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Learn how to make the perfect restaurant-quality Oven Roasted Potatoes. These are crispy on the outside, creamy, and tender on the inside, every single time! This is a secret I learned from a chef in Spain, and this method never fails to make the most delicious side dish for any family meal.
This foolproof method will be your go-to recipe for crispy roasted potatoes. I first learned this technique from a restaurant chef in Spain, and it has been reiterated by chefs I’ve met throughout the world. And the secret is consistent.
Table of Contents
- Ingredients + Substitutions for Perfect Roasted Potatoes
- Which Potatoes Work Best for Roasted Potatoes?
- Variations
- Preparation
- Step One: Par Boil the Potatoes
- Step Two: Season
- Step Three: Roasting Potatoes in the Oven
- Chef’s Tip
- Make Ahead and Storage
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What To Pair With Roasted Potatoes
- Perfect Oven Roasted Potatoes
There’s a question we get a lot here on the blog. “What’s the recipe you use for those potatoes we see in so many of your pictures?” And the answer is – these roasted potatoes! It’s the number one side dish recipe made on our website.
The reason? It’s foolproof and delicious. And everyone loves crispy potatoes.
Ingredients + Substitutions for Perfect Roasted Potatoes
This recipe is gluten-free and vegan and is easy to scale up.
- Potatoes – The best potatoes to use for these roasted potatoes are Yukon Gold or other yellow potatoes, followed by red potatoes.
- Salt – Use lots of kosher salt for the water when par boiling. We use 1/4 cup so the water tastes salty.
- Olive Oil – Tossing the potatoes in olive oil helps them crisp up from the fat. You can use any of your favorite oils.
- Seasoning – This recipe keeps it simple with kosher salt, coarse black pepper, and chopped fresh rosemary. You can add any herbs you want.
- Garnish – If you want a garnish consider freshly chopped parsley after roasting.
Which Potatoes Work Best for Roasted Potatoes?
For this method, we’ve found the following potatoes work best. Avoid using russet potatoes. Those are better as a whole roasted potato, potato wedges, or grilled potato with a higher starch content.
- Yellow Potatoes – Yukon Gold potatoes are our favorite, and part of the yellow potato family. Any yellow potato is rich and creamy.
- Red Potatoes – Red potatoes are similar to yellow and are a good option in a pinch.
- Fingerling Potatoes – Fingerling potatoes will work with this method, although they are often not the same uniform size. If you use fingerling we recommend you roast them whole.
Variations
Consider some of the following ideas for variations on roasted potatoes.
- Onions and Garlic – If you want to add additional flavor, cut up onions and diced garlic and toss with the potatoes and olive oil.
- Herbed Potatoes – We like to add dried thyme or fresh rosemary with onions and garlic for a play on herbed potatoes. We like to add herbs to our breakfast potatoes.
- Cheesy Roasted Potatoes – Consider adding freshly grated parmesan cheese when the potatoes first come out of the oven like our duck fat potatoes.
Preparation
Cut potatoes into similar-sized quarters. Typically we quarter smaller potatoes and cut up larger ones into equal-sized bites.
Now on to the secret of how to roast perfect potatoes.
Step One: Par Boil the Potatoes
- Place the cut potatoes in a medium to large pot (depending on how many potatoes you are cooking), THEN add cold water – enough to cover the top of the potatoes. Add 1/4 cup kosher salt.
- Turn your burner on high. This is where you start your timer. Set a timer for 15 minutes. The pot will come to a boil around the 8-minute mark. Once it’s boiling bring it down to a simmer, and continue cooking until the 15 minutes is up.
- DO NOT start your 15 minutes after the water starts to boil. Start it the minute you put it on the pot and it begins to boil. This allows the potatoes to slowly heat up along with the water.
Step Two: Season
Drain the water then add the drained potatoes into a large bowl. Add olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss to coat.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (preferred) or aluminum foil then add the potatoes in a single layer. If the potatoes are bunched up they will steam. To get the crispy exterior you want them in a single layer versus laying on top of each other.
Scaling Up: If you scale up the recipe be sure you use multiple baking sheets.
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Step Three: Roasting Potatoes in the Oven
Place in a preheated 425 degree oven on convection. This is important. The convection will keep the air moving and help crisp up these taters! Cook 15 minutes. Then toss. Cook an additional 15 minutes.
