Best Potatoes for Roasting + Crispy Roasted Potatoes Recipe (2024)

Roasted potatoes are a delicious side dish perfect for just about any meal. These perfect roasted potatoes are easy to make — plus, they take on your desired flavor profile, making them super versatile.

We like trying out different herbs and spices or adding other root veggies and bacon for an even more flavorful dish.

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What are the benefits of Roasting Potatoes?

Potatoes are loaded with vitamin C, potassium, and complex carbohydrates (providing plenty of fiber). Roasting potatoes also offers the added benefit of using high-quality fats, like ghee or grass-fed butter. We’ve got tips for making your next batch perfectly crispy and flavorful and a recipe for our favorite roasted potato dish. But first… which potato should you choose?

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Best Potatoes for Roasting

Our favorite potatoes for roasting are red potatoes. We like this variety because the thinner skin lets them cook faster; plus, that red skin is nutrient-dense. It provides iron and B vitamins and is packed with more potassium than a banana!

Potatoes good for roasting should have the following characteristics:

  • Firm texture
  • Higher starch content
  • Uniform shape and size (you can achieve this when you cut the potatoes)
  • Thinner skin
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Frequently Asked Questions

Are russet or white potatoes better for roasting?

Russet potatoes are starchy and have a lower moisture content, making them better for roasting than white potatoes. White potatoes can be roasted, but with a higher moisture content, they are much better suited for creamy mashed potatoes.

Are yellow or white potatoes better for roasting?

Yellow potatoes, like Yukon Gold potatoes, are considered one of the best types of potatoes for roasting. They land right in the middle when it comes to starchiness and waxiness, allowing them to hold their shape and get crispy on the outside while staying nice and buttery on the inside.

If you’ve got yellow potatoes on hand, be sure to try these Crispy Parmesan Crusted Potatoes. They are simply amazing!

Are russet or red potatoes better for roasting?

Russet and red potatoes are equally suitable for roasting — it really comes down to your personal preference on taste and texture.

How to Roast Potatoes

The hotter you cook the potatoes, the faster the moisture becomes steam inside. The steam escapes quicker, making the potato pieces crisp to a perfect golden brown.

When should you put the potatoes in the oven? Potatoes should be placed in the oven once it’s preheated to between 400F – 475F.

Through countless hours of testing how to make the best roasted potatoes, we’ve found that a few simple tips will make a huge difference for getting your potatoes super crispy:

  • Spend the extra prep time! Cut your potatoes into similar-sized pieces and place them in a single layer to cook evenly.
  • Parboiling potatoes helps them cook faster in the oven. Make sure to start with cold water. If you drop potatoes into boiling water, the outside will cook faster than the inside.
  • You can soak potatoes in cold water to remove excess starch, making your potatoes super crispy.
  • French fry fiend? You can coat your cut potatoes in cornstarch or flour for a crunch without needing a deep fryer.
  • Use a pan or baking sheet lined with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
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Ingredients To Add To Crispy Roasted Potatoes

The wonderful thing about potatoes is that you can season them with almost anything! You can stick to something simple like garlic powder, sea salt or kosher salt, and black pepper. Or you can get adventurous, adding fresh rosemary, thyme, chives, and maybe a dash of paprika.

Our yummiest go-to is ranch-roasted potatoes. We make crispy roasted red potatoes tossed in a homemade garlic ranch seasoning made of dill, parsley, onion powder, and garlic powder.You can easily save the leftovers – if there are any – to reheat on a grill, pan, or in the air fryer. Reheated oven-roasted potatoes are great to serve in an egg scramble, hash, or egg bake.

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Other Delicious Roasted Recipes

Potatoes aren’t the only food that tastes amazing when roasted! There are so many different vegetables that can be roasted — try out these roasted vegetable recipes:

Looking for more Whole30 potato recipes? Try our Tex-Mex Sweet Potato Hash or Bacon Chive Potato Salad.

The Best Roasted Potato Recipe: Crispy Garlic Ranch Roasted Potatoes

You can’t beat crispy, garlicky potatoes roasted to absolute perfection in a 30-minute cook time. We’ve turned a humble root vegetable into something spectacular with these crispy garlic ranch roasted potatoes.

They’re easy to make and guaranteed to become a family favorite. Remember, these are roasted, not baked potatoes. You want that oven hot before you stick the spuds inside!

They make for the perfect side dish you can enjoy all year round, because potatoes are always in season! For a nicely balanced and tasty meal, serve them up with grilled or baked chicken, steak, salmon, pork, etc., and an in-season veggie of your choice.

The side of ranch is totally optional but sure is tasty. We recommend our Homemade Paleo Ranch or Primal Kitchen Ranch dressing.

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What To Serve With Roasted Potatoes

There’s not much that doesn’t fit in perfectly with a side of crispy potatoes. Here are some of our favorite entrees to pair with them:

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Best Potatoes for Roasting + Crispy Roasted Potatoes Recipe (16)

Recipe

★★★★★5 from 25 reviews

Crispy Garlic Ranch Roasted Potatoes

The best potatoes for roasting are red potatoes. They have thin, nutrient-dense skin that crisps up beautifully and a firm texture that will hold its integrity during the roasting process. Check out our favorite crispy roasted potatoes recipe with ranch and garlic!

