11 Mistakes Everyone Makes With Roasting Potatoes

Few things are as comforting as a deliciously crisp roasted potato still sizzling straight from the oven. The crunchy golden nuggets give way to a fluffy interior that melts on your tongue. They can be flavored with something as simple as salt and pepper or as elaborate as different combinations of seasonings, flavored oils, and more.

Around 1 billion people eat potatoes mashed, fried, baked, boiled, braised, and, of course, roasted, across the globe each year. In fact, potatoes are the third most eaten staple overall, just behind wheat and rice. There are good reasons for that — they’re nutritional powerhouses, with one medium-sized spud containing just 161 calories and providing nearly 30% of a day’s vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin B6.

As common as a roasted potato is, there are still plenty of people who consistently end up with soggy or burnt results. Don’t worry, though. These tips will help you perfect your potato game and ensure a crackling, flavorful meal each and every time. 

Potatoes aren’t a monolith. In fact, more than 4,000 types are cultivated for consumption globally, but you won’t see nearly that many in your local grocery store. Instead, russets, white, red, and yellow varieties are piled in bins across the produce section. While you can make any potato tasty in the oven, starchy ones, like russets and white varieties, are best for roasting as they have the fluffiest interiors with the crispiest crusts. 

Waxy spuds, like red potatoes, are best for use in salads or boiled because they have less starch and hold their shape well. This feature means they can remain toothsome when roasted, rather than light and fluffy on the inside.

Yellow types, like Yukon Gold, are also great choices for roasting. They lie in the middle ground between starchy and waxy, so they hold their shape well during cooking, while still getting soft and pillowy in the center. 

After you’ve chosen what kind of potatoes to roast, it’s time to parboil large chunks of them in salted water until you can pierce them with a fork. This step is important, even with smaller potatoes. Gordon Ramsey recommends starting them in cold water, as this helps them cook more evenly. That translates into less time in the oven and more thorough browning. In addition, boiling is among the healthiest ways to cook a tuber, so more vitamins and minerals make it to your plate in the long run. 

Adding a pinch of baking soda to the cooking water is another way to get spuds crispier in the long run. The baking soda turns the water alkaline, making the starch inside the potatoes burst. This leads to soft centers with a melting texture and a more sticky exterior that can be easily browned into crackling bits. 

Of course, if you’re in a pinch while making a quick dinner, Marissa Stevens, the founder of Pinch and Swirl, suggests soaking potato chunks in ice water for 30 minutes to an hour to help create the same sticky, starchy surface without boiling. If you try this method, just be sure to dry the spuds completely before roasting, otherwise the extra water will keep the exterior soggy. 

Two things need to happen after you’ve parboiled the potatoes — give them a good shake and let them dry (but more on that in a moment). A process called “roughing up” the exterior of a spud gives it more surface area to crisp, thanks to that gluey surface you’ve already created. To do this, pour the potatoes into a colander and give it a good shake for a few seconds. 

It doesn’t have to be too vigorous, just enough to see the surface starting to break down slightly. If the potatoes split into pieces instead of becoming craggy-looking, you’re shaking too hard, or they were boiled too long. If that happens, adjust the cook time down a bit to avoid them burning.

Another unexpected tip for enhancing crispness of a roasted potato is to add semolina flour after you’ve roughed up the edges. Semolina is a coarse flour that adds an incredible crunch to the potato, which, when warm, holds seasonings better and absorb more flavor. This creates another layer of texture for an already delicious meal. 

Many people let steam dry their parboiled potatoes, and with good reason — the method works. Letting the spuds sit in a colander until they’ve stopped steaming and are completely dry allows the surface to become a gorgeous golden brown while roasting. 

If you’ve got the time to prepare a day ahead, letting the potatoes dry uncovered in the fridge overnight can help create an unbelievably crispy crust, thanks to water having more time to evaporate from the tuber’s edges. While you don’t have to go the overnight route for a great roasted potato, trying it may just convert you. 

Whatever method you use, the potatoes have to be dry to cook evenly and brown in the oven. If they’re too wet, you’ll never be able to get a crisp crust. But the combination of drying the potatoes and the oven’s high heat lets the Maillard reaction take over, leading to a rich brown crust.

While you can roast potatoes at any temperature between 400 and 450 F, aiming right in the middle at 425 F will produce perfect veggies every time. This step probably seems like a no-brainer, but there’s a big difference between baking a spud at a lower temperature and roasting it at a higher one. If you don’t crank the oven up above 400 F, you won’t have enough heat for a crispy exterior. Instead, the potatoes will steam while baking, causing them to remain soft and soggy.

If you’re more adventurous and can keep a close eye on the timer, you can place the potatoes in a 450 F oven to kickstart the browning process. After putting the tray in, turn the temperature down to 400 F for the rest of the cooking time. No matter which roasting method you choose, you’ll get the crackling crust and creamy interior you were aiming for at a higher temp.

