Parboiling makes for extra tasty roasted sliced potatoes. If you think that the crispy edges are the best part of roasted potatoes, this is the recipe for you!
Several years ago I was watching America’s Test Kitchen on tv, and they were sharing a recipe for what they called the “best roasted russet potatoes ever.”I grabbed a pencil and paper and scribbled down this recipe. They’ve been a staple at our house ever since!
EASY AND DELICIOUS SIDE DISH
With just a few simple ingredients and minimal prep time, you can have a flavorful and satisfying dish that’s sure to impress.Whether you’re cooking for a large family, potluck, or just for yourself, these potatoes are a versatile and tasty addition to any meal. They go well with chicken, beef, fish, pork, and even salad.
You can eat these potatoes with a fork, or use your fingers and dip them in ketchup, fry sauce, or any sauce of your choosing. No matter how you eat them, they are delicious!THE SECRETS TO CRISPY POTATOES
- Parboiling the potatoes breaks down the starch on the outside of the potatoes, which will make a soft layer on the outside that will actually crisp up in the oven instead of just turning tough.
- HIGH HEAT – You want your oven to be at least 425 degrees, but I like to bake them at 450°. That ensures that the outsides will get nice and crisp.
- Preheating the baking sheet means that as soon as you add the sliced potatoes, they will start to brown instead of steaming onto the sheet as it heats up.
- Using the right amount of oil is important. If you don’t use enough, the crisp parts of the potato can stick to the pan. But if you use too much, they will be greasy instead of crisp. I found that 2- 2 1/2 tablespoons is the perfect amount for this recipe.
- Bake in a single layer. If the potatoes are stacked, they will steam instead of crisping up. Sometimes I will bake them in two batches if they don’t fit.
- Flip halfway through. The potatoes tend to brown the best on the bottom of the baking sheet, so flipping them ensures that both sides are nice and crisp.
HOW TO MAKE OVEN ROASTED POTATO SLICES
- PREP – Preheat your oven and your baking dish to 450 degrees. Wash and scrub or peel your potatoes.
- CUT – Slice your potatoes about 1/8″ – 1/4″ thick. Thinner potatoes will cook faster and be more crunchy.
- PARBOIL – Place the sliced potatoes in a large pot and add enough cold water to cover them by at least an inch. Add a tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for just 5 minutes. Drain well.
- SEASON – After the potatoes are drained, pour them into a large bowl. Add the olive oil and stir to coat each slice. Add the salt and pepper and stir vigorously to make sure each slice is seasoned.
- BAKE – Remove the hot baking sheet(s) from the oven and spread out the potatoes. Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Flip the potatoes and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until they are as crisp as you like. - SERVE– Serve hot and watch as everyone at the table reaches for seconds.
While it isn’t necessary to boil the potatoes first, you will get a better end result if you first parboil the potatoes. Not only do they absorb a bit of salt, parboiling breaks down some of the starch and sugar.
This starch and sugar sticks to the outer layer of the potatoes, so when they are baked at high heat, it will dry out and form that crunchy layer we all love!
You can of course still get tasty potatoes without boiling, but they won’t have as much of that glorious crust.
I prefer salting the potatoes before roasting, so some of the flavor is absorbed into the potato.
A friend once told me “if you salt your food before cooking, it tastes flavorful, if you salt it after cooking, it tastes salty”. I think this especially applies to potatoes.
Whether or not you peel your potatoes is completely up to you. I prefer to leave the skins on not only because it’s quicker, but because they add fiber and nutrients.
But if your family is averse to skins, go ahead and peel!
Leftover Potatoes?
If you have any potatoes left, you can store them in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I don’t recommend freezing them.
To reheat, I like the air fryer best because they get even crispier. You can also heat them in the oven on a baking sheet for 10-15 minutes, or heat them in a non stick skillet over medium – medium high heat.VARIATIONS:
- These are also fantastic with garlic. Simply add 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of granulated garlic or garlic powder with the salt.
- For a bit of a kick, you can add smoked paprika and cayenne pepper with the salt.
- Honestly, you can add any seasonings you like – rosemary, dill, parsley, thyme, cajun seasoning . . . the possibilities are endless.
- I have sometimes even added a couple of tablespoons of parmesan cheese with the olive oil. Tasty!
- You can also sprinkle cheese on them when they are done, then just pop them back in the oven for a minute or two until it melts.
