Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes

Make the best Oven Roasted Potatoes that everyone is guaranteed to love! These seasoned potatoes are full of flavor, have a crispy texture, and super easy to make!

These go well with just about any recipe, but I especially love them with my Marinated Flank Steak and my Air Fryer Chicken Thighs! Let me teach you how to make the PERFECT roasted potatoes every time!

If you're looking for an easy roasted potatoes recipe, then look no further! These zesty little things are my new favorite side dish! Crispy on the outside and soft and velvety on the inside, these take no effort at all. Like none...zero!

With only a 10 minute prep, I can pretty much guarantee this is about to become one of your favorite potato recipes.

Video: Step-By-Step Instructions

What Kind of Potatoes To Use

For best results, use red potatoes. That's the secret to getting that velvety texture in every bite. And I'm only using simple ingredients here. The Zesty Italian Mix gives these roasted red potatoes a nice "zesty" flavor and I highly recommend using it. It's made up of garlic, onion, and bell pepper. I also use this same marinade in my Italian Marinade Steak and Vegetable Kabobs and the flavor is just incredible. Super versatile and tastes amazing on so many foods.

How To Roast Potatoes

Start off by cutting the red potatoes into small cubes. After they are finely chopped, rinse well and then place them in a gallon Ziplock baggie. Add in the olive oil and sprinkle the package of dry Zesty Italian Dressing Mix into the Ziplock bag. Add in the onion powder, salt, and pepper. Shake well until ingredients are evenly coated. Set aside and let them marinate for 10 minutes.

While they are marinating, line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Pour the potatoes onto the cookie sheet and spread them out so they are even.

What Temperature to Roast Potatoes

To get that crispy texture and soft center, you'll need to roast the potatoes on 400 degrees fahrenheit for 45 minutes. About half way through roasting,  you'll want to move the them around with a spatula to avoid sticking. Once done, remove from the oven and serve immediately.

I'm pretty positive that this oven roasted potatoes recipe is about to become one of your favorites. They're pretty irresistible! I love topping these with fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.

Roasting vs. Baking

So why are these called "oven roasted potatoes"? What's the difference between roasting and baking? There are a lot of commonalities to both methods, but let's break this down and look at the science:

• Roasting typically requires a higher oven temperature, 400 degrees fahrenheit and above.
• You'll typically find the term "baking" associated to more liquid based substances, like baking a cake or baking cookies. Even baking casseroles. You typically "roast" chickens and "roast" potatoes. Substance really does matter when using the terms "baking" vs. "roasting".
• When you roast, you'll get a crispy texture on the outside of the food. In the case of these oven roasted potatoes, they get nice and crispy on the outside.
• Most of the time, roasting calls for not covering the food. Take a baked potato for example. You typically wrap it in aluminum foil; therefore, it's "baked". When roasting, you'll want the warm air to roast the uncovered food and provide that golden brown color and texture.

Export Tips and FAQs

• There's no need to marinate these in the Zesty Italian mix for a long period of time, but if you want to you can. The longer you marinate, the more flavor they will have. I like to marinate these overnight. But they are plenty flavorful without going through that process.
• This recipe is so flexible that you can also easily substitute the Zesty Italian Mix with garlic powder, rosemary, oregano, or fresh garlic to get similar results.
• Leave the skin on. All the nutrients live in those skins. The skins also crisp up nicely when you roast potatoes. Crispy oven roasted potatoes are the best!
• Want to enhance the flavor even more? Use a flavored olive oil. I love using a rosemary infused olive oil or garlic olive oil in this recipe.
• Can you freeze roasted potatoes? You sure can! After you marinate them, place the Ziplock baggie in the freezer. When you're ready to cook them, follow the same directions.

More Potato Side Dishes

If you're looking for more potato dishes, check these out. If you've ever want to learn how to make garlic crock pot potatoes, then you'll love this recipe! Full of flavor, these potatoes are incredibly tender! And this is the best potato salad recipe you'll ever eat! Each bite is full of buttery goodness.

And these homemade mashed potatoes are a classic! Creamy and thick, these pair with just about anything you can think of! And if you like your potatoes sweet, make sure to check out these Autumn Spiced Sweet Mashed Potatoes! These are perfect for everyday and also taste great during the holiday season!

Update Notes: This post was originally published in Nov 2012, but was re-published with updated step-by-step instructions, pictures, and tips in April 2020.