Well hello, golden potatoes. You are exactly what I crave with dinner after a long day. More redeeming than French fries, yet just as nice. I’ll admit that it took me quite a few tries to perfect this roasted potatoes recipe. So, I have a few tricks to share today. This method yields substantial hunks of potatoes that are beautifully golden on the outside and pillowy-tender on the inside.
These roasted potatoes are lovely on weeknights and perfect for the holidays, especially when you add the optional rosemary. Sometimes, I load them up with some sour cream, chives, dill, flaky salt and pepper for a variation we could call ranch potatoes. They’re also great with a drizzle of Easy Green Goddess Dressing. Bottom line, you can’t go wrong with these roasted potatoes. Serve them up!
Potato Selection Tips
I love to use a combination of red potatoes and Yukon golds for some interesting texture and color contrast. Red potatoes are fluffy on the inside, with a distinctive earthy flavor and fun red exterior. Yukon golds are ultra creamy. You could use just one variety, for sure. I prefer to save Russet potatoes for potato wedges and mashed potatoes, but they will work in a pinch. They are more dry on the inside, which makes them perfect for French fries, but not quite as suitable for roasting.
Watch How to Make Roasted Potatoes
How to Roast Potatoes
You’ll find the full recipe below, but here’s why this method works so well:
1) Preheat to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
This is my go-to temperature for roasting vegetables, and it proved perfect for potatoes. It’s high enough to yield tender potatoes that are nicely caramelized on the edges, but not so high that the oil burns.
2) Slice the potatoes into even 2-inch chunks.
Two-inch chunks are rather large, probably larger than you’re accustomed to slicing vegetables for roasting. Your pan might look a little bare, but all for good reason! At this size, the potatoes get plenty of breathing room so they roast instead of steam. Plus they have ample surface area to turn golden. Lastly, the chunks are big enough to offer contrast between the creamy interiors and the crisp exteriors—something you’ll miss if you slice them any smaller.
3) Toss with olive oil, garlic powder, salt and optional rosemary.
We’ll use less olive oil than you might think necessary. I promise it’s enough to coat the potatoes if you keep tossing. When I used more than one tablespoon oil, the excess oil turned a little smoky in the oven. We’ll add garlic powder for some subtle but irresistible flavor and salt because it brings out the potatoes’ best. Lastly, I highly recommend stirring in some finely chopped fresh rosemary if you have it. While the potatoes bake, the rosemary simmers in the hot oil and infuses the dish with herbal notes.
4) Roast for 40 to 45 minutes, tossing halfway.
First, make sure to arrange the potatoes in an even layer with their flat sides flush against the pan so they can turn golden. Roast for 40 t0 45 minutes, stirring halfway, until the potatoes are deeply golden on the undersides and a little shrunken and pillowy. Now we’re talking!
5) Season with optional fresh parsley, salt and pepper.
Fresh parsley offers some enticing green color and some light flavor. Sprinkle a little more salt and some pepper all over, then stir to help the parsley stick. Serve while warm.
Roasted Potato Serving Suggestions
These roasted potatoes are a wonderful addition to most dinners, honestly. They’re especially suitable with more traditional meals and holiday suppers.
Best Lentil Soup Creamy Roasted Carrot Soup Green Salad with Apples, Cranberries and Pepitas Honey Mustard Brussels Sprout Slaw Vegetarian Stuffed Acorn Squash
Craving more roasted veggies?
Roasting vegetables is a simple art. Here are quite a few delicious options:
Roasted Asparagus Roasted Broccoli (Plus Four Variations) Roasted Brussels Sprouts Roasted Carrots (Three Ways) Roasted Cauliflower (Four Ways) Roasted Green Beans Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Please let me know how your potatoes turn out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
How to scale: You can bake up to three pounds of potatoes on a half-sheet pan if you increase the other quantities by 50 percent (the potatoes) might not get quite as crisp and will likely need a few extra minutes in the oven). Do not uses over three pounds of potatoes per baking sheet, or the potatoes will steam rather than roast. You can, however, roast two pans at once by placing the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. When you toss the potatoes halfway, swap the pans’ positions (the pan on the upper rack goes to the lower rack and vice versa). Keep an eye on them as one pan, typically on the upper rack, may finish baking a bit sooner than the other.
