How to Make the Best Oven-Roasted Potatoes

Ah . . . potatoes! Creation's comfort food. Whether mashed or baked, French fried or home fried, potatoes have universal appeal. My personal favorite is oven-roasted potatoes. That rich and satisfying aroma that saturates the atmosphere of your cozy kitchen while they cook is surpassed only by the mouth-watering flavor and tasty texture that makes this recipe a classic.

However, as we all know, not every recipe is created equal. Oven-roasted potatoes can be overcooked and end up mushy, or they can be under-cooked and wind up too firm. They can be too modestly seasoned and be bland, or they can be seasoned too generously for even the most pucker-proof palate to approve. Been there, done that! The recipe I will now share is my time-tested attempt at perfection, a family favorite, and one I hope you will enjoy as well. Bon appetit!

Here are the ingredients I use to make my oven-roasted potatoes. The mix of spices is my personal preference and seems to work well, but some might wish to use more or less of certain seasonings.

• 7–8 small red potatoes. Do not peel. Cut into bite-sized chunks. Basically, you want enough potatoes to completely cover the bottom of your baking dish.
• 1/2 teaspoonful salt (I use kosher salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
• 1 teaspoon Weber Grill Mix (got this at WalMart . . . great flavor)
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (adjust to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 4–5 whole garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup oil (extra virgin olive oil is what I use)

Follow these steps for the most perfect and delicious oven-roasted potatoes:

1. Place your chopped potatoes in a pot of water and bring the water to a boil. Once the water begins to boil, remove from the heat immediately and drain the water. I have found this step provides a consistently "soft but not mushy" texture to these oven-roasted potatoes. The goal, in my opinion, is a potato that has just the slightest crunch on the surface with an almost pillowy softness underneath.
2. Place the potatoes in a large bowl and drizzle the oil over them, stirring to coat completely. We want all of the pieces to have a nice coating, but we don't want a pool of oil at the bottom of the bowl. Adjust the oil as needed for this, but 1/4 cup should be about right.
3. Sprinkle the ingredients over the potatoes while stirring to try to evenly distribute the spices. I suppose you could mix all the spices together first, then sprinkle the potatoes with this mixture, but I tend to just sprinkle them one at a time. Remember the goal is to evenly distribute the spices. They will stick nicely to the oil-coated potatoes.
4. Transfer the potatoes to a baking dish and cook for 20 minutes in a preheated 475-degree oven. Stir every 5 minutes or so while baking.
5. Switch the oven to broil. Leave the potatoes in for another 5–10 minutes, stirring them every 3 minutes or so to brown the surfaces nicely. Watch closely so they don't get too dark.

Once finished in the oven, you can transfer them to a serving dish and enjoy! They are best when served hot and fresh from the oven, but I find they reheat nicely in the microwave as well. So, that is my super not-so-secret recipe for oven-roasted potatoes. Hope you and your family enjoy them as much as we do!