Roasted Potatoes In The Oven

Basic Roasted Potatoes:

• Potatoes – I use Yukon gold potatoes most often, but russet potatoes, Idaho, fingerling, and baby red potatoes will also work. Sometimes I mix and match potato varieties for a colorful presentation. If you want to use sweet potatoes or want a lighter swap, try my recipes for roasted sweet potatoes or rutabaga.
• Olive Oil – Oil helps the seasonings stick, and encourages browning and crispness while roasting potatoes. Avocado oil works great, too.
• Unsalted Butter – I don’t normally use butter for roasting, but in this recipe it works just fine combined with the oil. Feel free to leave it out and use a little more oil instead, or add it at the end (like I do for my air fryer potatoes). I prefer unsalted butter to control the salt separately, but you can use salted and reduce the salt (below) to 1/4 teaspoon. If you want to lighten it up a bit, you can use just a tablespoon of butter and replace the rest with more olive oil.
• Seasonings – My go-to blend for these is garlic powder, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Other herbs, like rosemary, thyme, or parsley are great, too. They’re also really good with my Italian seasoning mix, lemon pepper seasoning, or Cajun seasoning. Omit the salt if you use a blend that’s already salted.

Optional Add-Ins:

• Bacon – I get mine from here without any added sugar or artificial ingredients, but any kind will work. You don’t have to pre-cook it (just chop), but if you’ve got a leftover batch of oven baked bacon, you can add it to the oven roasted potatoes in the last 5-10 minutes.
• Grated Parmesan Cheese – I love this variation for a cheesy flavor and a little extra crunch on the outside.
• Sun-Dried Tomatoes – Definitely not your typical pairing, but it’s actually so good. Tangy and a little sweet!
• Sauce – After cooking your roasted potatoes in the oven, drizzle them with chimichurri sauce, lemon butter sauce, or tahini sauce for an extra flavor burst.

1. Chop the potatoes into 1-inch cubes. I don’t peel them, but feel free to do that if you prefer. You can also cut into wedges (like my steak fries), but the roasting time takes longer. I prefer cubes because they give you more surface area for browning!
2. Toss with seasonings. Combine the cubed potatoes with oil, melted butter, seasonings, and parmesan cheese and bacon (if using) on a baking sheet. Toss together, then spread out in a single layer again. (You can also use a large bowl where it’s easier to mix everything — I just like doing it on the pan to not wash an extra bowl!)

3. Roast potatoes in the oven. Stir them halfway through, so that you get even browning. (They’ll brown on the bottom where they touch the pan more than the top.) They’re ready when they are fork tender and have the crispness you want.
4. Enjoy! Adjust salt and pepper to your taste if needed. Your roasted potatoes will crisp up more as they cool from hot to warm.

How Long To Roast Potatoes?

Roasting potatoes in the oven takes about 35 minutes at 400 degrees F. I cut them into 1-inch cubes, so this time is based on that. They will take longer if your pieces are even 1/2 inch larger! I recommend checking on them with a fork — it should go in without resistance — and the outside should be golden brown.

Storage & Meal Prep

• Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• Meal prep: Since roasted potatoes turn out crispier after soaking, they’re perfect for meal prep the day before! You can keep them in the fridge submerged in water for up to 24 hours. Longer than that, and they might turn out mushy when you roast them.
• Reheat: Pop the roasted potatoes in the oven again (at 350 degrees F this time) to crisp them up again, or fry them in a skillet. You can also use them cold for a potato salad (using the same dressing and add-ins I use for cauliflower potato salad), or toss them into my sausage kale soup near the end.
• Freeze: They’ll keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. I flash freeze them on a baking sheet first, then transfer to a zip lock bag. This way, they don’t stick together.

Serving Ideas

I wasn’t kidding when I said roasted potatoes go with everything! Here are some of my favorites with them:

• Beef – Sear my classic sirloin steak for any day, or juicy New York strip or filet mignon for special occasions.
• Chicken – You can whip up my pan-fried chicken thighs, air fryer chicken wings, or Cajun chicken while you’ve got the roasted potatoes in the oven. Sometimes I cook baked chicken breast or chicken leg quarters at the same time, since they use the same oven temperature, and just swap the pans partway through.
• Pork – I love smothered pork chops because the spuds soak up the extra sauce. My air fryer pork chops or kielbasa and sauerkraut are quicker, though.
• Seafood – Baked salmon or cod recipe are my go-tos, but my garlic butter shrimp is great, too. If you want to get fancy, sea bass or crab legs will do it.
• Veggies – I always balance the hearty roasted potatoes with something green. Try my roasted brussels sprouts or roasted zucchini. For a no-cook option, just throw together my spinach bacon salad, creamy cucumber salad, or Greek salad.
• Breakfast – Roasted potatoes are perfect for catching a runny yolk from cloud eggs, simple fried eggs, baked eggs, or even pesto eggs. Drizzle it all with my blender hollandaise sauce for a gourmet breakfast at home.