Fiery Cheddar Smashed Taters

2/27/2026

Prep Time: 15 Min
Cook Time: 45 Min

Yields: 4 Servings

What You Need

Need some tips to cool these babies down? If you want to try them this way, serve with sour cream which will have a much better cooling effect than the Baja sauce. Alternately, you can swap out Thai Chilis for Jalapenos which are exponentially milder.

Add your potatoes to a pot and cover them by about an inch with cold water. Add 1/2 Tsp. Himalayan salt and bring to a boil. Once boiled, let them cook for 12 ish minutes until easily pierced with a fork. Start checking them after ten minutes. Once tender, strain and let your potatoes cool for a few before handling.
In the meantime, preheat your oven to 425 F
On a parchment lined baking sheet, set up 16 piles of aged cheddar, spaced equally apart. Top each one with a couple slices of green onion & Thai chili. Using a water glass, smash your potatoes gently on your cutting board, don't mash the hell out of them. Once smashed, nestle them into their pile of fiery cheddar, gently pressing them down. Once all of your potatoes are smashed and on the tray, brush them with EVOO and give them a sprinkle of salt & pepper. If you have any extra potatoes, you can arrange more piles or simply pack them up a future dish,

Once your oven is preheated, get your taters into the oven to bake for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the tray to a cooling rack. Carefully flip them, breaking apart any cheese that connects them before slipping. Once they're all flipped with their cheesy crust, return the tray to the oven for another 5 - 7 minutes until golden and gorgeous.
Once they've cooled a couple minutes and stiffened up, transfer them to a serving plate with your dip of choice. Garnish with the reserved green onions and enjoy these fiery taters!