These oven roasted potatoes are light and creamy on the inside and pleasantly crispy on the outside. This is our favorite way of making roasted potatoes using Yukon gold potatoes, roasting them until crispy, and finally coating in seasoned melted butter right before serving.
Of all the options for vegetable side dishes, potatoes are one of the most popular (and my personal FAVORITE). This is because they are so comforting, soft, fluffy, and taste amazing with everything. They taste fantastic with different seasoning, sauces, and meats from beef and lamb to poultry and fish.
Potatoes really are a blank slate that’s perfect for adding different flavors!
If you like to add a little more flavor to your roasted potatoes, some of our favorites include Southwest Roasted Potatoes and Roasted Potatoes with Bacon and Onions.
How To Make Roasted Potatoes
Clean and cut the potatoes:
- Use a vegetable scrubber and cold tap water to remove any dirt or debris from the skins. If there are any large eyes or brown spots, use a paring knife to remove them.
- Cut each potato in half, trying your best to keep them as close in size as possible. If there are any unusually large ones, you can cut them into fourths.
- Place the cut potatoes into a large bowl and rinse them quickly under cold running water.
Don’t soak them or rinse them too much or you’ll risk removing the enzymes, leaving a starchy glue behind. As a result, they’ll have a chewy consistency. Use paper towels to pat the potatoes dry.
- After drying them off, place them in a clean, dry mixing bowl and combine with oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Toss them gently to coat.
- Arrange the potatoes in one even layer on the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Be careful not to overcrowd them.
TIP: parchment paper is better to prevent sticking, but aluminum foil yields crispier results. If you use foil, you’ll want to lightly grease it to prevent the potatoes from sticking. Note that even if you do that, they may still stick.
- Cook at 425°F for 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of the largest potato pieces.
- To test for doneness, use a a fork to pierce one of the pieces. It should slide easily into the flesh. If there is any resistance, let them cook a bit longer.
Make garlic butter:
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat (or in a microwave). Then, add pressed garlic and parsley, and stir to combine.
- When the potatoes are finished roasting, remove them from the oven and place them into a mixing bowl. Then, while they are still hot, toss them in melted butter mixture.
- Serve right away!
More Seasoning Options
I believe that it’s best to keep the seasoning on potatoes light and let potato flavor shine enhanced with a little salt, pepper, and garlic. Herbs are also a nice and light addition to potatoes. But there are plenty of other seasonings you can add to the melted butter or potatoes themselves. Here are a few ideas:
- Tarragon and lemon juice – These flavors go really well with fish and seafood.
- Chili powder and lime juice – This would make the perfect side for chili-lime grilled chicken.
- Italian seasoning blend.
- Dill and lemon butter – Add this seasoning to the potatoes when you’re serving lamb or seafood.
Recipe FAQs
Which Potatoes Are Best For Roasting?
Generally, medium starch potatoes with thin skin, like Yukon Gold will give you the best results. They stay together well under the high oven heat and will have soft and creamy centers and crispy skin.
Russet potatoes (Idaho potatoes) is another good choice for roasted potatoes, but they tend to fall apart more easily. These potatoes are actually best for mashed potatoes rather than roasted.
Varieties like New and Red potatoes are considered waxy, and they are not our first choice for roasting.
How to Store Potatoes (uncooked)?
Store potatoes in a dry location with good ventilation. The temperature in the storage area should be cool, but not below 50 degrees F. This is because at lower temperatures, the starches will convert to sugar. (It’s not necessarily a bad thing but your potatoes will have a sweet taste to them.)
Can You Freeze Roasted Potatoes?
Technically, you can freeze them for up to 3 months, but I don’t recommend it. This is because they are likely to become soggy during the freezing and thawing processes. Even after reheating, they won’t be crispy, and the texture and consistency will be very different.
More Side Dish Recipes To Try
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Crispy Oven Roasted Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 48 oz baby gold potatoes
- 2 tbsp canola oil or olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- salt
- ground black pepper
Finishing butter:
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 1/2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
Instructions
Prepare potatoes:
- Cut baby gold potatoes in half and if there are abnormally large ones, you can cut them in fours.
- Place cut potatoes in a large bowl and rinse them quickly under cold running water. Don't soak them or rinse them too much because gold potatoes are medium-starch kind of potatoes and if you wash away too much enzymes, it will leave too much glue behind. Your roasted potatoes will be chewy and not soft and fluffy inside.
- Pat potatoes dry with a couple paper towels and toss them in a dry mixing bowl with oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Roasting potatoes:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spread potatoes in one even layer, being careful not to overcrowd them. (Note: parchment paper is better to prevent sticking and aluminum foil yields crispier results but it does need to be lightly greased and may still stick.)
- Roast potatoes for 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of larger potato pieces.
- Melt butter and mix it with pressed garlic and parsley.
- Take potatoes out, toss them with melted butter mixture immediately, and serve right away.
Notes
- Storing: store leftovers in an air-tight food storage container, in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- To reheat: you can reheat roasted potatoes easily in a cooking pan, over medium heat. It’s best to reheat the in a pan or in the air-fryer to preserve get the crisp back. In the air-fryer, reheat them at 360°F for 2-3 minutes, just until heated through.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in October 2020.
Pattie says
Made these for dinner and they were so good!