Make Roasted Potatoes (Perfectly Golden ad Crispy)

• Food: Roasted Potatoes
• Writer: Nicolas Wilson
• Content-Type: Food Blog

Well hello, roasted potatoes. After a hard day, you’re precisely what I want for dinner. It’s more redeeming than French fries, but it’s still delicious.

I’ll admit that perfecting this roasted potato dish took a few tries. So, I’m going to share a few tips with you today. This approach produces large chunks of potato that are golden on the outside and pillowy-tender on the inside.

These roasted potatoes are great for weeknight dinners and the holidays, especially if you add rosemary.

I’ll occasionally top them with sour cream, chives, dill, flaky salt, and pepper for a variant we call ranch potatoes. They’re also delicious with a squirt of Easy Green Goddess Dressing on top.

In the end, these roasted potatoes are a surefire winner. Put them on the table!

Advice on Choosing Potatoes

For some intriguing texture and color contrast, I like to use a combination of red potatoes and Yukon golds.

Crimson potatoes have a fluffy inside, a distinct earthy flavor, and a bright red surface. Yukon golds have a rich, creamy texture. Certainly, you could utilize only one type.

Russet potatoes are better for potato wedges and mashed potatoes, but they’ll do in a pinch. They’re drier on the inside, which makes them ideal for French fries but not so much for roasting.

How to Cook Potatoes in the Oven?

The whole recipe may be seen below, but here’s why this method works so well:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

This is my preferred temperature for roasting vegetables, and it worked well with potatoes. It’s just high enough to have delicate potatoes with a beautiful caramelized edge, but not so high that the oil burns.

Cut the potatoes into 2-inch chunks using a sharp knife.

Two-inch slices are quite huge, maybe larger than you’re used to when roasting veggies. Your pan may appear to be empty, but this is for a good cause!

The potatoes have lots of room to breathe at this size, so they roast rather than steam. They also have a large enough surface area to turn golden. Finally, the chunks are large enough to provide contrast between the creamy inside and crisp exteriors, which would be lost if they were cut any smaller.

Combine olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and optional rosemary in a mixing bowl.

We’re going to need a lot less olive oil than you would expect. If you keep tossing, there will be enough to coat the potatoes. When I used more than one tablespoon of oil, the leftover oil in the oven became a little smokey.

We’ll add garlic powder for a faint yet tempting taste, as well as salt to bring out the finest in the potatoes.

Finally, if you have fresh rosemary, I recommend stirring it in finely chopped. While the potatoes bake, the rosemary simmers in the heated oil, imparting herbal flavors to the dish.

Roast, tossing halfway through, for 40 to 45 minutes.

To ensure that the potatoes get golden, place them in an even layer with their flat sides flush against the pan. Roast for 40 to 45 minutes, tossing halfway through, until the potatoes are a little shrunken and pillowy on the undersides. Now we’re having a conversation!

Garnish with fresh parsley, salt, and pepper, if desired.

Fresh parsley has an appealing green hue and a mild flavor. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste, then toss to help the parsley stick. Serve when still hot.

Suggestions for Serving Roasted Potatoes

To be honest, these roasted potatoes go with almost any dish. They’re particularly well-suited to more traditional fare and holiday suppers.

• Lentil Soup
• Soup with Creamy Roasted Carrots
• Apples, cranberries, and pepitas in a green salad
• Brussels Sprout Slaw with Honey Mustard
• Acorn Squash with Vegetarian Stuffing

Roasted Potatoes

These golden roasted potatoes are the perfect complement to any meal. Fresh herbs aren’t required, but they’re a pleasant touch. This recipe makes 4 substantial side servings (see note for multiplying the recipe).

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes and/or red potatoes, scrubbed clean
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon fine salt
• Optional: 1 tablespoon finely snipped rosemary (from about 3 sprigs)
• Optional garnish: 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions for Roasted Potatoes

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and position a rack in the center. To keep the potatoes from sticking, line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Potatoes should be cut into 2-inch slices (slice small potatoes in half, larger potatoes into quarters, and so on). Place them on the baking sheet that has been prepared.
3. Drizzle the olive oil over the potatoes and season with garlic powder, salt, and rosemary, if desired. Toss the potatoes in the mixture with your hands until they are equally coated (it may appear that you don’t have enough oil, but you do—keep going!). Arrange the potatoes in a single layer across the pan, with flat edges facing the pan.
4. Roast the potatoes for 40 to 45 minutes, tossing halfway through, until golden brown (check the undersides), and easily pierced with a fork. Season to taste with extra salt and black pepper, if used, and parsley, if using (careful, the potatoes are hot). Serve as soon as possible.

NOTES

• STORAGE SUGGESTIONS: Freshly roasted potatoes are preferable, although they can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave on low.
• HOW TO SCALE: If you increase the other quantities by 50%, you may bake up to three pounds of potatoes on a half-sheet pan (the potatoes will not get as crisp and will likely need a few more minutes in the oven). If you put more than three pounds of potatoes on a baking sheet, the potatoes will steam instead of roast. However, by putting the racks in the upper and bottom thirds of the oven, you can roast two pans simultaneously. Switch the pans’ locations halfway through tossing the potatoes (the pan on the upper rack goes to the lower rack and vice versa). Keep an eye on them since one pan, usually on the upper rack, may bake a little faster than the other.