Description
My favorite recipe for ultra-crispy roasted potatoes! My base recipe is included below, but see notes above for different seasoning ideas.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound red potatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon McCormick Garlic Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
- fine sea salt, to taste
- optional: extra seasonings (see below), finely-chopped fresh parsley (for sprinkling)
Instructions
- Dice the potatoes into 3/4-inch cubes. It’s important that the potatoes are uniformly sized for even cooking. Add the potatoes to a large bowl of cold water and soak for at least 30 minutes (or up to overnight).
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet (or two medium baking sheets*) with parchment paper, or mist with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Drain the potatoes, rinse with cold water, then transfer to a dry bowl and blot the potatoes dry with a clean towel. Drizzle the potatoes evenly with olive oil, and toss until they are evenly coated.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, garlic powder, black pepper and any additional dry seasonings (see below) until combined. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the bowl of potatoes, then toss until the potatoes are evenly coated and the cornstarch has soaked into the oil.
- Spread the potatoes out in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Be sure that the potatoes are not overlapping, or else they will not cook evenly.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Then remove pan from oven, and flip the potatoes 180° with a spatula. Rearrange again so that the potatoes are evenly spaced and not overlapping. Then bake for 10-15 more minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and have begun to brown and caramelize a bit around the edges.
- Remove baking sheet from the oven, and sprinkle potatoes generously with your desired amount of salt. Transfer baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the potatoes cool for 3-5 minutes, to continue crisping up. Then serve immediately while still hot.
Notes
Feel free to incorporate these extra seasoning blends if you would like:
- Smoky: Whisk 1½ teaspoons McCormick Smoked Paprika (plus a pinch of McCormick Cayenne) in with the cornstarch, garlic powder and black pepper.
- Lemony: Whisk 1 teaspoon McCormick Dried Oregano in with the cornstarch, garlic powder and black pepper. Then, once the potatoes have roasted, toss them with the zest and juice of 1 small lemon.
- Cheesy: Whisk 1 teaspoon McCormick Dried Thyme in with the cornstarch, garlic powder and black pepper. Then, once the potatoes have roasted, sprinkle them with lots of freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.
*If you need to spread the fries out between two baking sheets, be sure to switch their positions on the top and bottom oven shelves at the halfway point when you flip the fries.
*Note that a double batch (2 pounds of potatoes) is featured in the photos above.