Garlic and Herb Smoked Potatoes

An easy smoker recipe with the simplest ingredients, these garlic potatoes are velvety in texture and rich in flavor! Seasoned with dill, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan cheese, these potatoes make a delicious addition to any smoked meat smoker recipe!

Jump to:

• Why This Recipe Works
• Types of Potatoes
• Ingredients You'll Need
• Preparing The Smoker
• Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions
• Expert Tips and FAQs
• Smoker Cookbook
• Other Smoked Foods You’ll Love
• Garlic and Herb Smoked Potatoes

Go with me here for a minute because I want to paint you a picture. You've decided to break out your smoker and smoke a cut of meat, like smoked ribs or smoked chicken. You've cleared your day and you're going to be monitoring your smoker in preparation for a delicious meal. Your day is planned and your agenda is set.

But what are you going to serve with your smoked meat? Have you thought about what side dishes you're going to serve? Do you really want to heat up your house by making side dishes on the stove or in the oven?

Queue the Garlic and Herb Smoked Potatoes! Ah...what an amazing smoker recipe! Smoking potatoes is a great side dish to enjoy! Your smoker is already prepped. You're already smoking meat. There is PLENTY of room in that smoker...so why not smoke yourself some side dishes? I mean, it's a BRILLIANT concept...and super convenient, am I right?

And...one less mess!

I love love LOVE these smoked potatoes! Let me walk you through how SIMPLE this process is and what ingredients you'll need.

Types of Potatoes

While you can use red potatoes, aka new potatoes, or purple potatoes, gemstone potatoes are the BEST to use for this smoker recipe.

Gemstone Potatoes are a mixture of white, red, and purple baby potatoes. They have a thin skin that has a flavorful and fresh taste. When these small potatoes are cooked, they are extremely velvety and tender.

Ingredients You'll Need

To start, you'll marinate the gemstone potatoes in an extremely flavorful marinade. I'm talking CRAZY flavorful! This marinade is all about simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen! I use the following ingredients.

Expert tip: If you have a flavor infused olive oil, use it in this recipe. It really enhances the flavor. I also find that when I use either kosher or himalayan salt, it adds more flavor due to the texture of the salt crystals. 

Want the secret to what makes this smoker recipe so phenomenal? FRESH GARLIC! And lots of it! Oh my goodness, the garlic! It's the KEY ingredient. This garlic based marinade gives these smoked potatoes the most delectable flavor!

Preparing The Smoker

These smoked potatoes can be made using any type of smoker. A lot of my readers tell me they are constantly looking for traeger side dishes to make. And these traeger potatoes taste amazing. I've made these on 3 types of smokers, including my traeger, with great success.

Regardless of the smoker you use, it's important that you use a water pan to help add to the moisture level in the potatoes. If you're smoker has a water pan, wrap it with heavy-duty aluminum foil before adding the water. By doing this, you’re saving yourself a lot of mess and we all know that less cleanup is always better. If you're using a pellet smoker, add a small aluminum foil pan filled with water and set it directly on the smoker grates.

If you're using wood chips or chunks in your smoker, place them in the designated tray. For this recipe, I find any wood type works well. I favor a mesquite or pecan wood the most. Preheat your smoker to 225°F before placing the potatoes in the smoker.

Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions

Start by taking all the ingredients and put them in a gallon-sized plastic bag. After you've washed the potatoes, put them in the Ziplock bag, seal, and shake to ensure the marinade evenly coats all the potatoes. Place the bag in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours. Expert Tip: Because there are no perishable ingredients in this recipe, the potatoes can marinate a room temperature.

Tear a big piece of aluminum foil and lay it out flat. Pour the marinated potatoes onto the large piece of aluminum foil.

You're going to make a loose foil packet by folding the aluminum foil in half. Place the smoker potatoes and 2 Tablespoons of water in the center of the aluminum foil and then pull over one side so you can fold all the edges.

Expert Tip: Make sure you don't seal the packet too tightly because you want some of the smoke to penetrate the potatoes. You can either poke holes in the foil packet or leave a small opening in the middle of the foil packet.

Next, place the foil packet on the smoker and let them smoke for 2 hours.

Once done, pull the foil packet from the smoker and slowly open. Pour the smoked potatoes, and any remaining juice from the foil packet, into a bowl and you're ready to serve!

Expert Tips and FAQs

• By adding the 2 Tablespoons of water directly into the foil packet, you're adding direct moisture to the potatoes. This helps them have more of a velvety texture.
• A lot of people ask me how the smoke flavor gets to the potatoes when they are sealed in a foil packet. If you want that smoke flavor, make sure you don't seal the packet all the way. Your goal here is to let some of the smoke in so the potatoes have a smokey flavor. You can either poke holes in a sealed foil packet or leave a small opening in the middle of the foil packet. Depending on how much of a smoke flavor you want will depend on what method to use.
• After 2 hours in the smoker, take a fork and gently press into a potato to ensure they are done. If they are not done after 2 hours, continue to let them smoke checking them in 30 minute intervals until they are smooth inside using the fork test.
• I love to top these smoked potatoes with fresh chopped parsley and fresh grated Parmesan cheese!
• Using a flavored olive oil really helps bring out the flavor. If you don't have a flavored infused olive oil, it's ok...you can use regular olive oil.
• Let the potatoes marinate for at least 2 hours...but longer is better! Typically, I let them marinate overnight, up to 24 hours.

Smoker Cookbook

Are you looking for more smoker recipes? Not only do I have a collection here, but I also just published a smoking cookbook! It contains 65 smoker recipes that anyone can do! Whether you're new to the practice or just want to brush up on the basics, Smoking Meat Made Easy is your ultimate guide to backyard smoking. Master the most flavorful techniques, with dozens of options that are easy to follow, and that work with any type of smoker.

Go order your copy on Amazon here:

Other Smoked Foods You’ll Love

If you want to pair these potatoes with some other amazing smoked foods, here's some of my favorite smoker recipes you should try. A lot of people are intimidated by trying a Smoked Brisket, but it's a pretty straightforward process. I even give you some tips on how to get past the stall.

I often pair my Smoked Cherry Tomatoes with Basil and Goat Cheese with these potatoes. Both go really well as side dishes with any smoked meat, such as my Smoked Pork Tenderloin.

You should also check out my article on 16 Recipes That Will Convince You To Buy A Smoker because there are so many foods that can be smoked. Smoked lobster, smoked salmon...you name it and I cover it in this article.

I can’t wait to hear how this recipe turned out for you! If you’ve tried this or any other recipe of mine on the website, make sure you rate the recipe. You can also leave a comment below! I love hearing from you!

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Update Notes: This post was originally published in April 2018, but was re-published with updated step-by-step instructions, pictures, and tips in June 2021.