Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup

January 11, 2021 by Lauren Schmidt Leave a Comment

You just came across the BEST Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup Recipe! Honing in all of the flavors of a baked potato but also sneakily lightened up with cauliflower. My version of this soup plays with smoky flavors of bacon, smoked paprika, and smoked gouda to take the whole to a new level! Plus it couldn’t be any easier thanks to the easy pressure cooker method!

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Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup in three bowls shown at an angle topped with cheese, bacon, green onions, and sour cream they are sitting next to a pile of spoons.

Healthy Baked Potato Soup

Let your pressure cooker to all the heavy lifting this winter and make this super cozy (yet healthy) Loaded Baked Potato Soup.

Many versions of this soup lack just a tad in my opinion so I really wanted mine to shine with both flavor but also a soup that will make you feel good!

So you will see the obvious potatoes in this soup but you also see cauliflower to help keep it light but with the same creamy constancy that potatoes have. In this version too you won’t be seeing any heavy creams or cheddar, instead I packed this with bacon, smoked paprika, and smoked gouda plus finished off with a bit of sour cream for ultimate creaminess.

So get that pressure cooker out, let’s get making dinner!

Overhead view of a large white bowl filled with baked potato soup topped with smoked gouda cheese, bacon crumbles, green onions, and sour cream.

Supplies

For this recipe you will want a few specialty items like…

Electric Pressure Cooker: The one I have is a Mealthy Multipot, I totally love it if you are still in the market for one.
Blender, Immersion or Stand: An immersion blender is one of those things you don’t realize how amazing it is until you finally have one, it works great to quick blend this soup, not to worry if you don’t have one, you can just transfer to a stand blender to blend it as well. AND if you don’t have any of those things I also have tested it by mashing to with a potato masher for a little bit more chunky soup and it was still delicious!
Standard Kitchen Accessories: Such as tongs, measuring cups/spoons, you will probably need a cheese grater since smoked gouda usually comes in block form, as well as a knife, cutting board, and ladle.

Ingredients for Loaded Baked Potato Soup

A pretty simple list of ingredients:

bacon – I tend to use nitrate free all natural bacon, this is a personal preference, you won’t be using a ton, just 4 strips enough to help flavor the soup but not overpower it
onion – a medium sized white or yellow onion, diced up
russet potatoes – russets work best here, but if you need a substitution a Yukon Gold could also work
cauliflower – one full head, you will want to cut it into 4 sections and remove as much of the stems and leaves as you can while trying to keep it in the large chunks so it doesn’t get over cooked
smoked paprika – not too much to over power the dish but just enough to add to that smoky flavor
chicken broth – a standard 32 ounce package
kosher salt – kosher salt has a different shape than table salt, so if you are using table salt use HALF the amount, you could also sub sea salt using the same measurements as kosher salt
smoked gouda – smoked gouda can most likely be found in the fancy cheese section in a block or circle shape, smoked gouda helps give this soup the smoky flavor so if you sub out for normal gouda you will be missing out on that smoky flavor
sour cream or greek yogurt – I tested this recipe both with sour cream and greek yogurt, the sour cream makes the soup slightly smoother and creamier but I honestly thought it tasted great with either, so if you want to make soup without sour cream use plain greek yogurt instead
green onions – for topping the soup at the end, you could also use chives

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

Ingredients needed to make loaded baked potato soup sitting on a white background.

Instructions

First up, prepping the vegetables! Note, keeping the potatoes and cauliflower chunky helps keep an even cook in the pressure cooker. Peel and slice the potatoes into about 1 inch rounds. For the cauliflower cut the head into quarters, removing as much of the stem and leaves as you can while keeping the cauliflower in large chunks. Finally dice the onion. Set vegetables aside.

Add your strips of bacon to the pressure cooker pot. Turn the pressure cooker onto Sauté mode. Cook the bacon, flipping occasionally until browned and slightly crispy, transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate to cool and be crumbled for topping.

