10 Tips for the Perfect Roasted Potatoes Recipe.

CRISPY on the outside.

CREAMY on the inside.

My husband walked into my studio as I was cleaning up, holding the plate of potatoes to his chest, proclaiming them to be “the best potatoes [he’s] ever eaten in [his] life.”

I’ve been making this roasted potatoes recipe for almost a decade and my whole family asks me to make it every year for the holidays! I’m going to share with you all my tips and tricks for making this perfect side dish to all your holiday or dinner party mains. Rest assured, this roasted potatoes recipe will make the perfect roasted potato, with a creamy center and crispy edges. Whether this will be your first time in charge of the potatoes at Thanksgiving or you’ve been making this easy side dish your whole life, I guarantee–you don’t want to miss out on the best roasted potatoes you’ll ever make!

Let’s get into it!

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links for products I use and love. If you make a purchase after clicking one of those links, I may earn a small affiliate commission, perhaps enough to buy some extra gochujang or gochugaru 🙂

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Why Roasted Potatoes?

Because I cannot live through the holidays without oven-roasted potatoes…?

Because they’re literally one of my family’s favorite things and they ask for them all the time…?

Because there’s really no way to go wrong with the word “potato” in the recipe? (I mean, you had to know this one already–I love any potatoes recipe.)

Whatever reason you accept, I wanted to pull together all the little tips and tricks I’ve used over the years to absolutely perfect my roasted potatoes recipe. This way, you can show up to your holiday meal with a platter that’ll make everyone drool. These roasted potatoes are honestly so good, they’ll likely be the first platter that’ll be emptied. Don’t you want to be that person? The one that can say, “Yeah, sorry, my dish is all gone.” (I love being that person.)

10 tips for making the best roasted potatoes recipe.

Ok, like I said, I’ve been making these roasted potatoes for a long time. Here are my top tips and tricks to make them perfect.

Tip #1: Go with the Gold. Yukon Gold!

If you want buttery centers for this roasted potatoes recipe, then you’ll want to go with the gold standard–Yukon gold potatoes. I’ve tried every other kind of potato out there for roasted potatoes and I can state with confidence that Yukon gold potatoes will give you the best results every time. The worst potatoes I’ve ever used for a roasted potatoes recipe was russet potatoes-they were mealy, dry, and way too starchy.

A lot of people have suggested smaller potatoes (like baby potatoes, red potatoes or fingerling potatoes), but I’ve always found them inferior to a beautiful large gold potato. They are too waxy for my preference and do not, in my mind, create the perfect tender centers that I want for my roasted potatoes recipe. Plus, small potatoes are much harder to peel (see Tip #2)! In order to retain the benefit of more surface area, though, you should cut the potatoes into smaller pieces. I usually stick with 1-inch pieces for this roasted potatoes recipe.

Tip #2: Peel Your Potatoes.

I’ve made this using unpeeled and peeled potatoes and have concluded that peeling your potatoes is the best way to achieve that perfectly crispy exterior for this roasted potatoes recipe. Why? When you roast the potatoes, the peels tend to fall away from the potato, which means that all those crispy bits tend to fall away too. What the heck? Who wants that??

Tip #3: Cut Your Potatoes Into Uniform Chunks.

I dunno about you, but my potatoes are rarely uniformly sized. If you want the potatoes in this roasted potatoes recipe to be evenly cooked, you need to cut them into uniform, even pieces. I like to cut my potatoes into 1-inch chunks.

Tip #4: Par-Boil Your Potatoes.

If you want creamy, dreamy insides for this roasted potatoes recipe, you will need to “par-boil” or “pre-boil” your potatoes. In other words, you need to boil the potatoes before you stick them in the hot oven. Many recipes call for roasting your potatoes without boiling them first. I’ve done that. And what can I say? They never ever turn out as good as when I par-boil them. In fact, both my mother-in-law and a good friend (hi Deborah!) have noted that the par-boiling makes all the difference with these roasted potatoes.

Tip #5: Add Baking Soda and Salt.

Adding just a little bit of baking soda for this roasted potatoes recipe will help break down the potatoes as they cook, making them more prone to getting nice and textured as they roast. In addition to baking soda, you’ll also want to add a generous pinch of sea salt. This is your ONE opportunity to season the insides of your roasted potatoes so do not skip the salt!

Tip #6: Use a Roasting Pan (not a baking sheet!).

Ok, a word on equipment for this roasted potatoes recipe. I like using a roasting pan because it’s large and it accommodates more potatoes. I also like to use something that’s deeper than your average baking sheet or sheet pan, because I’m planning on adding a lot more oil than you think (how else are you going to get the texture of french fries without the deep frying?). Hence, I use the roasting pan that many use to roast meat (not me!). If you can, use a non-stick roasting pan in lieu of a ceramic one (potatoes tend to stick more to the latter).

If you don’t have a roasting pan, you can use a large cast iron pan (though, you may have to work in batches or bust out every cast iron pan you have…). Add enough oil (I used extra virgin olive oil) so that it’s about 1/4-inch deep. Place your roasting pan in the oven while it’s preheating, so that you get that nice sizzle when you transfer the potatoes over to the oven.