Voila — the perfect oven roasted potatoes!
If your potatoes are a little thicker then you may need to adjust cooking temps by 5 more minutes. Just take one out and test it with a fork or knife. It should have a nice crispiness on the outside, and soft on the inside.
Don’t have a convection oven? That’s OK too. The convection simply rotates the air around the oven. With a traditional oven, use the same temperature, but stir up the potatoes every 10 minutes for about 50 minutes or you like the crispiness.
The perfect side dish for any dinner entrée.
Chef’s Tip
Do not crowd the sheet pan or the potatoes will steam versus roast. Use more pans if you are scaling up.
Make Ahead and Storage
If making ahead you can par boil the potatoes first, drain, and then wait to season and roast until the next day. I would not recommend prepping longer than one day ahead.
Store any leftover potatoes in an airtight container for up to five days in the refrigerator, three if you add cheese. To reheat add olive oil to a large skillet. Add potatoes and stir until they are crispy and warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are par boiling – which we recommend – you do not need to soak potatoes before roasting.
On convection 425 degrees F (and non-convection 450 degrees F).
What To Pair With Roasted Potatoes
- Marinated Grilled Skirt Steak
- Smoked Pork Tenderloin with Smoked Blackberry Bourbon Sauce
- Kettle Chip Crusted Smoked (or Grilled) Pork Tenderloin
- Grilled Filet Mignon
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Perfect Oven Roasted Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, (yellow potatoes are preferred but you can also use red or fingerling)
- kosher salt, Use ¼ cup kosher salt for the par boiling water.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, (we prefer Diamond Crystal)
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
Instructions
- Preparation: Set oven to 425 degrees F on convection. See notes if you don't have convection. Cut your potatoes in quarters or halves (depending on the size), or if using Yukon Golds cut into sixths.
- Par Boil: Place the potatoes in a medium to large pot and cover with water and a generous palm full of kosher salt. Set the timer for 15 minutes. Place pot on the stove and bring to a boil, then down to a simmer. Continue cooking at a simmer until your 15-minute timer goes off. Check at 13 minutes if you are nervous about over cooking.
- Roast: Drain water, then transfer potatoes to a sheet pan. Toss well with olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Place in oven and cook for 15 minutes. Toss and return to oven for 15-20 more minutes, until the potatoes look crispy and browned, and creamy on the inside.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These roasted potatoes turned out so good! Crispy on the outside, so creamy on the inside! I used Yukon gold potatoes and lemon rosemary salt. I did turn my oven up to 450 for the second half of the oven time. Hubby and kiddo loved them too. Will absolutely make these again! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
I am going to try this on the grill on the indirect side. I use a Slow ‘n Sear and a SnS Drip pan. I may try using the cast iron version of the drip pan. I think I can get the temp if I crack open the lid just a bit or use my BBQ Guru fan. But my question is, do you just put the potatoes in without drying them off with paper towel first?
We just drain the potatoes in a colander and that seems to remove the moisture. In a grill/cast iron with the fat it should toast up pretty well. Another option is to pre-heat the cast iron in the grill and drop the par-baked potatoes in the grill.
I used this method, plus a tip I’d read elsewhere about adding a little baking soda to the water. They turned out really great and evenly cooked! I will also use convection when roasting potatoes in the future. Thanks!
Making for the first time tonight! Should the pot of water be covered while being brought to a boil or uncovered? What about while simmering? Thanks!
Great question. No need to cover the potatoes at all, just bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered. We will update the details to reflect that.
I don’t have a convection oven and this recipe worked just fine; I was a little worried. I did put them in for just about three extra minutes after turning, though, just to be sure. I will confess to that I used a combination of EVOO and bacon grease, because you work with what you have, ha ha ha! #NoRegrets
Made these for Christmas Eve dinner and they were fantastic. Had along with reverse seared ribeyes. Thanks for the ideas.
MMM. I will have to try this. Exactly. We do parboil our potatoes, but we don’t have a perfect success rate. Sometime they are still not cooked, and sometimes they are crispy and dry. But, thanks for the tips!
These look great, Mary! I’ve never parboiled potatoes before roasting them, but I imagine that it would allow them to crisp on the outside without losing as much moisture in the process. I will have to give this method a try the next time I roast a batch. Thanks!