Golden Roasted Potatoes in the Oven
Crisp, fragrant crust on the outside, soft inside! It's funny how often the simplest dishes refuse to come out delicious. You'd think nothing could be easier than roasting potatoes — yet they end up dry, or burnt outside and raw inside, or falling apart into mush. There's a foolproof way to get well-cooked potatoes with a beautiful golden crust every time: just parboil them before roasting. That's the whole secret.
Cooking method
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Step 1:
Gather your ingredients. Try to pick potatoes of roughly the same size so they cook evenly, and use a neutral, odorless oil.
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Step 2:
Scrub the potatoes well under running water and peel them. If they're new potatoes, you can leave the skins on to keep the most nutrients; older potatoes are better peeled. Cut the potatoes into wedges. If they're very small, you can leave them whole.
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Step 3:
Bring a pot with plenty of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the cut potatoes and boil briefly — just 7 minutes.
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Step 4:
Drain the potatoes in a colander and let them dry off well — they should be almost completely dry.
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Step 5:
Put the potatoes back in the pot and add salt, spices, and oil. Toss gently so you don't break them up — the wedges should stay whole.
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Step 6:
Line your baking dish with foil. Spread the potatoes out and level them — ideally in a single layer, so the whole top crisps up golden. If you have a lot of potatoes, use a larger dish. Bake in an oven preheated to 400°F (200°C) for 30–40 minutes, depending on the size of the wedges and the amount of potato. Stir once with a spatula partway through.
- This is a basic version, seasoned with just salt. Feel free to add whatever you like. Love garlic? Mince a couple of cloves and add them with the oil. Want it spicier? Add pepper in any form. Want it more aromatic? Toss your favorite dried herbs into the pot. You'll get a new flavor every time. These potatoes are great as a side, but they also work on their own — in that case, serve them with a sauce of your choice: sour cream, yogurt, cheese, or tomato.
Caloric content of the products possible in the composition of the dish
- Ripe potatoes - 80 kcal/100g
- Baked potatoes - 70 kcal/100g
- Mashed potatoes - 380 kcal/100g
- Boiled potatoes - 82 kcal/100g
- Potatoes in uniform - 74 kcal/100g
- Fried potatoes - 192 kcal/100g
- Vegetable oil - 873 kcal/100g
- Salt - 0 kcal/100g
- Spices dry - 240 kcal/100g