Tip #7: Preheat Your Roasting Pan.

While your oven is still preheating to 450°F, you’re going to stick the roasting pan in the oven, so that the oil preheats right along with that oven. This is another trick to getting crispy potatoes! You want to hear a great sizzle as soon as the potatoes hit the pan!

Tip #8: Cook Only Until the Potatoes Are Fork Tender.

For this roasted potatoes recipe, make sure you don’t overcook your potatoes—you want them to be fork tender, but still able to retain their shape! The last thing you want is for all your potatoes to fall apart when you try to flip them over on the roasting pan. When added to not yet boiling water, my potatoes cook up in about 15 minutes, so I start checking at around the 12 minute mark.

Tip #9: Don’t Overcrowd the Pan.

You’ve probably heard it before but overcrowding the pan is a big no-no for any roasted potatoes recipe, including this one. You’ll want to make sure that the spud pieces have plenty of room on your roasting pan. If they don’t, grab a second roasting pan or cast iron or work in batches. Otherwise, you will never achieve that perfect crispy texture that is pretty much the whole point of this roasted potatoes recipe!

Tip #10. A Little Sugar.

THIS.

This is the tip that’s going to take your roasted potatoes to that NEXT LEVEL.

SUGAR.

Look, you don’t need more than a teaspoon and you’ll barely taste it. But it will amplify all the other flavors of your roasted potatoes and give them that extra “somethin’ somethin'” you can’t really put your finger on but that will make you declare, just like my husband did,

These are the best potatoes I’ve ever had in my life.

TRUST ME on this one!!

Key Ingredients and Notes on Substitutions for Garlicky Roasted Potatoes.

These garlicky roasted potatoes are very straightforward to make. However, they do include a few surprising ingredients. Let’s take a look:

Waxy Potatoes.

As I mentioned in Tip #1, unlike mashed potatoes, you want waxier, less starchy spuds for this roasted potatoes recipe. Why? They’ll crisp up more in the oven. I find Yukon golds to be perfect for this recipe and they are my spud of choice. However, red potatoes can also be great (I personally find them too waxy). Whatever you do, don’t get the russets for this recipe. They won’t turn out that great (I’ve tried it and they really were not as good as I knew they could be).

Baking Soda.

As I mentioned in Tip #5, a little baking soda when you par-boil your potatoes will help to break them down. This, in turn, will help to create texture when you coat them with the roasting sauce. However, I’ve made these roasted potatoes with and without the baking soda. While they’re definitely slightly better with, it’s almost an unnoticeable difference. Thus, if you don’t have baking soda, you can totally skip it.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

In a previous version of this recipe, I utilized mayonnaise as my main source of fat. And you can still coat the par-boiled potatoes with vegan mayo if you want. But for this new and improved roasted potatoes recipe, I stick with good ole’ extra virgin olive oil. You can also use regular vegetable oil, too.

Seasoning.

The recipe calls for flavoring your roasting sauce with dried herbs (like dried oregano, dried rosemary, or a blend of dried Italian herbs), as well as garlic powder. Why? I don’t like to add fresh garlic to the potatoes. Garlic can be fairly fragile and will burn at the high temperatures our oven will reach (in order to achieve that crispy exterior). Burnt garlic isn’t exactly pleasant, in my view. Thus, instead of using garlic, I use garlic powder in my sauce to impart “garlickiness” while the potatoes are cooking.

You can, of course, use whatever blend you like. Smoked paprika, cayenne, onion powder, mustard powder–these are all candidates for making these potatoes your own.

Vegan Butter.

I add a knob of vegan butter to the roasting pan together with the olive oil right before it goes into the preheating oven. I mainly do this for flavor. You can, of course, simply stick with extra virgin olive oil if you don’t have butter or don’t want to use it.

Fresh Rosemary.

I add a few sprigs of rosemary to my roasting pan while it preheats in the oven. This will infuse your roasting oil with the beautiful flavor of rosemary!

Step-by-Step Instructions for Making Roasted Potatoes Recipe.

As I’ve mentioned, these roasted potatoes are very easy and before you know it, you’ll be able to make ’em in your sleep. So, let’s get to it!

Step 1.

Preheat your oven to 450° F. In the meantime, add enough oil to your roasting pan so that the oil is approximately 1/4-inch deep, together with a few sprigs of rosemary and vegan butter. Place the roasting pan in the oven while it preheats.

Step 2.

Add your chopped and peeled potatoes, along with baking soda, and salt to a large pot of water. Bring your water to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork tender, about 15 minutes. Once your potatoes are just fork tender, drain them and pat them dry with a kitchen towel.

Step 3.

Gently remove the preheated roasting pan from your oven and place your par-boiled potatoes, cut-side down, onto the sizzling oil. Make sure not to crowd the pan. Bake for about 25 minutes. Then, flip the potatoes and bake for about 5 more minutes, until all sides are uniformly golden brown.

Step 4.

Remove the potatoes from the roasting pan and place them in a large bowl (preferably made out of stainless steel). Add Italian seasoning (dried herbs), salt, garlic powder, and sugar. Enjoy!

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