These loaded potato wedges are the ULTIMATE party snack. Crispy on the outside, fluffy in the middle, and absolutely loaded with flavor. Topped with a spicy, cheesy sauce and fresh Asian-style toppings, they’re easy to make and impossible to stop eating.
Loaded Wedges, at a Glance
- ⏰ Total Time: 45 minutes
- 🍽 Makes: 4 to 6 servings (perfect for sharing)
- 🧠 Skill Level: Beginner-friendly
- 🛒 Key Ingredients: Potatoes, cheese, gochujang paste, milk, fresh herbs
- 🧑🍳 Cooking Method: Oven baked (air fryer friendly)
- 🌶 Heat Level: Medium (very easy to adjust)
- 🎉 Perfect For: Game day, parties, casual entertaining, weekend snacking.
Why These Loaded Wedges Work
I am officially obsessed with these wedges. What’s not to love? They’re bold, salty, spicy, but still fresh, and seriously easy to eat:
- Ultra-crispy potato wedges get smothered in a spicy, gochujang-laced cheesy béchamel sauce, then finished with crispy bacon, pickled chili or jalapeños, fresh cilantro, scallions, and sesame seeds.
- There’s no stress about sogginess here – they stay crispy with all the toppings.
- Plus, you can prep all the elements ahead of time (cheesy sauce, pickles, herbs, bacon, and even par-cook the wedges), making serving super easy.
- The base recipe is super flexible. You can easily dial the spice up or down, swap the toppings, or keep things kid-friendly if needed.
But the real magic? The contrast. Fresh herbs and tangy pickled chili cut through any richness of the cheese sauce, so the wedges don’t feel heavy. And crispy wedges are the perfect base for scooping up every layer of flavor, without going soggy.
The wedges feel party-worthy, but still actually doable. I love them for game day, casual drinks, or a big party, but they’re just as excellent as a side on a better-than-takeout night in. Pairing them with sticky pulled pork sliders, smash dumpling tacos, or crispy hot honey chicken tenders is an excellent idea.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Potatoes. I’m using Maris Piper, but for US readers, Russet, Yukon Gold, or any fluffy potato labeled as ‘good for baking or roasting’ will work beautifully. Avoid waxy potatoes (like red potatoes) – they won’t get quite as crispy in the oven.
- Cheesy spicy bechamel. You’ll need all-purpose flour, milk (ideally whole milk, though 2% works fine), butter, cheese (I like to use a sharp cheddar for the best flavor – shred it yourself to help it melt smoothly into the sauce), and gochujang paste. Gochujang is a fermented Korean chili paste that’s spicy, savory, and slightly sweet – it’s UTTERLY delicious. You’ll find it in the Asian food aisle of most grocery stores, and you can also pick it up from Amazon. If you can’t find it, you could use harissa paste or sriracha.
- Prosciutto (or bacon). I love the crispy, salty shards you get when you bake prosciutto. You can swap it for bacon, or leave it out for a vegetarian version.
- Scallions, cilantro, and green chili (or jalapeños). These provide a fresh contrast to the cheesy sauce. The chili is quickly pickled with a little rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar). Jarred pickled jalapeños are a great shortcut. If you’re not a cilantro fan (I get it!), swap it for flat-leaf parsley, mint, or basil.
How to Make Loaded Wedges
This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make the wedges – the full recipe with ingredient quantities and instructions is at the bottom of the page for you.
- Chop your potatoes into chunky wedges, then boil them until they can be pierced easily with a fork.
- Drain them, then toss them with polenta (cornmeal) or flour. This helps to create those lovely, crispy, craggy edges.
- Carefully transfer the wedges to a rimmed baking sheet or baking dish with hot, preheated oil. Spread them into a single layer (this helps them get super crispy).
- Bake the wedges until they’re deeply golden and super crispy around the edges. While they cook, make the cheesy sauce and prep the fresh toppings.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, add the flour and stir to form a paste (a roux). Cook for a couple of minutes to cook out the raw flour.
- Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly, until smooth and thickened. Remove from the heat, then whisk in the cheese and gochujang paste, until the sauce is lovely and glossy.
- Once cooked, pile the crispy wedges onto a serving platter.