Add the diced onion to the bacon grease, sauté the onion in the bacon grease 2-3 minutes until it becomes slightly translucent. Using about ¼ cup of the chicken stock splash a little onto the onions, moving your cooking utensil around the bottom scraping up and releasing any large brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Turn off the Sauté mode.

Collage showing the bacon being cooked on sauté mode and then adding onions to the bacon grease and sautéing the onions.

Now over the onions add the sliced potatoes. Over the potatoes add the cauliflower. It is important to do it in this order, you will want as much of the cauliflower NOT in the broth, this will help steam them for a better cook rather than just boiling it. Once the vegetables are in add in the smoked paprika, salt, and chicken broth.

Collage showing the steps of adding the potatoes to the pressure cooker, than the cauliflower, then the seasonings.

Seal the lid, turn steam vent to sealing, and select manual/pressure cook. Set to high pressure for 15 minutes.

When the timer goes off quick release the steam. Once the float has dropped carefully open the lid.

Collage showing the ingredients in the instant pot before cooking and then the ingredients cooked in the pot after removing the lid.

Now you have three choices…

For Immersion Blender: Use your immersion blender in the pot to blend the soup until smooth.

For Stand Blender/Food Processor: In two batches (as not to overcrowd) carefully transfer the hot vegetables and broth to a blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer (back) to a pot.

By Hand: Use a potato masher or large spoon to mash the contents of the soup together, while it will be a little more chunky than the other methods it still totally works!

Once soup is smooth add the smoked gouda and sour cream, stir it in until fully smooth and creamy. Serve immediately topped with crumbled bacon, additional cheese, green onions, and sour cream.

Collage showing steps of adding cheese and sour cream to pot and the smooth creamy soup.

Tips, Tricks, & Questions

Can I make this on the stovetop?

Absolutely! Follow the steps in a large pot over medium-high heat instead. You will want to bring the broth to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until vegetables are tender, it will probably take between 30-40 minutes.

I can’t find Smoke Gouda. What can I sub?

You can substitute regular gouda or cheddar cheese as well.

Flatly of three bowls filled with baked potato soup sitting on a gray background next to a towel, spilled bacon crumbles, and spoons. The soups are garnished with cheese, bacon, and green onions.

Close up of a bowl of baked potato soup with the toppings of shredded gouda cheese, green onions, crumbled bacon, and sour cream.

You might also like:

Yield: 4 servings

Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Name: Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: additional shredded smoked gouda; green onions; sour cream; 4 strips of bacon; 1 medium onion; 3 medium russet potatoes; 1 cauliflower head; 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika; 4 cups chicken broth; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 cup smoked gouda, shredded; 1/2 cup sour cream (or greek yogurt)

Lightened Up and Loaded this Baked Potato Soup made in the pressure cooker is full of flavors, perfect for a cozy family meal!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

4 strips of bacon
1 medium onion
3 medium russet potatoes
1 cauliflower head
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup smoked gouda, shredded
1/2 cup sour cream (or greek yogurt)

for garnishing:

additional shredded smoked gouda
green onions
sour cream

Instructions

Prep the vegetables, note keeping the potatoes and cauliflower chunky helps keep an even cook in the pressure cooker. Peel and slice the potatoes into about 1 inch rounds. For the cauliflower cut the head into quarters, removing as much of the stem and leaves as you can while keeping the cauliflower in large chunks. Finally dice the onion. Set vegetables aside.
Add the strips of bacon to your pressure cooker. Turn the pressure cooker to Sauté mode. Cook the bacon, flipping occasionally until browned and slightly crispy, transfer the bacon to a papertowel lined plate to cool and be crumbled for topping.
Add the diced onion to the bacon grease, sauté the onion in the bacon grease 2-3 minutes until it becomes slightly translucent. Using about ¼ cup of the chicken stock splash a little onto the onions, moving your cooking utensil around the bottom scraping up and releasing any large bits of brown from the bottom of the pot. Turn off the sauté mode.
Overtop the onions add in the potatoes. Overtop the potatoes add the cauliflower. It is important to do it in this order, you will want as much of the cauliflower NOT in the broth, this will help steam in for a better cook rather than just boiling it. Once the vegetables are in add in the smoked paprika, salt, and chicken broth.
Seal lid, turn steam vent to sealing, and select manual/pressure cook. Set to high pressure for 15 minutes.
When the timer goes off quick release the steam. Once the float has dropped carefully open the lid.
For Immersion Blender: Use immersion blender in pot to blend the soup until smooth. For Stand Blender/Food Processor: In two batches carefully transfer the hot vegetables and broth to a blender. Blend until smooth. By Hand: Use a potato masher or large spoon to mash the contents of the soup together, while it will be a little more chunky than the other methods it still totally works!
Once soup is smooth add the smoked gouda and sour cream, stir in until fully smooth and creamy. Serve immediately topped with crumbled bacon, additional cheese, green onions, and sour cream.

