I always find it funny when my kids don't like things I LOVED as a kid. It's the Murphy's Law of parenting, just like when they sleep in the only day you need to leave early or decide they actually do need to use the potty 5 minutes after you asked them and now you are already on the road.
KIDS!
Aaack!
Anyway, my mom used to make these amazing roasted potatoes with onion and oil and lots of spices like paprika and chili powder. I could eat the whole batch alone in a sitting if she let me. There is just something simplistically perfect about roasted potatoes.
Well, of course, my kids don't like them. The only way I consistently get potatoes in both kids and The Husband is to simply bake them but that MAN doesn't that get boring?! So I set out to make a simple roasted potato dish my kids actually would love.
I NAILED IT.
The 9-Year-Old (Ryan) rarely asks for seconds of anything at dinner. The first time I made these he asked for thirds. I actually ran out! The second time I made extra and when I told him what we were having for dinner his eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning.
It made me so happy! I never get that kind of excitement out of any of them when it comes to food.
I decided to skip the fresh onion and garlic as I think that's where the kids' ick factor comes from. Instead I simply flavored them with basic spices, salt and coconut oil, which adds an awesome sweetness.
I could eat these every day! I'm just happy to have another go-to side dish to mix in to my weekly dinners.
Ingredients
- 2 large baking potatoes (~775g total)
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil, melted (28g) (olive oil would work, too)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Scrub the potatoes and cut them into ¾-inch cubes.
As you're cutting plop them into a bowl of cold water.
Once both potatoes are cut, drain and rinse them a few times until the water is clear.
Drain the water and dry the potatoes in a clean kitchen towel. Set aside.
Dry the bowl you used to rinse the potatoes and whisk the oil, salt, garlic powder and onion powder in it.
Return the potatoes to the bowl and toss until they are well coated.
Spread the potatoes on a large cookie sheet.
(I still sprayed my sheet even though the potatoes are coated in oil because the first time I made them they stuck a little. I don't go nuts on the oil so they aren't dripping in it.)
Bake for 30 minutes tossing and shaking the pan at least once.
I served with some pistachio-crusted tilapia and roasted broccoli.
Overall a great meal! The 9-Year-Old scraped off his pistachio topping but ate without complaint. The 3-Year-Old took about 3 hours to finish the few bites I gave him. We did the whole no-snacks-until-you-finish-your-dinner routine and the plate sat there until the desire to have chocolate was just too strong and he finally ate it.
Score another one for Mommy!
I ended up with exactly 4 cups of potatoes so that's what I'm using for the serving size. Of course you can double, triple, whatever based on the size of your family. I just know if I make extra, I'll eat extra so I tend to cook just enough for us to enjoy in a sitting.
📖 Recipe
Ryan's Roasted Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 large baking potatoes ~775g total
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil melted (28g) (olive oil would work, too)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Scrub the potatoes and cut them into ¾-inch cubes. As you're cutting plop them into a bowl of cold water.2 large baking potatoes
- Once both potatoes are cut, drain and rinse them a few times until the water is clear.
- Drain the water and dry the potatoes in a clean kitchen towel. Set aside.
- Dry the bowl you used to rinse the potatoes and whisk the oil, salt, garlic powder and onion powder in it.2 tablespoon coconut oil, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Return the potatoes to the bowl and toss until they are well coated.
- Spread the potatoes on a large cookie sheet.
- Bake for 30 minutes tossing and shaking the pan at least once.
- I served with some pistachio-crusted tilapia and roasted broccoli.
Kathy
I don't know if you like gadgets, ( although I bought myself a robot vacuum, after you wrote about the one you got for Christmas one year), but anyway, I bought a T-Fal Actifry when it was on Groupon one time when it was offered at half price, and I love it.
I used to do french fries in the oven, but I now only do them in the Actifry, so I have the oven for the rest of the dinner. Plus when I did the fries in the oven, even though I sprayed the foil lined cookie sheet, and also tossed them in a zippy bag with oil and spices, they'd always cook uneven and get stuck to the bottom.
In this handy machine I can cook a batch of fries in 30 minutes with only 1 tablespoon of oil.
I also do chicken wings in it without any added oil at all.
I'm bad at buying gadgets and then not using them (I still have a spirlizer that I've only used twice, I really do need to get that thing out and start using it) .... but I regularly use the Actifry. I think it would be great if you ever got one and started experimenting with it and put the recipes on the site.
roni
I'm not really a gadget person but that does look pretty awesome!
Syd
I love these simple recipes, I have tried so many of your recipes and added them to my meal rotation. Thanks for this particular recipe because nowadays I don't know what to do with regular potatoes that is good and healthy and have been staring at the potatoes I got from my weekly organic produce delivery.
I have recently tried roasting beets, carrots and sweet potatoes, or any combination of them, in the oven with coconut oil and garlic and serving it as a side dish or using it in salads. It turns out delicious and it is the only way I would cook beets.
roni
That's how I like my beets too. 🙂
Kylee
I know I say this every time I comment, but... I can't believe "the toddler" is 9.
And you have a 3 year old (so do I, but he's my oldest, I have an 8 month old too)
Those potatoes look amazing. Will have to give them a try for ... the toddler in my house.
Yum!
roni
I know!! Right?!? It goes so so fast!
Berta
My mother used to make these, too. We're having them for dinner tomorrow night. I love oven baked potatoes. Yum.
Patty
My kids love potatoes like this but I use red potatoes, they have a nice texture when roasted.
Rene
Looks yummy. I wish my kids would eat potatoes!