- Pour over most of the cheesy sauce, then top with the bacon, scallions, cilantro, pickled chili, and sesame seeds.
Kate’s Prep Ahead Tips
You can make the cheesy gochujang bechamel up to 5 days in advance, then heat it on the stovetop or microwave to serve.
All the fresh elements can be prepared 3 days in advance.
The wedges can be par-cooked earlier in the day you want to serve them – boil them and toss them with the polenta, then just throw them into the oven when you’re nearly ready to serve.
Loaded Wedges FAQs
Floury potatoes are best here. I like Maris Piper or Agria, but for US readers, Russet or Yukon Gold are great too.
Avoid waxy potatoes (like red potatoes) – they won’t get as fluffy in the middle or crispy on the outside.
Yes! To make this even easier, you can absolutely use frozen wedges. Just cook them according to the packet instructions, then focus on making the toppings while they cook.
This usually comes down to two things:
– Crowding the pan. Try to make sure your wedges are spread out in a single layer (as much as possible anyway) on your rimmed baking sheet or oven dish. If they’re piled on top of each other, they end up steaming and getting soggy, rather than crispy.
– The oil isn’t hot enough. This is a super important step (I like to heat the oil in the baking dish while the potatoes are parboiling). Once the wedges hit the hot oil, they immediately start crisping up.
Wedges are a wonderful side to so many meals. I love serving them with:
– Meat (try them with miso grilled chicken, sticky gochujang chicken, hot honey chicken tenders, or juicy lamb koftas)
– Fish (miso grilled salmon, sizzling steamed fish, or maple glazed salmon are great)
– With pizza or burgers (try them with a DIY pizza using Greek yogurt pizza dough, pulled pork sliders, juicy Greek-style lamb burgers, or hot honey fried chicken sandwiches.
– A spread of salads (this grilled chicken caesar salad, broccoli crunch salad, satay chicken crispy rice salad, green goddess salad, or crunchy Asian salad are great options).
You could swap the gochujang for harissa paste, sriracha, or another hot sauce. Just taste whatever you use before adding it to make sure it’s not too spicy.
This is an easy fix, and it happens to the best of us! All you need to do is whisk in a little more milk until the sauce loosens up again.
You’ll find it thickens as it sits and cools (you’ll notice this especially if you make it ahead of time), but once you reheat it, it will loosen up again.
You sure can. Air fry the par-boiled wedges at 400°F (200°C) for about 20 minutes, giving the basket a shake halfway through, until they’re golden and crispy.
You’ll most likely need to cook them in batches, so you don’t overcrowd the basket and make them go soggy.
Watch How to Make Loaded Wedges
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Crispy Spicy Loaded Potato Wedges
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
These loaded potato wedges are the ULTIMATE party snack. Crispy on the outside, fluffy in the middle, and absolutely loaded with flavor. Topped with a spicy, cheesy sauce and fresh Asian-style toppings, they’re easy to make and impossible to stop eating.
Ingredients
For the wedges –
- 2.2lbs (1kg) potatoes (Russet, Yukon Gold, Maris Piper, Agria)
- 1 tablespoon salt (for boiling)
- 1/4 cup light olive oil or sunflower oil
- 1 tablespoon polenta (cornmeal)
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt (for finishing)
For the spicy cheesy béchamel sauce –
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups freshly shredded cheese (I like sharp cheddar or Gruyère)
- 2 tablespoons gochujang paste
For the loaded toppings –
- 4 slices bacon or prosciutto (streaky or American-style bacon)
- 3 scallions (green onions)
- 1 green chili (or 1 tablespoon pickled jalapeños)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves (or flat-leaf parsley, or mint)
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Prep the wedges. Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C). Add the oil to a large rimmed baking sheet or baking dish, and pop it into the oven to heat. Chop the potatoes into chunky wedges – I like to chop them in half, then chop each half into about 3 rough wedges.
- Par-boil the wedges. Transfer them to a large pot and cover them with cold water. Add 1 tablespoon of salt, then place the pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer the wedges for 5 minutes, until they can be pierced with a fork.