Notes

I tested this recipe both with sour cream and greek yogurt, the sour cream makes the soup slightly smoother and creamier but I honestly thought it tasted great with either!

Easy Broccoli and Cheese Baked Potatoes

March 31, 2020 by Lauren Schmidt Leave a Comment

Easy to make Broccoli Cheese Baked Potatoes make a delicious and easy meatless meal your family will love. Super easy to prep these baked potatoes with roasted broccoli and a quick 10 minute cheese sauce is a dinner you will be making regularly!

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easy to make Broccoli Cheese Baked Potato on a plate with cheddar cheese sauce dripping down the side

Broccoli And Cheese Stuffed Baked Potatoes

You all have to put up with a very brief personal story about broccoli cheese baked potatoes from me for just a sec.

When I was pregnant with my oldest my first trimester was nightmare. Sick all the time, no energy, weird food cravings. You see where this is going?

At the time we lived in Columbus Ohio which happens the be the headquarters of the restaurant chain Wendy’s, so naturally the metro area of Columbus was full of Wendy’s, there seemed to be one on every corner.

Now Wendy’s might be the only fast food to carry baked potatoes on their menu, correct me if I am wrong. And during that first rough pregnancy Wendy’s Broccoli and Cheese Baked Potatoes were MY LIFE.

It is all I ever wanted. Matt will even tell you this ‘cute’ little antidote about that one time he accidentally drove past a Wendy’s without stopping to get me a Broccoli and Cheese Potato and I STARTED CRYING. Pregnancy hormones man…

Now to this day a good Broccoli Cheese Potato is still something I crave quite frequently. And in the last 5 years since my early pregnancy cravings I have become really good at making them at home.

So for you lucky folks I finally actually wrote down the recipe and I am sharing it with you today.

Now you don’t have to be obsessed with baked potatoes like me, but I am pretty confident your family with love this meal and you will love how easy it is to make!

flatly of two dinner plates with broccoli cheese baked potatoes and a sheet pan with roasted broccoli and baked potatoes

Ingredients:

A few simple things needed for these potatoes:

Russet Potatoes: When shopping try to get the potatoes all the same size so they all cook evenly. The nice thing about the recipe is you can scale it really easy, so if you want s few extra potatoes (or less) you can totally do that.
Broccoli: The most common form of broccoli is see in stores is the crowns, so grab a few crowns, or a large head and cut it into bite sized florets. Or just grab a bag or two of the pre-cut florets!
Olive Oil: You can use really use any oil you like here but I like the taste of olive oil on my potatoes. The oil is used for the vegetables for the oven for cooking, it keeps the outside of the baked potatoes crispy!
Butter: Preferably unsalted but if you only have salted, use less salt for the sauce. You will use the butter as part of a Roux to make the cheese sauce.
Flour: The thickening agent for the cheese sauce, you will mix the flour and butter together to make the roux and then add the cheese.
Milk: A main component of the cheese sauce. I used whole milk but any variety should do.
Spices: Paprika and Salt. Just a little bit of each.
Cheddar Cheese: Freshly Shredded, the sauce will be much more creamy if you shred your own cheese from a block. As far as variety of cheddars choose the one that suites you, for the most classic version use a mild cheddar cheese, but if you like the sharp varieties use that!

a sheet pan containing all of the ingredients needed to make broccoli cheese baked potatoes

Instructions for Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Baked Potatoes:

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Clean potatoes. Carefully with a fork poke little holes all over each of the potatoes, about 9-12 times, this lets stem escape from the potatoes.

