Perfect Roasted Potatoes Every time!

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Learn how to make the perfect restaurant quality Oven Roasted Potatoes, and get them crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, every single time!

This fool proof method will be your go-to recipe for perfect oven roasted potatoes.

Roasted Potatoes on a Sheet Pan
Oven roasted potatoes that are creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside.

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?”

The crazy thing is that for the longest time I though we had posted this recipe. Nope! But it’s true, we make these potatoes so often, and they are featured as a side dish for dozens of recipes here on the blog.

And the recipe is so simple. What it comes down to is perfect timing. Kind of like making the perfect hard boiled eggs. Everyone has their technique. Mine was taught to me by my friend Katy. It goes something like this: bring a double boiler to a simmer, add eggs and steam for exactly 15 minutes, remove and place in an ice bath. Perfect boiled eggs every time. (Thanks, Katy)

I learned the secret to perfect roasted potatoes in the most unlikely of locations — An Argentinean Restaurant in Central Italy. Seems like an odd combination, I know, but it’s true.

These potatoes were everything! Creamy like perfect silky mashed potatoes on the inside, but crispy and flavorful on the outside. I asked the chef what his secret was. “Par boiling them for X minutes, and finishing them in the oven on a sheet pan on a high temp.”

Now I say “X” because the time he gave me is different than the method we’ve adapted it to. We found, at least on our own stoves, here in the US, that his timing didn’t work for us.

BUT what does work, and has worked for several years is this.

Which Potatoes Work Best for Roasted Potatoes?

For this method, we’ve found the following potatoes work best:

  • small new potatoes
  • yellow or red potatoes
  • Yukon Gold potatoes

With smaller potatoes we cut into quarters. Larger, like Yukon Golds, we will cut into sixths.

You’re looking for a consistent size and shape. Too small and they will be all crunch. Too big, and they will take forever and have an unpleasant fall apart texture.

Now on to the secret of how to roast potatoes.

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. And…add KOSHER SALT, LOTS.

Turn your burner on high. This is where you start your timer. Set a timer for 15 minutes. Now the pot will come to a boil. around the 8 minute mark. Once it’s boiling bring it down to a controlled 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.

Around the 13 minute mark you can check for doneness by inserting a fork. It should start to feel soft, but still have a little push to it. That’s when you know it is done. This is key, as you need to make sure you diced the potatoes at just the right size.

Once the 15 minute timer has gone off, drain the water and place the potatoes on a sheet pan.

Roast in the Oven

Toss the potatoes with a generous amount of olive oil, salt, pepper, and loads of fresh chopped rosemary (optional, but we LOVE the flavor of rosemary with these potatoes).

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. Toss. Cook 15 additional 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.

Perfect Roasted Potatoes on a Sheet Pan

Use them as a side dish for your favorite brunch recipe or dinner entrée. See below for our favorite recipes to use these potatoes as a side dish for.

What to use these Roasted Potatoes as a side dish for?

Oven Roasted Potatoes Recipe

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Roasted Potatoes on a Sheet Pan
4.73 from 11 votes

Perfect Oven Roasted Potatoes

Learn the secret to restaurant quality roasted potatoes. From which potatoes to use, to how to par boil them to get them creamy, and finish in a hot oven. 
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients 

  • 2 lbs potatoes: red, or Yukon Golds
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

Instructions 

  • Set oven to 425 degrees F on convection. 
  • Cut your potatoes in quarters or halves (depending on the size), or if using Yukon Golds cut into sixths.
  • Place the potatoes in a medium to large pot and cover with water, salt with a generous palm full of kosher salt. Set timer right now for 15 minutes. Place pot on 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.
  • Drain water, then transfer potatoes to a sheet pan. Toss well with olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Place in oven and cook 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

*The use of rosemary is optional. We love it when cooking the potatoes for brunch or as a side for steak. The flavors work great with those options. If you don’t like rosemary, or it wouldn’t compliment the flavors of your entrée, leave it out. We use rosemary about 1/2 the time we make these potatoes. See below for examples. 
If you do not have a convection oven, that is fine. Roast at the same temperature and stir the potatoes every 10 minutes to expose them to the heat. It may take 50 minutes total.

Nutrition

Calories: 238kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 595mg | Potassium: 962mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 21IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Brunch/Breakfast, dinner, side dish
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 238
Keyword: how to roast potatoes, oven roasted potatoes, roasted potatoes, roasted potatoes recipe
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Vindulge

About Mary


I'm Mary, a wine/food/travel writer, Certified Sommelier, mom of twins, former vegetarian turned BBQ fanatic, runner, founder of Vindulge, and author of Fire + Wine cookbook. Thanks for stopping by!

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10 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    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!

  2. 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?

    1. 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.

  3. 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!

  4. 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!

    1. 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.

  5. 5 stars
    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

  6. 5 stars
    Made these for Christmas Eve dinner and they were fantastic. Had along with reverse seared ribeyes. Thanks for the ideas.

  7. 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!

  8. 5 stars
    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!