Italian Roast Potatoes – Rosemary And Garlic
Updated Feb 06, 2024, Published Aug 16, 2018
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Crispy on the outside with a soft and fluffy centre these Italian roast potatoes are the ultimate side to any roast dinner or main course. Made with garlic cloves and fresh rosemary they’re packed with flavour and pretty hard to resist.
Who doesn’t love perfectly roasted potatoes? Not many I tell you and these ones are by far my favourite way to make them. I love to serve them with a stuffed roast pork loin that’s been rubbed in fresh herbs, fennel seeds and wrapped in prosciutto…SO delicious. Roast lamb, chicken or beef always works well too.
Seasonings
I season these Italian roast potatoes well with salt and pepper. These have an extra delicious flavour kick from a generous helping of fresh rosemary and garlic.
I use 5-6 garlic cloves, skins still on and lightly crushed with the back of a knife. Squeeze them out of their skins when the potatoes are done, they’re sweet, sticky, garlicky and utterly delicious!
I use around 4 large sprigs of fresh rosemary and remove the needles from the stalks and sprinkle them over the potatoes. Tip: get the rosemary and garlic ready in advance because you have to work quickly when the roasting tray is nice and hot.
Do I need to boil potatoes before roasting?
To make these Italian roast potatoes I never boil them first. I’ve never felt they’ve needed to be boiled because they come out so crispy and delicious plus it’s an extra step that isn’t necessary.
If you’re making traditional British roast potatoes then I do boil them first because they are cut much larger and boiling them gives them a fluffy outside that goes extra crispy when roasting. Perfect for pouring gravy over!
How to make Italian Roast Potatoes – step by step
First, preheat the oven to 220°C (428°F). Once the oven is at temperature pour the oil into the baking tray and place in the oven to get nice and hot (photo 1).
Peel the potatoes and cut them into rough medium sized chunks (photos 1 & 2). When you’ve finished chopping the peeled potatoes the tray and oil should be nice and hot.
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Pin ItDo the next step quickly but carefully *hot oil warning*. Bring the tray out of the oven and add the potatoes to the tray followed by the rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and using a spatula or fish slice toss the potatoes to coat everything in oil and place back in the oven (photos 4 & 5).
Let them roast in the oven for around 25 minutes then toss so the majority of the crispy brown and golden sides are facing up. Roast again for another 20 minutes or until all the potatoes are crispy, golden brown and cooked through.
Tips for making the perfect Italian Roast Potatoes
- Make sure your oven as pre-heated fully before tossing the potatoes in roasting tray
- Don’t overcrowd the potatoes, choose a tray big enough to spread them out in an even layer
- Always remember to add the olive oil to the baking tray and heat it in the oven so the oil is extra hot before add your potatoes. This helps create crisp potatoes straight away.
- Don’t use expensive extra virgin olive oil for roasting, a lesser expensive olive oil will do
- Add as much garlic as you want…the more the better I say
- If you’re not serving the potatoes straight away then transfer them to a plate lined with baking parchment to drain slightly and keep warm in a low oven. Don’t cover the potatoes or they’ll lose their crispiness
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Step By Step Photos Above
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Italian Roast Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1.9 lbs (870g) potatoes
- 5-6 garlic cloves, whole and skins still on and crush with the back of a knife
- 4-5 sprigs on rosemary, (removed from the sprig)
- 5-6 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (428°F). Once the oven is at temperature pour the oil into the baking tray and place in the oven to get nice and hot.
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into rough medium sized chunks. When you’ve finished chopping the peeled potatoes the tray and oil should be nice and hot.
- Do the next step quickly but carefully *hot oil warning*. Bring the tray out of the oven and add the potatoes to the tray followed by the rosemary and garlic cloves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and using a spatula or fish slice toss the potatoes to coat everything in oil and place back in the oven.
- Let them roast in the oven for around 25 minutes then toss so the majority of the crispy brown and golden sides are facing up. Roast again for another 20 minutes or until all the potatoes are crispy, golden brown and cooked through.
Notes
- Make sure your oven as pre-heated fully before tossing the potatoes in roasting tray
- Don’t overcrowd the potatoes, choose a tray big enough to spread them out in an even layer
- Always remember to add the olive oil to the baking tray and heat it in the oven so the oil is extra hot before add your potatoes. This helps create crisp potatoes straight away.
- Don’t use expensive extra virgin olive oil for roasting, a lesser expensive olive oil will do.
- Add as much garlic as you want…the more the better I say
- If you’re not serving the potatoes straight away then transfer them to a plate lined with baking parchment to drain slightly and keep warm in a low oven.
- Don’t cover the potatoes or they’ll lose their crispiness
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Do I have to peel the potatoes?
Hi Timothy, no, no need to peel them.
Does it matter what type of potatoes you use? Russet or yukon gold? These look delicious! Grazie mille! 🙂
Ciao Janice, yukon gold would be great so would maris piper. To be honest I’ve tried making them with waxy potatoes too and they were still really delicious!
I absolutely love to make homemade potatoes like these! Great tip on keeping them crispy!
I love garlic and rosemary potatoes, especially the glorious smell you get coming from the oven. These look absolutely stunning! Totally drooling! Good luck with your new home!
Thanks so much Sherri!
You just can’t beat garlic and rosemary on potatoes. They look so delicious and crispy!
Thanks Danielle!
Roasted potatoes are the ultimate comfort food. I love the bit of rosemary you added to these!
Thanks so much Jenni!
These look so crispy and delicious! I can never get my potatoes browned like that, so I’ll have to follow your easy steps here!
Heating the tray with oil first is the trick and a very hot oven! Thanks Danielle