Using about 1 ½ tablespoons of the olive oil, rub oil all over the potatoes until covered. Arrange potatoes on a sheet pan, season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven and bake 45 minutes.

Just before the 45 minutes are up toss the broccoli florets in the remaining olive oil. When the time is up carefully add the broccoli florets to the sheet pan around the potatoes. Transfer back to the oven. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender and broccoli is cooked.

baked potatoes and roasted broccoli on a sheet pan

While the sheet pan finishes cooking make the cheese sauce, you are basically making a roux and then adding the cheese.

In a medium saucepan add the butter and bring over medium heat. Melt the butter, once the butter starts to bubble add the flour and whisk together, it okay if it is clumpy.

Very slowly add about 1/4 of the milk to the saucepan, whisk together with the butter/flour mixture until smooth. It should start to thicken. Slowly whisk in the remaining milk, make sure there are no clumps of flour remaining. As the milk warms it should thicken, let it continue to heat up, stirring every so often until the milk is hot and starts to steam. Do NOT let the milk boil, it can take about 6 to 8 minutes for the milk to heat up and start to thicken.

step by step photos of making a roux for the cheese sauce

Once it has started to thicken stir in the paprika and salt.

Turn off the heat. Add half of the cheese to the top of the milk, let it begin to melt, 10 to 20 seconds then whisk in until combined. Repeat with the rest of the cheese to finish making your cheese sauce.

adding spices and cheese to the milk to make a creamy cheese sauce

To serve, slice open the potatoes, add broccoli to the middle and drizzle with the cheese sauce. Eat immediately.

cheese sauce being fired over a baked potato stuffed with broccoli

Tips & Tricks:

For a better sauce use fresh shredded cheese from a block instead of pre-shredded cheese, but the pre-shredded cheese can work if needed, it just might take longer for it to melt into the sauce.

You can scale this recipe as needed. Love the cheese, double the sauce! Make more or less potatoes as needed. You can even add in more veggies if you like, I think cauliflower and carrot are a good addition to the broccoli.

You can honestly make this recipe about 15 different methods. In a hurry, use your pressure cooker to make the potatoes and quickly steam the broccoli while making the cheese. Feel free to mircowave your potatoes and broccoli if needed. I have used many different methods to make this but this is the one I find EASIEST with time permitting.

If you have leftover cheese sauce it definitely can be refrigerated but it will thicken A LOT, when you reheat it the sauce will thin out again.

broccoli stuffed inside a baked potato topped with a creamy cheese sauce on a plate

Other recipes you may like:

Yield: 4 servings

Broccoli Cheese Baked Potatoes

Easy to make baked potatoes with roasted broccoli and a quick 10 minute cheese sauce that makes the perfect weeknight dinner!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

4 russet potatoes
2 broccoli crowns, cut into florets
2 tablespoon olive oil

for the cheese sauce:

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
dash paprika, about 1/8 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cheddar cheese, freshly shredded

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Clean potatoes. Carefully with a fork poke little holes all over each of the potatoes, about 9-12 times, this lets stem escape from the potatoes.
Using about 1 ½ tablespoons of the olive oil, rub oil all over the potatoes until covered. Arrange potatoes on a sheet pan, season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven and bake 45 minutes.
Just before the 45 minutes are up toss the broccoli florets in the remaining olive oil. When the time is up carefully add the broccoli florets to the sheet pan around the potatoes. Transfer back to the oven. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender and broccoli is cooked.
While the sheet pan finishes cooking make the cheese sauce, you are basically making a roux and then adding the cheese. In a medium saucepan add the butter and bring over medium heat. Melt the butter, once the butter starts to bubble add the flour and whisk together, it okay if it is clumpy.
Very slowly add about 1/4 of the milk to the saucepan, whisk together with the butter/flour mixture until smooth. It should start to thicken. Slowly whisk in the remaining milk, make sure there are no clumps of flour remaining.
As the milk warms it should thicken, let it continue to heat up, stirring every so often until the milk is hot and starts to steam. Do NOT let the milk boil, it can take about 6 to 8 minutes for the milk to heat up and start to thicken. Once it has started to thicken stir in the paprika and salt.
Turn off the heat. Add half of the cheese to the top of the milk, let it begin to melt, 10 to 20 seconds then whisk in until combined. Repeat with the rest of the cheese to finish making your cheese sauce.
To serve, slice open the potatoes, add broccoli to the middle and drizzle with the cheese sauce. Eat immediately.

