Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Molten Raclette Cheese

Crispy potato edges, a pile of molten raclette and a skillet full of garlic rosemary butter. This dish turns simple boiled potatoes into a dramatic dinner side in one pan. Every bite gives you crunch, savory cheese and a stretch that you pull apart with two forks.

Smashed potatoes are one of the most satisfying ways to cook a small potato. Boiling them until tender gives the inside a soft, fluffy texture, and pressing them flat creates plenty of ragged edges that turn golden in hot fat.

Frying them in butter infused with garlic and rosemary adds a deep, herbal flavor, and the grated raclette melts over the top into a gooey layer that clings to every crisp piece.

The result is rich, savory and easy to share straight from the skillet onto a wooden board. It works well as a dinner for a small group, or as a centerpiece alongside a green salad. The method is simple, the timing is forgiving, and the result looks as impressive as it tastes.

Ingredients

Why this recipe works

Boiling the potatoes first cooks them through so the centers become tender and fluffy. Smashing them flat then increases the surface area, so more of each potato meets the hot butter. The rough, split edges brown faster and turn into the crisp crust that gives this dish its texture.

Frying in butter with garlic and rosemary builds flavor directly into the crust. Butter browns well at medium-high heat and carries the aromatic oils from the herbs and garlic.

Adding the raclette at the end lets it melt on top of the hot potatoes without burning, producing the stretchy, molten layer that defines the dish.

Notes and substitutions

Choose small yellow potatoes that are similar in size so they cook at the same rate. Waxy or semi-waxy varieties hold their shape when smashed and give a creamy interior, which is why they are preferred here. Scrub them well, but leave the skins on for extra texture and flavor.

A cast iron skillet holds heat evenly and gives the potatoes a deep, crisp crust, which is why it suits this recipe. A wooden board is useful for smashing and for serving.

Raclette is a semi-firm Swiss cheese that melts smoothly, and if you cannot find it, Gruyère or Swiss cheese gives a similar result. Grate the cheese on a box grater just before using it for the fluffiest pile.

• raclette cheese: Gruyère or Swiss cheese, grated, for a similar melt
• small yellow potatoes: baby Yukon Gold or fingerling potatoes of similar size
• fresh rosemary: 1 tsp dried rosemary, added with the garlic in the butter

Equipment

• large pot
• colander
• wooden cutting board
• sturdy knife
• box grater
• cast iron skillet
• fork
• heatproof spatula