The Baking Method Giada De Laurentiis Uses For Extra-Crispy Cheesy Potatoes

Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis has great tips for cooking potatoes — and for extra-crispy and cheesy parmesan potatoes, she bakes them using a clever method. First, De Laurentiis cuts small potatoes in half. Then she pours melted, unsalted butter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet before adding and mixing in a load of grated Parmesan cheese, herbs, lemon zest, and ground pepper. She then spreads this buttery, cheesy mixture in an even, thin layer on the prepared baking sheet and places the potatoes, cut-side-down, on top. 

Optionally, you can smash each potato half before baking everything until the butter mixture browns and transforms into something akin to cheese chips or crisps. When ready to enjoy, grab the crispy cheese and break off a potato. This dish is perfect as a stand-alone snack or as an appetizer during dinner time. As a snack, consider pairing the potatoes with a dipping sauce, such as ranch or blue cheese, for more cheesy flavor. A drizzle of your favorite chili crisp brand over the potatoes will add a spicy and umami kick. It's a dish you'll likely make again and again.

You can transform the crispy Parmesan potatoes to suit your palate. There's a creative way to use chili crisp in your cooking to build heat directly into the base. After melting the butter, stir a spoonful or two of chili crisp into the Parmesan and seasonings. This infuses the potatoes with heat from the start and adds extra umami. You can also swap out chili crisp with sriracha or your favorite hot sauce for a different kind of kick. 

If that sounds too spicy for your taste buds, you can try using your favorite brand of jarred marinara or tomato sauce instead. Following Giada De Laurentiis' tip for buying the jarred sauce, the result will be cheesy Parmesan potatoes that remind you of pizza. Speaking of pizza, you can also dice up pepperoni and add that to the buttery cheese mixture as well. After baking the potatoes, be sure to garnish with basil. 

Fans of twice-baked potatoes can also make a version with De Laurentiis' method. Add some cheddar cheese and bacon to the mixture and, after baking the potatoes, be sure to top with chopped scallions and dollops of sour cream.