Notes

For a better sauce use fresh shredded cheese from a block instead of pre-shredded cheese, but the pre-shredded cheese can work if needed, it just might take longer for it to melt into the sauce.

You can scale this recipe as needed. Love the cheese, double the sauce! Make more or less potatoes as needed. You can even add in more veggies if you like, i think cauliflower and carrot are a good addition to the broccoli.

You can honestly make this recipe about 15 different methods. In a hurry, use your pressure cooker to make the potatoes and quickly steam the broccoli while making the cheese. Feel free to mircowave your poatoes and broccoli if needed. I have used many different methods to make this but this is the one I find EASIEST with time permitting.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 422Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 419mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 5gSugar: 2gProtein: 14g

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

And make sure you are following me on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all the latest recipes!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

The BEST Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes Recipe

March 12, 2020 by Lauren Schmidt 2 Comments

The BEST recipe for Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes. This super cheesy recipe is honestly easy to make and a huge holiday table crowd pleaser! Thinly sliced potatoes get layered with cheddar cheese and a cream sauce then baked to perfection, the result heavenly melt in your mouth potatoes with a golden brown cheesy crust that no one can resist.

This post may contain Affiliate Links.

hands with towels holding a freshly made casserole full of Au Gratin Potatoes

Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes

Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes might be my favorite side dish EVER. Tender potatoes baked in cream and cheese, not to mention the crust of golden brown cheese on top?! Droolworthy!

Lucky for all of us making Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes at home isn’t difficult at all! Although this dish does take a while to bake the end result will impress all of your family and guests!

a spatula in the Au Gratin Potatoes ready to take a scoop of potatoes out

What is Potatoes Au Gratin?

I think that there can be a little confusion on the different potato dishes like what the difference is between Au Gratin Potatoes, Scalloped Potatoes, and Funeral Potatoes? They are all different even though they are closely related all at the same time.

“Au Gratin” is French and it essentially refers to a crispy baked top, this top is often comprised of cheese and/or breadcrumbs. So basically Au Gratin Potatoes are a potato dish baked in a cheesy creamy sauce with a cheese crust.

Whereas Scalloped potatoes technically are made without cheese on top and usually covered with cracker or bread crumbs. And Funeral Potatoes, a largely regional dish are usually made with a cream soup and crushed potato chips.

All of this dishes are delicious but today lets concentrate on How to make Au Gratin Potatoes!

In my version I try to keep it as simple as possible. Some recipes will have you unnecessarily make a cheese sauce on the stovetop before adding it to your dish. Not me, everything bakes together for so long in the oven that you do not need to do that.

You will slice the potatoes. Make a super simple cream sauce (not on the stove), and shred cheese. You will then layer them and bake, it is really that simple, but let’s go into a little more detail…

side view of a white casserole dish full of freshly made Au Gratin potatoes

How to make Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes

As far as special appliances to make this dish you don’t technically need a whole lot. You will make the potatoes in a 9×13 baking dish, and beside the usually kitchen utensils like measuring cups, grater, knife, and whisk a mandolin slicer can be handy for this recipe!

No mandolin slicer?? No fret you can definitely slice these potatoes by hand it just might take you a few extra minutes. (I actually prefer cutting them by hand because I detest cleaning my mandolin, its only 5 to 6 potatoes so not that many to slice.)

Ingredients for Au Gratin Potatoes

Russet Potatoes: Two pounds worth which is about 5-6 medium potatoes. The potatoes will be peeled and sliced thin by hand or with a mandolin slicer, about 1/8 inch.

