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Oven-roasted potatoes are so easy and versatile. I love making these. I can switch up the seasonings to match whatever I am making for dinner. Also, with oven-roasted potatoes, you can cook them with other dishes in the oven. I am known to cook my chicken and potatoes at the same time. Well, almost at the same time. The chicken, of course, has a longer cooking time, so you can put the potatoes in when your chicken is close to being done.
Ingredients
- 6 medium to large russet or golden potatoes (adjust quantity according to your needs)
- Approximately 2 tbsp of olive oil or cooking oil
- Start with approximately 1 tbsp of seasonings (cajun, creole, steak, poultry, to name a few)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- I large onion, optional
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. At this point, you may need to move one of your oven racks. The rack you will be putting your potatoes on will need to be on the second slot from the bottom. Wash and dry the potatoes. I don’t peel my potatoes. In my opinion, the skin makes them crispier and they are a good source of nutrients as well as a good source of fiber. It is up to you to peel or not to peel.
Chop the potatoes into bite-size pieces and put them into a medium-size bowl. If you have chosen to add onion, cut it in half, and then slice. Add onions, oil, and enough seasonings to coat the potatoes and place them aside. Spray a large cookie sheet (16×12) with your choice of cooking spray. I would advise you not to use olive oil because it tends to burn. Place the potatoes on the baking sheet and spread them out evenly. Make sure it’s only one layer, so they cook evenly.
Bake them for about 1 hour. Halfway through the cooking time, stir them so that they do not stick to the bottom. Use a fork to test for tenderness. The fork will go through the potatoes easily but they shouldn’t be mushy. At the end of the 30 minutes, if your potatoes are not tender, you will need to put them back in the oven and continue cooking. Check every 10 minutes. If they are browning too quickly and not cooking, lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees. Find your spice, have fun and enjoy.
As with all things, you can add but you can’t subtract. Add seasoning and oil a little bit at a time.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Tell me if you liked them and what kind of experiments with seasonings you did. Share with your friends.