- Cook the wedges. Drain the wedges using a colander, then transfer them back into the now dry pot. Sprinkle over 1 tablespoon of polenta, and give the pot a good shake to rough up the edges (this helps give them lovely craggy, crispy edges). Carefully remove the tray from the oven and tip the wedges onto the tray. The hot oil will splatter and sizzle, so be careful! Spread them out into a single layer. Pop into the oven to roast for 30 – 35 minutes, until they’re looking golden and crispy all over. Sprinkle the flaky salt over them and toss once they’re finished.
- Make the cheesy spicy béchamel. Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, then add 2 tablespoons of flour, whisking to combine into a paste (roux). Keep whisking to cook out the raw flour for a couple of minutes. Lower the heat and gradually pour in the milk, whisking as you go. It’ll thicken, then thin as you keep whisking. Keep stirring as it thickens and starts gently bubbling. It should end up like a very thick gravy. Remove from the heat, then add the gochujang paste, salt, and cheese, stirring as it melts into the sauce. Taste, and add a little more salt if needed. Set aside.
- Prepare the rest of the toppings. Chop 2 of your scallions finely, then slice the other 1 thinly lengthways and pop it into a glass of water (this will make them curl up). Slice your green chili into thin rounds, then add to a small bowl with a tablespoon of rice vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Give it a little mix and set it aside to pickle. Cook your bacon on the stove-top over medium-high heat until super crispy – about five minutes. Chop or crumble it, ready to top the wedges.
- Garnish and serve. Pile the crispy wedges onto a serving platter. Spoon over the warm, cheesy sauce, then finish with the scallions, cilantro, pickled green chili, crispy bacon, and sesame seeds. Serve any remaining sauce on the side for dipping.
Notes
AIR FRYER INSTRUCTIONS: You can also make the wedges in the air fryer. Air fry the par-boiled wedges at 400°F (200°C) for about 20 minutes, giving the basket a shake halfway through. You might need to cook them in batches to make sure they’re not piled on top of each other (this prevents them from getting crispy).
BECHAMEL TROUBLESHOOTING: Sauce too thick? Whisk in a little extra milk until it loosens up again. It’ll thicken as it sits and cools – but when you reheat it, it will loosen up. Sauce too thin? You likely need to cook it a little longer – it will thicken when you add the cheese and when it cools. Sauce is lumpy? This is usually a pretty easy fix. Take the pan off the heat and whisk vigorously to get any lumps out. If all else fails, you can use an immersion blender to quickly blitz it smooth. Sauce grainy? This is usually because your heat is too high when you add the cheese. Always remember to add cheese off the heat and stir it until just melted. I also recommend shredding your own cheese – rather than using pre-shredded (this has an anti-caking agent, which means it doesn’t melt as cleanly).
INGREDIENT NOTES: For the crispiest wedges, use a flour potato variety. Russet, Yukon Gold, Maris Piper, or Agria are great. Or to make things even easier, you could use frozen potato wedges – cook them according to the packet instructions and focus on the sauce and toppings.
SUBSTITUTIONS: If you can’t find polenta, just use flour to dust the wedges instead. Swap out the cilantro for flat-leaf parsley or mint, and skip the green chilli if you’re worried about it being too spicy. If you can’t find gochujang, use sriracha or another hot sauce (taste it before you use it – if it’s SUPER hot, reduce the quantity you add to the cheesy sauce).
PREP AHEAD: These wedges are best served right after cooking and topping for maximum crunch – but you can prepare the elements in advance: The cheesy gochujang bechamel will keep well for 5 days in the fridge, and you can chop all the fresh toppings 3 days in advance. The crispy bacon (or prosciutto) will keep well for a week stored in the fridge. You can par-boil and toss the wedges in polenta earlier in the day, before you cook them. They’ll be fine sitting at room temperature until you’re ready.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Serve with pulled pork sliders, hot honey fried chicken sandwiches, grilled miso chicken, hot honey chicken tenders, or sizzling oil steamed fish, honey harissa glazed halloumi, grilled chicken caesar salad, or enjoy just itself.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 35
- Category: fakeaways
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 10 wedges
- Calories: 499
- Sugar: 10.4g
- Fat: 36g
- Saturated Fat: 17.2g
- Carbohydrates: 24.5g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 20.8g
- Cholesterol: 66mg
