How To Make Perfect Roasted Potatoes

There are a few tricks to making perfect roasted potatoes. I’m sharing them all today. You won’t believe how much better your potatoes can be!

Once upon a time I used to make roasted potatoes by putting oil in a cake pan, adding cut up potatoes, salt and pepper and then roasting until brown outside and cooked through. Then I learned all about the art of roasting potatoes.

Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.

Video: Roast Potatoes Perfectly

Tips For Roasted Potatoes

To make them soft and fluffy on the inside, but brown and crunchy on the outside there are three things you need to do.

1. You need to pre-boil the potatoes. This is what gives that super-soft inside.
2. Once you drain them, bash them around a bit. This gives you lots of little bits on the outside of each potato and it’s those bits that brown up so nicely.
3. Heat the oil in the pan before you add the potatoes. This way the potatoes start browning as soon as they hit the pan instead of soaking up oil and not browning for the first while.

With those three things, you’re on your way to amazing roasted potatoes. You need to add some salt and pepper. But other than that, you’re good to go. If you want more detailed instructions though, I’ve got them here for you. There’s a printable version down at the bottom too.

How To Roast Potatoes Perfectly, Step By Step

Step #1: Wash and Cut Potatoes

Get out your potatoes and wash them. Use a waxy potato like Yukon gold. You want one medium potato per person, or about 1/3 of a pound per person.

Cut smaller potatoes in half and then in half again.

Cut larger one in half and then each half into 4-6 pieces.

Step #2: Add to Pot and Boil to Soften

Put potatoes in a pot that is just bigger than what they need. You don’t want it too small since that’s hard to stir them in. And not too big since that will increase cooking time. Add salt.

And add enough water just to cover the potatoes.

Partially cover the pot and put it over high heat until it reaches a simmer. Don’t go far away since potatoes have a tendency to boil over and make a big mess.

When it reaches a simmer, uncover the pot. Preheat the oven to 450ºF.

Simmer until potatoes are fork-tender, 8-10 minutes.

Step #3: Drain Potatoes and Prepare Roasting Pan

Drain potatoes.

Put the potatoes back into the pot you cooked them in.

Put a nice layer of oil into a rimmed pan that is big enough to fit the potatoes in a single layer. Put the pan into the preheated oven until the oil is smoking hot, 5 minutes does the trick.

While the oil heats, put the lid on the potato pot and give the pot one good shake.

That shake breaks up the edges of the potatoes a bit making them brown better (because tiny bits and edges brown more than flat smooth pieces).

Step #4: Season Potatoes

Take the pan of oil out of the oven and add the potatoes. Give them a stir to coat them in oil.

Add coarse salt. I use kosher salt here and add coarse black pepper too.

Step #5: Roast Potatoes in Oven

Put them in the oven until undersides are well-browned, about 30 minutes.

Use tongs to flip potatoes so that an unbrowned side of each potato is in contact with the pan.

Return to the oven until new undersides are brown, about 15 minutes. Line a large plate with kitchen towel and transfer the potatoes onto it. This is to blot off any excess oil. You can shimmy the plate around a bit so that the potatoes get blotted on all sides. Add a bit of kosher salt at this point.

Step #6: Serve!

Serve. Soft and fluffy, crunchy, golden roasted potato bliss!

More Potato Recipes

Podcast Episode: Roasting Potatoes

This post originally appeared in November 2015 and was revised and republished in November 2023.