Golden Crusted Potatoes
These golden crusted potatoes are honestly one of those recipes we keep coming back to because they're just so satisfying to pull out of the oven. The idea is simple but the result is spectacular: a crispy, cheesy base made from Cathedral City Plant-Based Extra Mature that the potatoes cook directly on top of, so every cut side gets this incredible golden crust. You get fluffy potato on top and a seriously crunchy, herby, cheesy underside that people genuinely can't believe is plant-based. They're perfect as a side for a big weekend spread or whenever you want something that feels a bit special without loads of effort. Trust us on this one, they'll be gone before they hit the table.
Before You Start
- Preheat oven to 200°C
- Large baking tray lined with parchment paper
- Box grater or food processor
Ingredients
- 200g Cathedral City Plant-Based Extra Mature, grated
- 1.5kg new potatoes
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- Salt and pepper
- Before You Start
Method
Prepare ingredients
- Cut the potatoes in half
- Coarsely grate the Cathedral City Plant-Based Extra Mature
Arrange & sprinkle cheese
- Scatter the grated Cathedral City Plant-Based Extra Mature over the lined tray, creating an even cheesy layer
- Sprinkle over the parsley and oregano
Cook potatoes
- Place the potatoes, cut side down, onto the cheesy base, leaving only a few millimeters space between them
- Drizzle with around 2 tbsp olive oil on top
- Place in a preheated oven for 35–40 minutes
- They’re done when the cheese is golden-brown and crispy and the spuds are crispy on the outside, fluffy inside
Time to serve
- Either bring the whole tray to the table or pile them high on a serving plate, Sprinkle over the chopped chives and dip in your fave sauces
Tips & Variations
- Get the cheese layer even: Scatter the Cathedral City Plant-Based Extra Mature as evenly as you can across the tray. Thin patches can burn, thick patches won't crisp up properly, so take an extra 30 seconds to spread it out nicely.
- Don't move them while they cook: We know it's tempting to lift a corner and check, but leave the potatoes alone until the timer goes off. Moving them too early means the crust hasn't set and you'll lose the whole golden base.
- Try different herbs: Oregano and parsley are our go-to here but Henry's been experimenting with smoked paprika and thyme lately and honestly it's a great shout, especially if you're serving these alongside something smoky.
Why This Works
The trick here is placing the potatoes cut side down directly onto the grated cheese layer, so as everything cooks the cheese melts and crisps up underneath each potato, almost like a little cheesy crown in reverse. The parsley and oregano get toasted into that crust too, which adds this lovely herby depth you don't get from just seasoning the top. We find leaving only a few millimetres between the potatoes really helps them steam gently from the inside while the base goes properly golden.