Savory, melty, and crispy, these Cheesy Smashed Potato Bites are the perfect option for a crowd-pleasing appetizer or snack. You could even serve them as a side dish, or a fun finger food main course!
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Craving something with classic, familiar flavors that's as filling as it is tasty? These smashed potato bites are the ultimate party food, game day appetizer, and more!
Similar to my Loaded Potato Skins, this is a surefire hit with any crowd. Your guests will love the crispy potatoes paired with savory toppings!
And if you love these flavors, you should also try my Easy Loaded Potato Soup for an even more comforting take on this dish.
Why this Recipe Works
Easy to make, this recipe combines classic ingredients into a bold and tasty dish that can be served as a snack, appetizer, side dish, or even a main course!
These smashed potato bites are easy to customize with all your favorite toppings, your preferred seasonings, and more. You'll love how easy it is to prepare this dish that any company is guaranteed to love!
Ingredients Needed
- Creamer Potatoes: This refers to any petite potatoes that are about 1 inch in size. Creamer potatoes are usually Yukon gold potatoes or red potatoes.
- Olive Oil
- Seasonings: I used a combination of salt, black pepper, paprika, and Old Bay to give these potato bites a nice flavor base.
- Bacon: A classic topping for baked potatoes, bacon provides a fantastic dimension of saltiness.
- Garlic: Fresh minced is always recommended.
- Butter
- Chives: Green onions can also be used.
- Shredded Cheese: Just about any kind of shredded cheese will work great here, but cheddar cheese is a classic choice.
How to Make Cheesy Smashed Potato Bites
- Step 1: To a pot of boiling, salted water, add your baby potatoes. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain and toss in a large mixing bowl with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper.
- Step 2: Meanwhile, in a separate microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and combine with minced garlic and Old Bay.
- Step 3: Heat a large pan over medium-high and add chopped bacon.
- Step 4: Cooked for 7 to 8 minutes or until crispy, then transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
- Step 5: Arrange the potatoes on a large baking sheet and use a heavy glass or mason jar to carefully smash each potato.
- Step 6: Brush the potatoes with the garlic butter mixture.
- Step 7: Bake, then remove the potatoes from the oven and sprinkle with cheese.
- Step 8: Bake another 5 minutes or so, or until cheese is melty. Top with bacon bits, fresh chives, and your chosen toppings.
Recipe Tips
- Allow people to choose their own toppings for their potato bites for a customized experience.
- Serve alongside a dip like ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, or just plain sour cream.
- Be sure to press the potatoes nice and flat (aim for about 1/4 inch thick). This will ensure they get super crispy in the oven.
- Don't cut the boiling process short--fluffy, tender potatoes are crucial to the smashing process!
- Any sturdy object with a flat, clean bottom works well for pressing the potatoes. Use a glass jar, a measuring cup, or a small bowl.
- Switch up the seasonings and personalize your potatoes as much as you like. For some heat, add cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes. More flavor can also be achieved with garlic powder, onion powder, or herbs like fresh rosemary, thyme, or oregano. Italian seasoning is also a good way to easily pack a lot of flavor into your potatoes.
- Top with fresh chopped chives, parsley, green onions, or dill.
- Store leftover crispy smashed potatoes in an airtight container. Pop them back in the oven to reheat.
Recipe FAQ's
This likely means you didn't boil them long enough! Be sure they're fork tender all the way through before attempting to press them down.
If you reach the end of the baking process and want an even crispier result, broil the potatoes for a few minutes. Just keep a close eye on them because they can easily burn this way.
Yes you'll have to make them in smaller batches. Preheat the air fryer and place a single layer of smashed potatoes in the basket. Fry at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes then add the cheese and fry another 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted.
Store leftover crispy smashed potatoes in an airtight container. Pop them back in the oven or air fryer to reheat.
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Cheesy Smashed Potato Bites
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds creamer potatoes
- 6 slices bacon chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 cup shredded cheese I used pepper jack and cheddar
- 2 tablespoons chives chopped
- Sour cream optional
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to boil add 1 tablespoon of salt and the potatoes. Cook potatoes for 15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain in a strainer.
- Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat and add the bacon, cook until crispy about 7-8 minutes then place on a paper towel to drain.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Place the potatoes in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and using a heavy glass press each potato flat (about 1/2 inch thick) but still keeping them whole.
- In a small bowl add the butter and melt in the microwave. Stir in the garlic, old bay seasoning and mix.
- Brush the butter mixture over the potatoes.
- Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven, and divide the cheese evenly over each potato bite. Bake for another 5-7 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and add the crispy bacon and chives on top and serve with sour cream if desired.
Notes
- Choose nice small potatoes and boil them until they're tender. This will ensure a nice thin layer that gets perfectly crispy in the oven.
- Use cheddar, mozzarella, or colby jack cheese, or try a blend of your favorites.
So happy they were a hit Shaina 🙂
We made these for the playoffs last weekend and they were a huge hit! Hubby has requested them for the Super Bowl!
Made these potato bites for Monday night football and they were a huge hit! Next time I need to make a double batch lol