These oven-roasted potatoes are crispy on the outside + soft and creamy on the inside — they make for the tastiest quick dinner side!
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This recipe is…
These oven-roasted potatoes are so simple and delicious, and because of that, they’re a go-to dinner side at my house. If I’m ever looking for a nice starchy addition to a protein + veggie meal, this recipe is always what I reach for! Perfectly crispy on the outside and nice and fluffy on the inside, these roasted taters are hard to beat.
What is the difference between baked and roasted potatoes?
The phrase “baked potato” typically refers to a whole potato being cooked in the oven with the intent of being cut open and stuffed (commonly with butter, sour cream, cheese, etc.). Roasted potatoes, on the other hand, are cut into smaller pieces and cooked in the oven until they’re perfectly crispy on the outside.
Recipe Ingredients
The ingredients here are super minimal — here’s everything you’ll need:
- Yukon Gold Potatoes – to start, you’ll need about 1 ½ pounds of Yukon gold potatoes.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – to encourage the potatoes to get nice and crispy in the oven, you’ll need a tablespoon of EVOO.
- Sea Salt + Ground Black Pepper – as far as seasoning goes, we kept things super simple here. A ½ teaspoon of sea salt and a ¼ teaspoon of pepper are all you’ll need!
Ingredient Modifications
While this recipe is really delicious as written, there are definitely some tweaks you can make based on flavor preference and the type of potato you have on hand.
- Add your favorite seasonings: seasoned with just salt and pepper, this recipe is super simple. If you’re looking to jazz up your crispy potatoes, feel free to use ANY seasoning combo that you love. Paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder are all really delicious here.
- Use a different kind of potato: if you don’t have (can’t find, or don’t love) Yukon gold potatoes, feel free to use russet, red, or any other potato variety that you love.
How to Make Roasted Potatoes
The process is silly simple! Here’s how you’ll do it:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Chop the potatoes – to start, cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes and place them on a baking sheet.
- Toss with EVOO, salt, and pepper – toss with 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil, a ½ teaspoon of sea salt, and a ¼ teaspoon of black pepper, then spread out in an even layer on the sheet pan.
- Bake – bake the potatoes at 400°F for 45 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
I personally love Yukon gold potatoes for roasting because, once cooked, they tend to get super creamy on the inside. Any potato will work great, though!
If you’re working with a smaller potato variety (like Yukon gold), simply cut each potato in half, then cut each half in half (so, 4 pieces per potato). If you’re working with a larger potato (like a russet), you’ll need to make several more cuts to get 1-inch pieces.
This roasted potato recipe doesn’t actually call for herbs, but that doesn’t mean you can’t add them! A sprinkle of fresh rosemary would be really delicious, but honestly, you can’t go wrong with any herb that you choose.
Some recipes call for soaking the cut potatoes before roasting in them — this process is supposed to release some of the starch to help crisp the outside of the potatoes. This recipe, however, does not call for soaking the taters ahead of time! The olive oil + high heat help the potatoes to get nice and crispy without any soaking ahead of time.
The biggest tip I have for you on this front is to make sure that your potatoes are completely coated (on all sides) with olive oil. They also need to be totally spread out on the sheet pan (no overlapping if you can help it!).
Soft potatoes may be the result of too little olive oil used (be sure to use the full tablespoon!) or overlapping, crowded potatoes on the sheet pan. Be sure to spread the potatoes out fully so that they all have the best chance of roasting to crispy perfection!
Absolutely! The potatoes will definitely be the crispiest right out of the oven, but I’ve never been one to complain about leftover taters! I typically reheat leftover potatoes either on a sheet pan in the oven or in a little bit of olive oil in a skillet on the stovetop — both of these will result in the crispiest leftover potatoes possible!
More Favorite Potato Recipes
Oven Roasted Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Chop the potatoes into 1-inch cubes and place them on a baking sheet.
- Toss the potatoes with the extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt, and pepper, then spread out in an even layer on the sheet pan.
- Bake the potatoes at 400°F for 45 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
How many servings does this recipe make?
Hi Victoria, this makes 4 servings. -Team FF