Herb Roasted Potatoes

Roasted potatoes are a universal side dish associated with comfort food and making them at home is super easy, filling, and economical. They’re ability to absorb lots of flavor makes them a perfect candidate to carry jam-packed combinations of fresh herbs tossed in garlicky and peppery olive oil. 

The technique for herb roasted potatoes is the same as roasting any other root vegetable. Before roasting in olive oil, simply drop them in salted boiling water for a few minutes. This gives the exteriors a head start on the cooking process. Then while roasting, by the time the interiors are cooked to velvety creaminess, the exteriors are crispy with slightly caramelized bits of seasonings.

If herbs are the featured ingredient, they need to be fresh. When shopping, buy whatever herbs look the best. Or, if you use Fresh Direct, they usually provide great quality herbs (no, this is not a paid endorsement).  

If you have outdoor space available, consider growing your own herbs. If you can’t grow year-round (due to cold winters), it’s never too early to start planning for the next growing season. Start planting herb seedlings in April, then you can have a replenishing supply of fresh herbs all summer through to most of next fall. All you need is some small 9-inch containers.  Also, keep in mind that some herbs, such as thyme and chives, can even remain dormant in the winter and they magically start growing back in the spring, with literally zero effort. 

Removing thyme leaves

The only real precaution in this recipe lies in the use of fresh thyme. Do not just start chopping away at them. The thick woody stems of thyme do not cook down and run the risk of getting caught in your throat. They can actually be quite hazardous. Therefore, take the time to remove the individual thyme leaves (see below). Simply cut off each stem, hold the tip and gently slide the stem between your fingers in the opposite direction. Then pinch off the tips. Do this ahead of time because it’s a pain to do quickly while you’re deep into cooking. You don’t want to rush this process.

The amounts of herbs in recipes is often difficult to quantify. Plus, it’s also a matter of personal taste or even your mood at the moment. So just take what I’m doing with a grain of salt … pun intended.

Ingredientsfor herb roasted potatoes

• 40–45 baby potatoes
• 7–10 sage leaves, chopped fine
• ¼ cup finely chopped chives
• 3 heaping tablespoons finely chopped thyme
• 4 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons olive oil 
• 2 heaping teaspoons kosher salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, line a shallow 13’ x 9” sheet pan with foil. Place the pan in the oven so it can heat up. In a large pot, bring 8-10 cups of water to a boil, seasoned with a few generous pinches of salt.
2. Be sure your herbs are prepared according to the ingredients list. 
3. Cut each potato on in half, crosswise. Set aside. Combine all of your chopped herbs in a small bowl and mix so they’re all even distributed. 
4. Once the pot of water is boiling, slowly place the halved potatoes into the water. Once again, bring to a boil for another 3 to 4 minutes. Then, transfer to a colander to drain the water.
5. Return the potatoes to the large pot. Stir in olive oil so all potatoes are evenly coated. Add the herbs, garlic, black pepper, and salt. Stir potatoes until the seasoning is evenly distributed.
6. Remove the hot sheet pan from the oven (using oven mitts). Transfer seasoned potatoes to your sheet pan evenly distributed in one layer with none overlapping. They will sizzle when added, and that’s what you want. 
7. Roast the potatoes at 400 degrees. After about 15 minutes give them a gentle stir. Roast them for another 15 minutes, or until they’re fork tender. They should be technically done by now, but for extra crisping, switch the heat to the broiler. Place your herb roasted potatoes within 6 inches of the heating element and broil until desired doneness.

Roasted Potatoes using an air fryer

The biggest question I get from people is, “Can I do this in an air fryer?” and the answer is … YES of course. An air fryer is really a fancy word for a convection oven in which hot air is simply being blown onto your feed. No actual frying is happening and the same general rules of the oven roasted recipe will apply. The one thing to watch out for when doing this is the temperature. Depending on your machine, the default temperature setting is 390 degrees, which is too high. For something thick like raw potatoes, it needs to really be set lower (around 360 degrees) at least for the first half of the cooking time to cook the interiors. Once your potatoes are thoroughly cooked through, crank up the heat to 390 to achieve some awesome crisping in the same way you would broil in an oven.