- We like russet potatoes the best, but red potatoes are also tasty.
What to serve with roasted potatoes:
- Top Sirloin Steak Recipe
- Alice Springs Chicken
- Potato Chip Chicken
- Creamy Pork Chops
- Homemade Pigs in a Blanket
- Balsamic Chicken Salad
- Monterey Chicken
- Best Grilled Pork Chops
THE BEST BASIC ROASTED SLICED POTATOES
Crispy Sliced Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds russet potatoes about 4 large bakers
- 2 ½ Tbsp olive oil
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt If using table or sea salt, just use 1 teaspoon.
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper optional
Instructions
- Place your empty baking dish/dishes in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
- Wash and scrub or peel your potatoes. Slice them 1/8" to 1/4" thick.
- Place the sliced potatoes in a large soup pot and add enough cold water to cover the top layer by at least an inch. Add a tablespoon of table salt.
- Bring the potatoes to a boil and let them simmer just for 5 minutes. (It takes mine 10 minutes to come to a boil, so they cook for 15 minutes total. Your stove may vary.)
- Immediately drain the potatoes and pour them back into the hot pan so any excess water will evaporate.
- Pour the parboiled potatoes into a large boil. Drizzle with olive oil and stir till well coated.
- Add the salt and pepper and stir vigorously until all the slices are seasoned.
- Remove the hot pan from the oven and add the potatoes. Make sure to use a rubber spatula to scrape out all of the oil and seasoning onto the potatoes!
- Spread the potatoes out as evenly as possible. For the crispiest potatoes, make sure they are in a single layer. (You will probably need two pans, so it I'm in a rush, I will sometimes just layer them a bit- that's fine.)
- Bake for 20-25 minutes at 450°. Remove from the oven and flip the potatoes over. Bake for another 20-25 minutes or until as crisp as you like.
- Serve as is, or serve with dipping sauce like ketchup, fry sauce, ranch, or honey mustard. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Looking for a delicious and easy side dish to add to your next meal? Try these baked sliced potatoes!
What douche leaves a low star rating for their own mistake???
The recipe is 5 star.
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Thanks Mike! Sadly, it’s so common that it doesn’t even surprise me any more. Thanks for making the potatoes and leaving a great review. I’m glad you loved them! 🙂
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I was looking for a recipe to help me use up some boiled potatoes, and I almost skipped past this one because of the low average rating. I’m so glad that I didn’t! (and I HATE it when people give a low star count because of their own stupidity! it’s like when you read a 1-star restaurant review and the person is mad because they were turned away from the restaurant because they didn’t have a reservation and the restaurant is full, but they never ate there… so aggravating!) These potatoes were DELICIOUS. So the only change for me is that I didn’t parboil them, since mine were already boiled (but just barely so, because I was using them originally for a raclette, and I had boiled them with a chicken bouillon cube so they had a little more flavor than just plain potatoes. They were red potatoes with the skin on, btw). To make up for them already being boiled, I used the fan oven to make sure they dried out well, and at 450°F they were ready in about 40 minutes, turning them halfway. I think your tip for heating the sheet pans is what really makes the difference! And I loved your comment about salting while cooking, I am going to take that to heart from now on.
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Haha, yes, it is super frustrating when people leave a bad review because they made an error, or changed a recipe entirely! Glad to know that it worked with red potatoes, and that you found a great way to use the boiled potatoes you had on hand. And thanks for leaving a 5 star review, those are always appreciated! 🙂
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I would give this 5 stars if I had cut the cooking time in half, or lowered the oven temperature. Crispy was more like burnt. It’s my own fault for letting them go for 5 more minutes after I turned them at 22 minutes, but I was busy with other parts of the dinner.
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It could be that you cut your potatoes thinner than mine, so they cooked faster. But that last few minutes does make a big difference in the crispness. If they were done, you could have just taken them out. I am a little confused as to why you gave them 2 stars when the only issue was that you baked them too long. 🙁
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This is really a perfect side dish! A new staple at my house! Thank you so much!
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You are so welcome! Glad you enjoyed one of my favorite sides. I could honestly just eat them as a meal, I love them so much. 😉
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These are so tasty and easy to make! Thank you for the easy recipe!
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You are so welcome, glad you enjoyed them Allyson!
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I’ve noticed the best recipes have the simplest ingredients! Yum.
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Oh those look yummy!! I have to try them!
a homemaker’s journey
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