If there’s one thing that my colleagues and I here at Kitchn know, it’s that our readers absolutely love themselves some potatoes — baked, boiled, mashed, skillet-fried, you name it. As a result, we’ve amassed hundreds of recipes involving potatoes in some shape or form over the years. But is anyone really surprised? It seems to me that our readers just have good taste!
While I enjoy making all sorts of fun and creative potato recipes from the site, like crispy salt and vinegar potatoes and hot honey butter smashed potatoes, sometimes all you really want is a heap of simple, crispy roasted potatoes. No muss, no fuss! That’s what this recipe is all about. These roasted potatoes will simply play a supporting role, so that your standing rib roast or honey garlic pork chops can really steal the show.
Tips for the Crispiest Oven-Roasted Potatoes
- Boil them first. The best way to crisp up potatoes is to boil them, then roast them. Cooking them until tender on the stovetop means that all they need to do in the oven is get caramelized and crispy. Boiling the potatoes also softens the skin, allowing the butter or oil to better penetrate the skin, resulting in the crispiest possible results.
- Start the potatoes cut-side down. To achieve golden-brown perfection, you’ll want the part of the potato with the most surface area (the cut side) to have direct contact with the super-hot pan.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan. Not allowing enough space between the potatoes can prevent hot air from circulating and lead to steaming.
Oven-Roasted Potatoes
Serves 4
