Crash Potatoes are tender red potatoes that are smashed, seasoned, cheesed up and baked until crispy.

Crash Potatoes
Crash Potatoes are an invention of the Pioneer Woman and they are sure to be your newest favorite way to cook potatoes. The red potatoes are cooked until tender (I did this step in the Instant Pot, while her recipe does it on the stove) and then smashed on a cookie sheet, drizzled with oil and seasoned. They bake in the oven and get crispy skins. Super easy recipe but super poppable into your mouth! My family tore these off the sheet pan and devoured them in minutes. I need to make them again soon!
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Red potatoes
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Fresh cracked pepper
- Dried dill–or another herb like rosemary
- Parmesan cheese
Steps
Add 1 ½ cups water into bottom of Instant Pot. Add washed potatoes into a steamer basket. Drop the steamer basket into the Instant Pot.

Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 10 minutes (ping pong size potatoes) or 20 minutes (tennis ball size potatoes). When time is up move valve to venting. Remove the lid.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a sheet pan drizzle 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Place potatoes on the sheet pan equally spread out and sitting in the olive oil. With a potato masher gently press down on each potato until it slightly mashes and then rotate the masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the potatoes with the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle each potato with kosher salt, pepper and dill to taste. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle a tablespoon of shredded parmesan cheese on each potato and bake for 5 more minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- Serve as side to steak, pork chops, chicken breast, ham, etc.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot* with my silicone steamer basket*.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Other recipes you can make with parmesan cheese are Instant Pot Garlic Parmesan Chicken and Instant Pot Garlic Parmesan Au Gratin Potatoes.

More Instant Pot Recipes with Red Potatoes…
Instant Pot Parmesan Ranch Potatoes
Tender cubes of red potatoes covered in a flavorful cheesy sauce. With only a 2 minute pressure cook time this recipe comes together so quickly.
Karen’s Campfire Potatoes (Instant Pot)
Karen’s Campfire Potatoes are like the Dutch oven potatoes you eat when camping but they are made in a fraction of the time. Plus you don’t have to set up camp and start a fire! You’re going to love these red potatoes with onions, bacon and the perfect amount of seasoning.
Farmer’s Breakfast
A hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon and potatoes that will fill you up and keep you full until lunch or even dinner! Use your Instant Pot to quickly steam the potatoes.
Instant Pot Homestyle Chicken and Vegetables
Well seasoned chicken, green beans, red potatoes and carrots are all cooked together quickly in your electric pressure cooker. A true one pot meal that is family friendly, tastes amazing and is so easy to put together.
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.


Crash Potatoes
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Crash Potatoes are tender red potatoes that are smashed, seasoned, cheesed up and baked until crispy.
Ingredients
- 10–15 red potatoes (ping pong size)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Fresh cracked pepper
- Dried dill
- Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Add 1 ½ cups water into bottom of Instant Pot. Add washed potatoes into a steamer basket. Drop the steamer basket into the Instant Pot.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 10 minutes (ping pong size potatoes) or 20 minutes (tennis ball size potatoes). When time is up move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a sheet pan drizzle 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Place potatoes on the sheet pan equally spread out and sitting in the olive oil.
- With a potato masher gently press down on each potato until it slightly mashes and then rotate the masher 90 degrees and mash again.
- Brush the potatoes with the remaining olive oil.
- Sprinkle each potato with kosher salt, pepper and dill to taste.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle a tablespoon of shredded parmesan cheese on each potato and bake for 5 more minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Category: Side
- Method: Instant Pot and Oven
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
nice….
Hi! Great sounding recipe , couple of questions
1. Can these be made ahead? If so, to what point?
2. How would an air fryer be used for the oven part of the recipe?
Thanks
1. I would pressure cook ahead of time and keep in the pot on keep warm until ready to continue on with the recipe.
2. I would place potatoes in air fryer and drizzle with some olive oil (you don’t need all of it). Then Sprinkle each potato with kosher salt, pepper and dill to taste. Air fry for 10 minutes. (this is a guess, I haven’t tried it myself).