Prep: 15 minsCook: 30 minsTotal: 45 mins

Servings: Serves 8

Ingredients

  • 1 ¾2 lbs. small baby red potatoes, halved (may sub yukon gold potatoes)
  • 3 tablespoon ghee, melted (or butter)
  • 2 teaspoons dried dill
  • 1 teaspoondried parsley or chives
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoononion powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • Optional Ranch for dipping

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. In a small bowl mix together the ghee or butter, dill, parsley or chives, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.
  3. Pour the seasoned ghee into a9×13-inch baking dish so that it coversthe entire bottom of the dish.
  4. Place the potato halves in the baking dish.
  5. Using your hands or a large spoon, toss or brush the potatoes to coat them in the ghee or butter and herb mixture.
  6. Turn all of the potatoes cut side down then sprinkle with a bit more salt.
  7. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the potatoes reach the desired degree of crispiness. The bottoms should be nice and golden brown and crisp and the insides soft.
  8. Serve with ranch for dipping if desired.

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Notes

For Dairy-Free, replace the ghee or butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil

Nutrition Information

  • Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe
  • Calories: 116
  • Fat: 5 g
  • (Sat Fat: 3 g)
  • Sodium: 131 mg
  • Carbohydrate: 17 g
  • (Fiber: 3 g
  • Sugar: 1 g)
  • Protein: 2 g
  • Cholesterol: 9 mg

Dietary

© The Real Food Dietitians

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Photo Credit: The photos in this blog post were taken by Jess of Plays Well with Butter

For ultimate success, we highly recommend reading the tips in the full blog post above. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words. Link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!

Best Potatoes for Roasting + Crispy Roasted Potatoes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What kind of potato is best for roasting? ›

The Best: Yukon Gold Potatoes

The Yukon Gold potato — which is also one of our favorites for mashing — is an obvious choice for roasting.

What is the best potato to use for baked potatoes? ›

The ideal potato for baking is low in moisture with a high starch content. These qualities allow a potato to bake up with a delightfully fluffy center and crispy skin. Because it has all of these features, Russet potatoes are the ideal potato for baking and the most commonly used choice.

Why won't my roast potatoes stay crispy? ›

You might not be using enough oil. If you're not using enough oil to coat the potato, it won't get crispy as it bakes. You might be using the wrong type of potato. Potatoes with a high starch content, such as Russet potatoes, are better for baking because they become fluffy and crispy when cooked.

Which potatoes are best? ›

The Healthiest Potato is the Red Potato

After taking into account the mineral density, the vitamin density, the macronutrient balance, the sugar-to-fiber ratio, the sodium-to-potassium ratio, and the phytochemical profile, red potatoes are the healthiest potato with data from the USDA Food Database.

What is a russet potato best used for? ›

Russets are ideal for light and fluffy mashed potatoes. They also fry up crisp and golden brown, and are the potato of choice for baking. The delicate flavor and fluffy texture of baked russets goes well with a variety of toppings, from traditional sour cream and chives to spicy and bold Mediterranean or Latin flavors.

Why are red potatoes better for roasting? ›

Red potatoes are great for roasting, cooking in soups, or boiling or steaming for potato salad. The waxy nature of the flesh means they'll maintain their shape, but it also means they will get gluey when overworked, so you'll want to choose a different potato for mashing.

Are russet or Idaho potatoes best for baking? ›

Russet potatoes are best for baking because of the low moisture content and high starch, which makes the interior fluffy rather than gummy.

What is the difference between roasting potatoes and baking 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.

Are white potatoes good for roasting? ›

You can also use King Edward or Desiree. 'However, standard white potatoes are good if you know what to do with them – par-boil them and give them a shake in the pan when they're drained, which fluffs them up. 'Bin off anything waxy – they won't do in a pinch. '

Should I dry potatoes before roasting? ›

To have a truly marvellous roast potato, one must simply let the potato dry completely after parboiling, before roasting in extremely hot fat.

Is it better to boil potatoes before roasting? ›

In most potato recipes, I recommend starting potatoes in cold water and bringing them up to a boil. This helps ensure that the exteriors don't turn to mush before the insides have a chance to cook through.

Can you put too much oil in roast potatoes? ›

Also, be mindful of the oil. Potatoes can react like sponges; too much oil can make your potatoes appear to be soggy. Try placing oil in a spray bottle or using an aerosol to apply the oil to the potatoes. Lastly, ensure that the potatoes are dry before you add the oil.

Which potato has the most flavor? ›

Yukon gold potatoes are famous for having a distinct nutty flavor and the smoothness of butter – which also influences the taste! This unique flavor makes Yukon gold potatoes highly sought after by consumers. Because it's so flexible, the Yukon gold potato can be added to a variety of recipes to improve its quality.

Which potatoes are best for roasting yellow or white? ›

Choosing Potatoes

Yukon gold and other yellow potatoes are low- to medium-starch potatoes, and are well suited to roasting, mashing, baked dishes, and soups and chowders. Round red and round white potatoes have less starch and more moisture, making them best for boiling, but they can also be roasted or fried.

Is yellow potato same as Yukon Gold? ›

The bottom line: Potato labels refer to the color of a potatoes' flesh; potatoes labeled “gold” or “yellow” are not Yukon Gold potatoes, but they can be used in place of Yukon Gold potatoes in recipes.

Why are my roast potatoes tough? ›

If you roast them at too high a temperature, you risk browning the outsides before the insides are cooked through. Cook them for too long at a lower temp, though, and they may dry out (telltale signs: leathery, tough) on their way to Tender Town.

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