatoes become when somebody finally gives them a little ambition. Baby Yukon Gold or red potatoes are halved, seasoned with garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and olive oil, then roasted cut-side down so the flat surface has uninterrupted contact with the hot sheet pan. That is where the deep browning starts.
Parmesan joins later, not at the beginning. Cheese has enthusiasm but very little patience; give it the full roasting time and it can burn before the potatoes are tender. Flip the potatoes after about 20 minutes, scatter over the Parmesan, then return them to the oven until the cheese turns golden and crisp around the edges. The centers stay creamy while the outside develops the salty crust that makes people keep “testing” one more potato directly off the pan.
Give them space. Crowded potatoes trap steam, and steam is how crispness gets murdered quietly in a kitchen. A roomy pan at 425°F is the difference between roasted potatoes and a sheet full of polite, damp disappointment.