Butter: Melted, you can use salted or unsalted in this dish.

Heavy Cream: Heavy cream has to be what makes it so delicious right? The only thing special to not about the cream is you will want it room temperature to lukewarm, this is to prevent the butter from solidifying when mixed together. So it is as simple as warming the cream in the microwave 45-60 seconds.

Garlic: Just a little minced garlic for the dish, but just enough to give it some aroma.

Paprika & Onion Powder: Just like the garlic not a ton goes into this dish, just enough to give it a little something extra. Traditionally there aren’t a ton of spices in Au Gratin Potatoes but I think just a little gives it something extra.

Cheddar Cheese: Shredded, by you not the store. There is a huge melting difference between freshly shredded cheese from a block and pre-shredded cheese from the store. The shredded cheese from the store comes covered in preservatives which while ‘keep it fresh’ slows down melting, and trust me when making Au Gratin Potatoes you want melty, so grab your grater and get shredding!

ingredients, potatoes, cheese, cream, butter, and spices to make Au Gratin Potatoes

So now that you know what you need let’s get cooking!

Preheat your oven to 375º F. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish.
Peel cleaned potatoes. By hand with a sharp knife or with a mandolin thinly slice the potatoes, the thickness should be about 1/8 inch.
Prep the cream sauce for the potatoes. Combine melted butter, cream, garlic, paprika, and onion powder together in a large measuring cup. Whisk together to combine.
Now to prepare the dish layer 1/3 of the potatoes evenly across the bottom of the dish. Now layer 1 cup of the cheese over the potatoes, followed by 1/3 of the sauce over top of the cheese. Repeat those layers once more. You will make one more layer but the last one in a different order, the third and final layer will be the remainder of the potatoes, then sauce, and cheese last. Cover the dish tightly with tin foil.

photos showing the steps for the first layer of potatoes, cream sauce, and cheese

photos showing the 2 layering of potatoes, cheese, and cream sauce

photos showing the final layering step of potatoes, cream sauce, and the shredded cheese

Transfer the dish to the oven and bake 60 minutes. Uncover and turn the oven temperature up to 425ºF. Cook 15 more minutes uncovered until the cheese makes a brown bubbly crust on top of the potatoes. Let rest at least 10 minutes before serving.

Note that it is important to give it time to rest before serving. First off so that people don’t burn their mouths but also because it will give the dish time to thicken!

Au Gratin Potato Casserole dish sitting on a table with forks

What to serve with Au Gratin Potatoes

Seeing that Au Gratin Potatoes are mostly known as a holiday side dish here are some other dishes that you can make part of your meal.

Yield: 8 servings

Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes

The BEST recipe for Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes. This super cheesy recipe is honestly easy to make and a huge holiday table crowd pleaser! Thinly sliced potatoes get layered with cheddar cheese and a cream sauce then baked to perfection, the result heavenly melt in your mouth potatoes with a golden brown cheesy crust that no one can resist.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Rest Time 10 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

2 pounds russet potatoes, about 5-6 medium potatoes
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup heavy cream, room temperature to lukewarm
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded*

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375º F. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.
Peel the cleaned potatoes. By hand with a sharp knife or with a mandolin thinly slice the potatoes, the thickness should be about 1/8 inch.
Prep the sauce for the potatoes, combine melted butter, cream, garlic, paprika, and onion powder together in a large measuring cup. Whisk together to combine.
To prepare the dish layer 1/3 of the potatoes evenly across the bottom of the dish. Now layer 1 cup of the cheese over the potatoes, followed by 1/3 of the sauce over top of the cheese. Repeat those layers once more. You will make one more layer but the last one in a different order, the third and final layer will be the remainder of the potatoes, sauce, and cheese last. Cover the dish tightly with tin foil.
Transfer to the oven and bake 60 minutes. Uncover and turn the oven temperature up to 425ºF. Cook 15 more minutes uncovered until the cheese makes a brown bubbly crust on top of the potatoes. Let rest at least 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

The heavy cream should be room temperature to lukewarm to avoid the melted butter hardening back up when mixed together. Simply microwave the cup of cream 45 to 60 seconds to achieve this. Now the melted butter and cream should incorporate together when whisked.

