Easy Oven Roasted Potato Recipe

What’s better than crispy sweet and savory oven roasted potatoes? Maybe having a recipe that is easy for beginner cooks who want to cook a sophisticated side! SO YUMMY!

This is one of my all time favorite dishes! I roast potatoes at least once a week and I still get oohs and aahs each and every time. And the beautiful thing is once you get the basic recipe down you can play mix and match with other root veggies, herbs and spices. So whether you are new in the kitchen or a seasoned cook, you’ll definitely want to add this easy oven roasted potato recipe to your cooking repertoire!

Choosing Your Potatoes

I use all kinds of potatoes when I make this recipe. It usually just depends on what I have on hand. And remember from my other post about what to have stocked in your kitchen, potatoes are a must! They store for a long time and can be added to so many meals and cooked in so many ways!

Here are some tips about what different kinds of potatoes can add to your recipe!

Russet Potatoes

These potatoes have the thick darker brown skin and are an excellent choice if you want a good crispy potato. They happen to be the ones that I cooked for this recipe and are pictured in this post. These potatoes stay more firm when roasting and may take a bit longer that red or golden potatoes.

Red Potatoes

Red potatoes are softer and have a thin waxy skin. They are more delicate tasting and pair well with rosemary. These potatoes roast more quickly and do not get as crispy as russets.

Yukon Gold Potatoes

Yukon golds are most often described as creamy in texture and buttery in flavor. That gets my mouth watering! They roast well but are similar to red potatoes in a more tender texture that does not yield the crispiness of russets.

Yams and Sweet Potatoes

These are also options but are definitely sweeter and starchier. For my roasted potato recipe, I like to stick with russets, reds or golds because I usually incorporate other root veggies like carrots or beets and those add a lot a sweetness. See recipe for more on this!

Are Potatoes Good For You?

The short answer is YES! Potatoes are rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and good starch.

Potatoes have a good amount of vitamin C and even more when you leave the skin on. This vitamin C helps your body absorb the nonheme iron that is also in potatoes. Nonheme iron is less absorbable than heme iron, the kind found in meats, but Vitamin C assists in the absorption.

Potatoes are also packed with B vitamins including niacin, riboflavin, thiamine and folate all necessary to convert your food into energy. This makes potatoes a great source of food to boost your metabolism.

Some minerals found in potatoes include potassium, manganese, phosphorous, and magnesium. Minerals are essential for healthy skin, bones, teeth, hair, neurotransmitters and muscle function.

Potatoes are a good source of antioxidants. Our body can make antioxidants through a healthy metabolism, but we also need to consume antioxidant rich food to help our bodies neutralize free radicals and prevent cell damage from oxidative stress.

Finally, potatoes contain starch. Starch is a complex carbohydrate which ultimately breaks down and provides energy for your body. Starch falls into 3 categories: rapidly digestible starch, slowly digestible starch and resistant starch. Potatoes have resistant starch, a starch that passes through the digestive system and helps support microflora (healthy gut bacteria).

So there you have it! Potatoes are not only delicious but a nutritious food choice making them a great staple to have ready to cook up anytime.

Tips and Tricks

• Use organic potatoes and carrots. Root veggies grow in the soil and the nutrients of the soil spread to the whole of the plant starting at the roots. If the soil and plants are treated with pesticides, we are consuming these chemicals as well.
• You can also use beets in your recipe or substitute them for the carrots. Peel and cut them into 1″ cubes. They will add a lot of sweetness making this recipe sweet and savory! Mmmm!!
• Don’t cut your onions too small. Of course some small pieces will make their way into the mix, but try not to get to many small pieces in because they cook much faster and will burn.
• Parchment paper makes for super easy clean up and keeps your baking sheets from getting burned food stuck to them.
• Some ovens cook faster than other so always make sure to check your potatoes often at first to get a feel for the right timing.
• Experiment with different herbs and spices. You can try garlic, pepper, sage, parsley or other seasonings of your choice.
• If you have leftovers, save them in the refrigerator up to 3 days and add to your favorite salads. They are really tasty cold and add good carbs to a green salad. Or you can always reheat them in the oven if you prefer.

Conclusion

This is a great recipe to try if you are learning how to cook and want a healthy hearty dish. It’s also one you can experiment with when you are feeling more confident in your cooking skills. So be creative and have fun with it!

Remember, my ultimate goal is to hep you ENJOY being In The Kitchen!!!

Please let me know in the comments below how this recipe went for you and if you tried anything different and yummy!

And as always,

Can’t wait to see you again In The Kitchen With Me!