“What makes them Mexican potatoes?” a friend asked as he scooped my latest food experiment onto his paper plate in our backyard.
“I think it’s just the spices that put it in that category,” I told him.
He looked at me quizzically and only grabbed a few.
But after finishing off that first spoonful and going in for a second, I think it was safe to say he didn’t really care if there was a national origin to this side dish or not—they were a hit.
It was a couple weekends ago that Joey fired up his smoker and we invited some people over to eat with us and enjoy the truckload of food we prepared. It’s always more fun to enjoy meals like that with friends, and this one was no exception.
And this potato side dish was a great addition to the meal.
The recipe I tried comes from the blog, “Bites with Bri” by Brianna May. You can find the original post at https://biteswithbri.com/mexican-potato-recipe/. I added extra spices in my version below.
Crispy Mexican Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds small yellow potatoes halved
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese use the real stuff, not the stuff in a can
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside (I tried using foil, and it was tough to remove the potatoes. I think parchment is a better way to go.)
- Make sure the potato skins are dry after washing them before proceeding with coating them in seasonings. Just pat them with a paper towel.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the potatoes, oil and spices. Stir well to completely coat the potatoes.
- Press the cut side of each potato into the shredded parmesan and place it, cut side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat, spacing the potatoes just slightly apart.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Transfer hot potatoes to a serving dish and serve immediately.
I wish I could tell you how these reheated for leftovers, but we didn’t have any of those. These taters went quickly, and if I do this side for another barbecue where we’re expecting more people, I will definitely double the recipe.
These were just a little spicy. You can always decrease or cut out the chili powder if that’s not your thing, but we really enjoyed them. The crispy cheese, creamy potato and Mexican spices all go together perfectly and were perfect along with the smoked chicken Joey made as the main course.
I still can’t tell you if they really qualify as a “Mexican” dish, but I can tell you nobody will care much once their mouths are full.
This piece first appeared in print on July 20, 2023.
Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.