*For best results do NOT use pre-shredded cheddar. Buy a block of cheddar and shred it yourself. The pre-shredded cheddar comes coated in preservatives that prevent the cheese from melting. For the best version of this dish use freshly shredded cheese.

Crispy Oven Roasted Baby Yukon Potatoes

October 16, 2018 by Lauren Schmidt Leave a Comment

I am obsessed with these Crispy Oven Roasted Baby Yukon Potatoes, or in my opinion fries. Seriously these little potatoes get all crisp and salty on the outside and creamy and tender on the inside. The perfect side dish for just about anything. Plus they take very little effort to make, so they are made a lot at our house.

I like to toss them in some sort of fresh herb when they are done like minced parsley or chives. And of course just like a fry they are great dunked in ketchup.

So in a time before The Schmidty Wife I used to make crispy baby potatoes all the time but the old way I used to make them was so much work. I would boil them whole until almost done, cut them in half and then get out the cast iron skillet and crisp them up in the skillet, too much work. Then I discovered the sheet pan method, albeit kind of by accident but I have continued to go back to this method time and time again.

The Ingredients

Baby Yukon Gold Potatoes or Yukon Creamer Potatoes, these little guys are so smooth and creamy and delicious, they basically melt in your mouth. So when the edges get nice and crisp you can imagine, basically a French fry, but almost maybe even better than a fry, if that is possible. The Yukon Potato is known for its yellow flesh and it’s thin skin that is perfect for almost all cooking methods.

Olive oil, I love what the mild buttery taste of olive oil brings to this dish. The oil keeps these potatoes moist and is responsible for giving the potatoes its crispiness. If you don’t want to use olive oil, a neutral oil like vegetable or canola oil would also work well.

Salt and pepper, what would we do without salt and pepper? Did you know that salt has played a huge roll in history, in fact it has at points been used as currency. Well in this recipe I recommend a nice sea salt or pink Himalayan salt opposed to just table salt. Same goes for pepper, fresh ground black pepper also does these potatoes justice.

That’s it. Unless if you count adding a herb as a garish. I often will run out back and grab a couple of chives to toss with the potatoes or chop up some parsley. It gives it a little bit of freshness if that is what you are looking for.

The Method

So to get these Crispy Oven Roasted Baby Yukon Potatoes the trick it to not toss during cooking. The potatoes will be cut in half, tossed in the oil, salt, and pepper. They will then be spread out to a single layer in the sheet pan flesh side down, so that the skin of the potato is faced up. By keeping the potatoes face down in the sheet pan in the oil, it gives them time to cook and get crisp against the hot surface, much like you would crisp the potato in a skillet. By not touching or tossing them you let that crispness build up that you otherwise wouldn’t if you stopped and tossed them halfway.

So easy right?! These Crispy Oven Roasted Baby Yukon Potatoes make a perfect side to almost every dish. I like to replace them in situations where I would otherwise make fries. Perfect with burgers, sandwiches, and roasted meats.

TIPS & TRICKS

• You can add other spices or herbs to the potatoes to cook, a seasoned salt would be good, so would adding chives before cooking

• This method does work for other types of baby potatoes as well, not just Yukon gold

• If you don’t have great sheet pans yet, I recommend Nordic Ware Baker’s Half Sheet Pans

Yield: 4 servings

Crispy Oven Roasted Baby Yukon Potatoes

crisp baby Yukon potatoes made in the oven

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

2 pounds baby yukon potatoes (yukon creamer potatoes)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350º F. Half each of the potatoes and add to a sheet pan.
Drizzle sheet pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine ensuring all the potatoes are covered in oil.
Spread potatoes out in a single layer and lay the cut side down on the sheet pan so that the skins are facing up.
Transfer sheet pan to the oven and bake 50-60 minutes.
Serve potatoes immediately. Best garnished with fresh herbs like parsley or chives and served with ketchup.

Notes

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.