Roasted Potatoes with Garlic and Herbs

The potato rarely gets the credit it deserves. In South America, where it comes from, it was treated as something close to sacred — it carried people through famine, it became drink, and it found its way into everything else.

Today it turns up in every cuisine on earth. Fried is one thing, but roasted with garlic and herbs is where the potato earns its place at the table.

Serves 4

Ingredients

5 medium potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 sprigs rosemary
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 teaspoon salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Cut the potatoes into wedges and put them in a wide bowl.

Add the olive oil first and toss to coat. Oil before spices — it gives the seasoning something to stick to, and it is what lets the potatoes soften properly as they roast.

Add the paprika, oregano, grated garlic and salt, and toss again until evenly coated. Strip the rosemary leaves from the stems and add them.

Line a sheet pan with parchment.

Spread the potatoes in a single layer, with space between them. This is the one rule that matters: potatoes piled on top of each other steam instead of roasting, and you end up with soft pieces underneath and crisp ones on top.

If your pan is not big enough, use two.

Roast for about 30 minutes, until golden and crisp at the edges. Turn them once halfway through.

Let them sit for a few minutes before serving — straight from the oven they are too hot to taste properly.

Chef’s note

For a crisper result, parboil the wedges for 5 minutes first, drain them, and shake the pan hard to roughen the surfaces before oiling. Those rough edges are what turn into crust.