Parmesan Crusted Potatoes with Tobiko Gochujang Dip

This is a such a fun and delicious way to eat potatoes! The best part is they’re so easy to make. The potatoes are coated with butter, olive oil, Pecorino Romano and red chili flakes and then baked in the oven with parmesan. They’re soft on the inside and crispy on the outside and the tobiko gochujang sauce is the perfect sweet and savory dip for these potatoes.

key ingredients

Parmesan Crusted potatoes

• Baby Yellow/Gold Potatoes
• Unsalted Butter
• Olive Oil
• Pecorino Romano
• Parmesan
• Red Chili Flakes
• Garlic

tobiko Gochujang dip

• Kewpie Mayo: Kewpie mayo is a Japanese mayo that is made with just the egg yolks which gives it a richer texture. It’s also tangier and sweeter than regular mayo. If you don’t have kewpie mayo, you can substitute with regular mayonnaise.
• Tobiko: Tobiko is a type of fish roe from flying fish. It’s commonly seen in various sushi rolls and it has a subtle sweetness to it. You can find Tobiko at most Asian markets in the seafood aisle.
• Gochujang: Gochujang is a Korean red chili paste that is sweet, savory and spicy. It’s made from gochu-garu (chili powder), glutinous rice and fermented soybean, salt and a sweetener. You can find gochujang at the Asian aisle at most supermarkets. H-Mart, which is a Korean supermarket chain, also carries them and it’s also available on Amazon.
• Lemon Juice
• Honey

key steps

prep the potatoes

• Wash and scrub the potatoes well. Then dry the potatoes with a towel.
• Cut the potatoes in half. I peeled my potatoes (in the video) only because my daughter doesn’t like potato peel but it’s totally not necessary.

Season the potatoes

• In a large bowl, mix together the melted butter, olive oil, garlic, red chili flakes, Pecorino Romano, salt and black pepper.
• Then add the potatoes to the butter mixture and combine all the ingredients together.

bake the potatoes

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Spread the grated Parmesan cheese onto the parchment paper. Then place the potatoes cut-side facing down on top of the Parmesan cheese.
• Bake for about 40-50 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through and the top of the potatoes develop a golden brown crust.

how to make the tobiko gochujang dip

I recently ate at Ju-Men Ramen Bar, which is a ramen joint in Chelsea. They served this sweet and savory Tobiko dip with their shrimp tempura. Despite the subtle heat in the dip, Rey really enjoyed it so I tried recreating the dip at home. When Rey tried the parmesan potatoes with the dip, she told me the dip was just as delicious as the potatoes so I hope you enjoy this dip as much as we did!

• Whisk together the kewpie mayo, tobiko, gochujang, honey, lemon juice and salt.
• Garnish with more tobiko on top and serve immediately.

This sauce also pairs well with fried chicken dishes like Karaage or even french fries!

helpful tips & learnings

Grated parmesan vs shredded parmesan

I tried this recipe with both grated and shredded parmesan. The finely grated parmesan adhered better to the potatoes than the shredded parmesan. The finely grated parmesan also developed a better crust on the potatoes as well.

Does scoring the potatoes make a difference?

I personally didn’t find a huge benefit to scoring the cut-side of the potatoes. In theory, scoring the potatoes should absorb more marinade. However, when I tested this, it really didn’t make a difference in flavor. What it really came down to was making sure the butter marinade is well seasoned with salt before coating the potatoes with it. So make sure to taste the marinade before adding the potatoes!