Choosing the right oil for your potatoes is more than just a matter of personal taste. Because the spuds have to roast at such a high temperature, you’ll need an oil with a high smoke point to keep your hard work from bursting into flames. Neutral oils, like avocado, canola, sunflower, and peanut, can stand high heat without adding unwanted flavors to the meal. 

Meat-based grease, like duck, beef, or goose fat, also work well and give the potatoes a deeper, more savory taste. Using olive oil will give the spuds a rich flavor, too, but be careful not to reach for the extra virgin kind because it has a much lower smoke point than the regular variety. If you want to add a buttery taste without burning the potatoes, Ina Garten recommends using a combination of butter and oil for great flavor and crisping power.

There’s a debate among cooks over whether or not heating the oil before coating the spuds with it when roasting potatoes is necessary. Some say the hot oil and pan immediately start the cooking process for a crispy outer shell, while others say the practice is dangerous and doesn’t significantly improve the crust. The truth is, you can create amazingly crunchy potatoes either way, thanks to the amount of time the tubers cook in the oven. However, forgetting to heat the baking pan is a big reason that potatoes stick when it’s time to turn them over.

Pre-heating the tray works a lot like using a pizza steel or an iron skillet. Cold metal soaks up oil because it’s porous, so heating the pan helps make it more non-stick. The heat also creates a sear when the food hits the surface, giving you a shatteringly crisp nugget of carbs that stays intact, instead of half-stuck to the baking sheet.

No matter what kind of veggies you’re roasting, it’s always best to have them in a single layer. Leaving space between the individual pieces lets the oven’s dry air circulate over the entire exterior. However, overcrowding the pan will prevent the potatoes from ever getting a crispy crust because they’ll steam instead of roasting. This leaves you with soggy, overly soft pieces that fall apart on the tray. 

To avoid the problem, Ina Garten uses two sheet pans to ensure there’s enough room for all the spuds. A sheet pan or rimmed baking tray keeps the oil contained while letting the air flow over the potatoes more easily. If the spuds are in a deeper baking dish, steam once again becomes a problem because the dry air has a harder time getting down into the tray. Another advantage of a metal sheet pan or tray is being able to pre-heat it for extra non-stick power.

Roasting anything is often seen as a “set it and forget it” meal. But, neglecting to turn your potatoes at least once during the roasting process will prevent them from getting crispy on both sides and from cooking through evenly. That doesn’t mean you have to open the oven every 10 minutes, though. Letting the potatoes cook undisturbed for around 20 minutes allows the Maillard reaction to start browning the exterior. It also lets the pieces develop the crust you’re looking for.

After 20 minutes, quickly and gently flip the spuds, so they can pick up oil and seasonings on every side. Place the tray back in the oven and let the pieces roast for another 20 minutes. After that, check for doneness, and if they need a little longer, flip the potatoes one more time before finishing them off. This keeps any one side from burning or getting too mushy. 

A great roasted potato can be flavored with just oil, salt, and pepper, or with dried and fresh herbs and spices. Depending on what you choose to add to your spuds, you can add it before cooling the pieces or just a few minutes before the potatoes are done cooking. For instance, dried herbs are more potent than fresh ones, but are still prone to burning if blasted with high heat for too long. The dried stuff can be added around halfway through the cooking process to avoid the problem. Fresher things, like rosemary, thyme, or minced garlic, can’t be added too early either, or it will result in a smelly, burnt mess instead of a meal infused with flavor. So place any sprigs of rosemary or parsley on the tray around 15 minutes before the spuds are finished roasting.

Another option is to use infused or flavored oil with a high smoke point. That puts a kick of flavor into the pieces from the moment the oil hits them. To make an herby, homemade rosemary-infused oil, combine a neutral base, like avocado or safflower oil, and your herbs. For this recipe, simmer fresh rosemary for 30 minutes over low heat or five minutes over medium-low heat. Let the oil cool to room temperature and strain before using.

This one might sound a bit counterintuitive, but go with it for a second. Greek cooks have long known the power of gently cooking their potatoes in an herby broth and olive oil. According to Olivia Roszkowski, an instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education’s New York City campus, this method creates soft, pillowy interiors and crunchy exteriors. As a bonus, the braising and roasting technique eliminates many of the fussier steps when roasting potatoes, letting you make a delicious dish without as many moving parts.

To make Greek potatoes, varieties like Yukon Gold or russets hold their shape well while crisping on the outside. After cutting the spuds into wedges, spread them in a single layer in a rimmed baking tray, before pouring a mixture of lemon juice, herbs, olive oil, and chicken or vegetable stock halfway up the potatoes. Roast them in an oven that’s been pre-heated to 400 F for 35 to 40 minutes. You don’t need to flip them, but for maximum crunchiness, try broiling the potatoes for around five minutes at the end.