Fitness / March 4, 2024

Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes

Spud-Tacular Oven-Roasted Potatoes

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While there is no known origin of the oven roasted potato, records exist of the food being agriculturally grown and harvested by Incans hundreds of years ago. Conquistadors, after conquering much of Latin and South America in the 1500s AD, brought the root starch back with them to their Spanish homeland. Potatoes have since become the fourth largest globally cultivated crop and a beloved staple of any meal, be it quick and easy breakfasts or our favorite holiday side dishes.

Whether it be an Easter Sunday supper to celebrate or weekday dinner with the family, oven roasted potatoes bring a simple magic to the table with its oven-crisp exterior and its fluffy insides! There’s little that can go wrong with roasted potatoes, making it one of the easiest no-sweat additions to more intensive meals while also holding its own on the dining room table. Just a few reliable ingredients such as fresh rosemary and garlic powder bring out the best in these simple spuds!

Are Oven Roasted Potatoes Healthy?

The following recipe is vegan, using extra virgin olive oil in place of typical butter and a handful of fresh herbs for that added oomph! Potatoes are an excellent source of Vitamin C and Potassium and are naturally low sodium; however, during most preparation, the addition of salt (be it granulated or in salted butter) can cause potatoes to be unhealthy for hypertension diets. Additionally, with lots of Carbohydrates in each spud, potatoes can spike glycemic indexes in pre-diabetic and diabetic individuals. Alternative to skipping potatoes entirely, one can make a hypoglycemic-sensitive sweet potato variant or, if you’re looking for a keto option, try oven roasting some cauliflower!

What Makes a Spud-Tacular Potato?

One of the most iconic features of potatoes can often be the downfall of dishes featuring the vegetable: the starch. Starchy vegetables can often get unpleasant slimy textures when not given the time to prepare appropriately and that gets in the way of delicately golden brown exteriors when roasting potatoes. As such, it’s advised to research your chosen potato for its starch content and waxiness. To help get that desirable pillowy interior, par-boiling your potatoes before the roast can produce perfect spuds!

Soak your potatoes in cold water for no more than 24 hours for today’s recipe – thick cut cubes, wedges, and fingerlings need more time than thinly sliced potatoes – and for no less than 30 minutes. Ideally, letting your potatoes soak for an hour before cooking helps prevent the starches from sullying your dish while soaking too long can often result in oxidized, mushy spuds (often far better for mashing!). Par-boiling your potatoes for 10 minutes before roasting can help achieve those fluffy insides.

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds small red or gold potatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons fresh herbs such as rosemary, parsley, thyme, or basil, finely chopped
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Prep

Heat your oven and get it ready for roasting. Wash and dice the potatoes, keeping their nutritious skins on for added texture and flavor.

Soak

(Optional) Soak the potatoes to remove starch for a lighter, fluffier roast. Dry them well before the next step.

Season

Toss the potatoes with olive oil and herbs, coating them evenly. The garlic and smoked paprika add depth to the dish.

Roast

Spread the potatoes on a baking sheet and roast until they’re beautifully browned and irresistibly crispy.

Enjoy

Serve these delectable roasted potatoes hot from the oven, and watch them disappear from the plate!

Devour!

FAQs & Tips

How do I prepare to make Oven-Roasted Potatoes?

Soaking your potatoes for about an hour beforehand can eliminate the starchy residue that often coats otherwise crispy potatoes. Par-boiling them for 10 minutes can help achieve fluffy insides without risking overdoing the outsides to get the same results.

How can I help reduce the glycemic index spike from the carbs in Potatoes?

Fats help metabolize carbohydrates and sugars, which is why extra virgin olive oil makes an excellent pair for our Oven-Roasted Potatoes. Alternatively, melted butter can also reduce blood sugar spikes; however, adding/substituting unsalted butter is NOT vegan and can result in slightly different golden browning depending on the water content in the butter used.

Do dried herbs work in place of fresh herbs for Oven-Roasted Potatoes?

When all else fails, the convenience of dried herbs can usually help at-home cooks get the flavor they’re looking for in a pinch. That said, dried herbs are not suggested for roasting as dehydrated herbs (like rosemary and thyme) are more likely to burn during cooking, giving your potatoes an unpleasant char and your kitchen an overwhelming smoke. To prevent dried herbs from burning, you can soak the herbs in the recipe’s olive oil, then brush the herbed oil onto the spuds before roasting.

How do I store (and re-heat) my Oven-Roasted Potatoes?

It’s advised to store your oven-roasted potatoes in a glass dish with a small amount of olive oil to coat the exteriors during storage, though additional oil is not necessary. Added olive oil helps keep the crispy skin of your potatoes when reheating on a baking sheet in a 400°F oven for 10 minutes (or until warmed internally, depending on your chosen size of cubed potato).

Serving Suggestions

These oven-roasted potatoes make a perfect Easter day dish with marinated lamb chops! Just place your lamb chops on the bottom rack of the oven with 2 – 4 minutes to spare for medium-rare (4½ – 7 minutes for well done). Make sure to let your lamb chops rest outside of the oven for 5 minutes before serving at the table, plenty of time to make your plates and say grace!If you’re looking for an easy dinner that’s a little lighter, zucchini hash with turkey sausage pairs nicely with roasted potatoes. The skillet cooks on the stovetop, making it easy to multitask while your potatoes roast for 25 minutes and, similarly to marinated lamb chops, finishes the hash’s eggs in the oven in the last 4 minutes of the cooking time. Both can be retrieved at the same time and served hot!

Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes

Spud-Tacular Oven-Roasted Potatoes

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 35

Total Time 55

Servings

Calories 120kcal

Author FoodFaithFitness

Ingredients

2 pounds small red or gold potatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons fresh herbs such as rosemary, parsley, thyme, or basil, finely chopped
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 425°F.
Gently scrub the potatoes under running water, but keep the nutrient-rich skins on. Cut them into 1-inch cubes for even cooking.
Optional: If you have the time, soak the diced potatoes in cold water for up to an hour to remove excess starch. This helps achieve a fluffier texture. After soaking, pat the potatoes dry with a clean towel.
In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with the olive oil. This helps the seasonings stick. Sprinkle in the garlic powder, chopped fresh herbs, smoked paprika, salt, pepper and toss again.
Spread the seasoned potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Make sure to give them space.
Roast in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden brown and fork-tender. Dont forget to give a stir halfway through.