I had watched how my Mother made Roasted Potatoes for our Sunday dinners, have had them in restaurants and I was shown how to make them in England when I lived there. In the end, I made some adjustments to what I had learned and can now serve up Perfectly Roasted Potatoes, regardless of their size.
The baking time for your will depend on the size and length of the Potatoes chosen. The larger the Potato Wedge, the longer it takes to roast through. If you cut the wedges too thin, they tend to fall over in the dish.
The first trick is the size of the Potatoes. Potatoes you pick to roast should be the same, or close to the same size, and the Wedges you cut should be as equal in width as you can make them. Baby and Small Potatoes make the best Roasties, in my opinion.The second trick is to stand them in a baking dish, skin side down. Although I don't mind a bit of char or "fried" texture on the sides of a Roast Potato, I prefer to have them lightly browned with a soft interior. If the cut edge lays flat on the baking dish, the Roast Potato can stick and/or burn during cooking.
Roast Potato Cooking Times
Baby or "NEW" - 25 to 30 Minutes
Small - 35 to 40 Minutes
Medium - 45 to 50 Minutes
Large - 55 to 60 Minutes +
I still have Potatoes from the Garden and am using them for this post. They are not the most perfect looking as they are Homegrown, but they will help illustrate sizes. The really tiny Potatoes don't make good Roasties, but you can use them in soups.+ Large Potatoes - If you don't have the time to wait almost an hour cut the wedges in half and Cook at the same time you would Small potatoes. Check them for Browning at 30 minutes.
This recipe is for Baby or "New" Potatoes and I'll give you a couple of variations on spices*.
You will need a deep baking dish. I used 8" x 14" ceramic.
Approximately 40 Minutes with Prep and Cooking time to Create Roasted New Potatoes.
New Roasted Potatoes
Serves 4
Preheat your Oven to 350 FIngredients
10 NEW Potatoes
2 TBSPS Olive or Vegetable Oil
1/8 TSP each
Dried OreganoDried Basil
Salt
Pepper
Additional Spice Variations shown below. *
Preparation
Clean and Wash Potatoes
Leave the Skins on
Cut into wedges
Place in a bowl and add a couple of Tablespoons of Vegetable or Olive Oil.
Add your spices* (See Below) and toss the Potatoes in the Oil until they are evenly coated.
Place the Wedges skin side down on your baking dish.
Allow some space in between them when placing in the dish. You want fairly even spacing for air flow.Place in the oven.
Let cook for 20 minutes, check edges for browning, place back in the oven if they have not started to brown up.
Check again in 5 minutes.Cooking Tip: Not all ovens perform equally and your altitude can effect cooking times. Check the potatoes 5 minutes ahead of schedule. Once you have established the best cooking time for your Roasties, make note of it for perfect results in future.
That's how simple Roast Potatoes are. Perfect as a side dish for a Holiday Meal or a Sunday Roast too! There are, however, many ways you can serve these up and I'll give you a few hints on spices.
Spice Variations
Salt and Pepper - Salt and Pepper are the most basic of spices, but if you don't wish to meddle with the spices of your main dish, they are the best bet. Salt and Pepper are to be included in all of the spice variations below. For all, 1/8 to a 1/4 TSP of each is all you need.
Dill and Nutmeg - Sprinkle 1/8 TSP of Nutmeg 1/4 TSP of Dried Dill at the end of the cooking time and toss the Potatoes. This combination is a nice touch when serving a lighter meal such as Fish or a lightly spiced Chicken Breast or Leg.
Sage, Rosemary and Thyme - perfect for a Roasted Chicken or Turkey. Toss in the spices when dressing the potatoes in Oil, 1/8 TSP Sage, 1/4 TSP Rosemary and Thyme (all dried and ground).
Sautéed Onion and Garlic - Fresh Onion and Garlic will burn if you cook them at the same cooking times of your Potatoes. Your best bet is to cook ahead of time and add the Sauté to the dish 10 minutes prior to serving. 1 Clove of Fresh Garlic, Minced and 1 Slice of Onion, Diced. A wonderful side dish for Roast Beef, Lamb or Pork.
There you have it, several Holiday side dishes, all using the Roasted Potato. There are so many more variations too, I will likely post others in the future, but this is a great list to pull from if you are still new to cooking and spice pairings.
More recipes are in the works, I am late for Christmas but Early for Easter. I hope the New Year brings you much Hope and Happiness.
Please Enjoy!
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