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This oven roasted potatoes recipe comes out crispy and seasoned to perfection! This recipe uses red potatoes and fresh herbs for crowd-pleasing and easy side dish.
Why mash potatoes when you can roast them to a golden crisp? Honestly, I’ve always preferred a crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside potato. To me, the mushy stuff just doesn’t compare. (Though these Best Mashed Potatoes are close!)
Here I’ll show you how to make my favorite oven roasted red potatoes that are baked until crispy. Once the roasted potatoes are golden and crisp, sprinkle with fresh thyme, a time-honored flavor combination that’s effortlessly simple. Here’s how to do it!
The Best Potatoes for Roast Potatoes
What’s the best potato for roasted potatoes? Turns out there’s an answer to that. The best choice is a waxy potato, a potato with thin, shiny skin and a creamy flesh. Because they’re low in starch, they hold their shape when roasting. I like roasted red potatoes best, but you can use any type of waxy potato. Here are my top types of potatoes to use here:
- Baby red potatoes: Our favorite are baby red potatoes: they have the best creamy flavor and they look stunning.
- Fingerling potatoes: This type of potato is small, brown and looks like long, thin fingers. It also has a fabulous flavor and works well here.
- Red potatoes (chopped): If you can’t find baby red potatoes, use any type of red potato and chop it into 1/2-inch cubes.
- New potatoes: Technically new potatoes aren’t a variety but simply freshly harvested potatoes. Usually new potatoes are small waxy potatoes. Sometimes you can find a variety of colors (brown, yellow, red and purple). See also: these Roasted Mini Potatoes.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Roasted potatoes are the perfect side dish because they call for only a handful of ingredients! Once you’ve got your potatoes, here’s what you need for the rest of the recipe:
- Waxy potatoes: Use baby red potatoes, fingerlings, or a mix of waxy potatoes (see above).
- Olive oil: My go-to oil for roasting.
- Garlic powder: My recipe adds garlic powder to the potatoes before roasting. This is important: don’t try to add fresh garlic in the oven! At such a high temperature, fresh garlic will burn.
- Fresh thyme: I love fresh thyme with potatoes, or use other fresh herbs like oregano, chives or rosemary.
How to Roast Potatoes in the Oven
You barely need a recipe for roasted potatoes! You simply need to know the oven temperature and how long to roast potatoes…and of course, approximate oil and salt quantities! Jump to the full recipe below, or review these tips. How long to roast potatoes?
- Roast 1/2-inch chopped potatoes at 425°F for 30 to 35 minutes. The timing does depend on the exact size of potatoes.
- You don’t have to stir. Place them cut-side down to get crisp and golden brown.
- How to season roasted potatoes? Plan on 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon kosher salt per pound. Then you can get fancy with other flavors.
Should You Boil Potatoes Before Roasting?
Not for this recipe! Parboiling is a technique you can use for large potato chunks, but it’s an extra step that’s not required here.
Is It Better to Roast Potatoes at 400 or 425 degrees?
I’ve tested both, but 425°F is my sweet spot for roasted potatoes. It’s hot enough to get nice caramelization but not so hot that the outside gets too dark before the inside is cooked.
Why Aren’t My Roasted Potatoes Crispy?
The biggest mistake is if the pan is overcrowded: then the potatoes will steam instead of become crispy! Also I recommend not using a silicone mat (use parchment paper), and always roast at a high temperature.
Parchment Paper or Foil?
I roast these on parchment paper; foil works but the potatoes can sometimes stick. Make sure to brush it with olive oil first.
Flavor Variations for Roasted Potatoes
Want to take the seasonings even further? Here are some ideas:
- Fresh garlic: Fresh garlic burns in the oven, but you can add it afterwards! Use a small garlic clove and grate it over the top of the warm potatoes. Add a drizzle of olive oil then stir, mixing up any clumps with your fingers.
- Lemon juice: Love potatoes with a lemon kick? Add squeezes from a few lemon wedges after baking.
- Parmesan cheese: Take it even further over the top with Parmesan! Add ½ cup shredded cheese 15 minutes into baking. It comes so intensely crispy and savory, you’ll be addicted. (I took a cue from my Parmesan Potato Wedges.)
Storage Tips
These roasted potatoes are best fresh from the oven, but leftovers keep well. Store them refrigerated for up to 3 days. To reheat, place them in a 425°F oven or a dry skillet for a few minutes.
To make the potatoes in advance, you can bake them a day before and reheat before serving.
What to Serve with Roasted Potatoes
These crispy potatoes go with just about everything. Here are a few ideas:
- Easy Baked Salmon or Chicken Paillard for a simple, healthy dinner
- Vegetarian Meatloaf for a cozy, classic plate
- More roasted vegetables: Try Roasted Broccoli, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, or Roasted Carrots and Onions
Dietary Notes
This roasted potatoes recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Classic Oven Roasted Potatoes
This oven roasted potatoes recipe comes out crispy and seasoned to perfection! This recipe uses red potatoes and fresh herbs for crowd-pleasing and easy side dish.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Roasted
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 pounds baby red potatoes (or chopped medium red potatoes)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or lemon thyme
- Optional: 1 clove fresh garlic, lemon wedges, shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Wash the potatoes, then slice them in half (for baby potatoes) or dice them into 1/2-inch cubes.
- In a large bowl, stir together potatoes, olive oil, garlic powder, kosher salt, and several grinds of fresh ground black pepper.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the potatoes in an even layer on the sheet cut and make sure they are side down. Roast for about 30 to 35 minutes without stirring until browned, depending on the size of the pieces. (To step up these potatoes, remove from the oven at 15 minutes and toss with ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese.)
- Remove the potatoes from the oven and toss with the fresh thyme. For a more forward garlic flavor, grate the fresh garlic onto the pan with another drizzle of olive oil and use a spoon to gently toss it all together (separating any grated garlic that clumps together). You can also spritz with lemon wedges for a tangy flavor.
More potato recipes
These roasted red potatoes are at the top of our list of potato recipes! But here are a few more that are top contenders:
- Go crispy with fries: try Greek Fries, Seasoned Fries or Baked French Fries
- Opt for Steak Fries with Honey Mustard
- Bake them into a Classic Baked Potato or Loaded Baked Potatoes
- Boil a pot of Perfect Boiled Potatoes or Boiled Red Potatoes
- Whip up some wedges with Baked Potato Wedges or Parmesan Potatoes
- Mash them into a creamy puree with Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Grill them up with Perfect Grilled Potatoes, Grilled Potatoes in Foil or Grilled Baked Potato
- Grab your cast iron skillet for Pan Fried Potatoes
Do I use fresh garlic, lemon wedges, And parmesan?
Can I remove the skin of the potatoes?
We’ve never tried it! Should work fine.