Oven Roasted Breakfast Potatoes (2025)

FAQs

Is it necessary to boil potatoes before roasting? ›

Parboil for perfection

Boiling your potatoes for a little bit before roasting helps make sure that you get that beautiful crisp crust on the outside. If you don't parboil your spuds, the outside skin will remain quite tough, meaning that whatever fat you use will not be able to get inside the cracks.

If you pile the potatoes too high you'll have a hard time browning them. Don't cover your potatoes until potatoes are browned. Covering will make them cook faster but they'll also turn awfully mushy. It's better to leave the lid off and stir occasionally so you brown all sides.

If roasted potatoes lack their crunchy sheen, overcrowding is usually the culprit. Just as overcrowding bacon or mushrooms in a saucepan causes disappointingly mushy results, placing potatoes too close to each other on a baking sheet will prevent them from crisping while they roast.

The phrase “baked potato” typically refers to a whole potato being cooked in the oven with the intent of being cut open and stuffed (commonly with butter, sour cream, cheese, etc.). Roasted potatoes, on the other hand, are cut into smaller pieces and cooked in the oven until they're perfectly crispy on the outside.

Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes.

It's very important to wash potatoes before cooking with them because they're root vegetables. Since they grow underground, potatoes likely carry residual soil, bacteria, and pesticides when you buy them.

When a small amount of vinegar is added to the soaking water before frying, it can help impart a tangy flavor to the fries without making them taste overly vinegary. The acid in the vinegar can also help to slightly break down the surface of the potatoes, aiding in the development of a crispier texture during frying.

Soaking the sliced potatoes in water helps to draw out some of the starch from the middle of the potato, resulting in a sturdier, crispier French fry.

Potatoes may become mushy if they are overcooked or not cooked at a hot enough temperature to become crispy. For the best breakfast potatoes, I recommend oven-roasting them in a single layer with olive oil, onion, and spices at 500°F.

Neutral, low-cost oil such as vegetable oil, canola oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, corn oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, etc., work well for roasting. These oils have a high smoke point, allowing the potatoes to get very hot to achieve maximum crispiness.

How do restaurants get baked potatoes so soft? ›

Foil will prevent potatoes from drying out while they are kept warm – one of the reasons restaurants serve their baked potatoes in foil. but it will also leave the skin soft and moist, not crispy.

Roasted potatoes can become soggy if the water content in the potato isn't fully cooked. Different potatoes have different water content percentages. Also, be mindful of the oil. Potatoes can react like sponges; too much oil can make your potatoes appear to be soggy.

Russet potatoes will produce crisper crusts and fluffier centers. Yukon Golds will be slightly less crisp and have creamier centers, with a darker color and deeper flavor. You can also use a mix of the two. The potatoes should be cut into very large chunks, at least 2 to 3 inches or so.

Do I have to boil potatoes before roasting? Not necessary but this can help get the perfect consistency and crispiness. Make sure you boil them but leave them a bit al dente and they will crisp up perfectly in the oven.

Toups also calls out a common mistake people make when baking potatoes. "I see a lot of people using foil to wrap their potatoes in but this is a big no-no and causes soggy skins!" he says. Foil holds in moisture and steams the potatoes, resulting in a "boiled" taste and texture.

Not necessary but this can help get the perfect consistency and crispiness. Make sure you boil them but leave them a bit al dente and they will crisp up perfectly in the oven.

This simple air fryer roast potatoes recipe requires no parboiling and is very quick and simple. The air fryer really excels with simple sides like this – so quick and easy – no preheating of your oven needed and they turn out really crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy inside. What is this?

You'll want to boil potatoes any time you don't want them to dry out (as they can when baked in the oven). So it's a cooking method ideal for mashed potatoes or potato salad. Boiled potatoes on their own can also make a quick side dish.

Parboil the Potatoes First

Parboiling helps soften the potato insides before the roasting begins, so you won't be tempted to burn the outsides in exchange for less undercooked insides. Boil the potato chunks for eight to 10 minutes—they won't be fully cooked, but they'll be ready for the next step.