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Italian Roasted Potatoes are crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. They're flavored with rosemary and Parmesan cheese for something a little different. Sunday dinner has never been so awesome.

Italian Roasted Potatoes in a white bowl with basil and olive oil in the background

I love duality. I like it when something is two things at once. Sweet and salty. Kind but also sarcastic. Simple and complex. Beautiful and terrible. It's that harmony, two different vibrations working together, that really makes life interesting. Things, and definitely people, can never really be just one thing.

We sometimes struggle to hold disparrate ideas in our minds all at once. Often when something stressful is going on, it can crowd out all the beautiful things that still exist. Grief can block out joy. Financial strain can make us forget how much we love someone. Pressure at work can make us forget how to have fun. But it's definitely possible to see both things at once if we just look in the right place. Crying and laughing are so close, sometimes it's impossible to tell them apart.

Italian Roasted Potatoes in a white dish with rosemary

Sorry I got all philosophical, but I swear it ties in. These Italian Roasted Potatoes achieve what any good roasted potato should. They are both crunchy and fluffy at the same time. They've also got a punch of bold flavor with the addition of rosemary and Parmesan cheese. These would be completely awesome served alongside a roast chicken on a Sunday evening. Invite the whole family over. It's a thing.

How to make Italian Roasted Potatoes

For this recipe, you start by boiling your chopped potatoes for a few minutes to start them cooking. While that's happening, preheat your oven and put your roasting pan with a few tablespoons vegetable oil inside the oven to get screaming hot. Do not skip this. Preheating the pan is key.

Once your potatoes have softened up a little, you'll drain them, then toss them in some polenta or fine ground cornmeal to help create that crunchy exterior. Then carefully remove the hot pan from the oven, gently transfer your potatoes, and turn them in the oil to coat before sliding the roasting pan back into the hot oven.

About halfway through cooking, you'll want to take the pan out of the oven and give your potatoes a flip so they get crunchy on all sides. This is when we're going to add the rosemary and Parmesan. Just scatter it over the top, and pop the roasting pan back in the oven until your potatoes are crisp and golden.

Food, like life, is always best when full of contrast. Make these Italian Roasted Potatoes and remember how awesome the world truly is.

Italian Roasted Potatoes

Italian Roasted Potatoes are crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Author: Renee Rendall
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 50
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 3-4 servings 1x
Category: Side Dish
Method: Roasted
Cuisine: None
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale

1 kg starchy potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons sunflower oil or other neutral oil
3 tablespoons fine polenta or cornmeal
Salt and pepper, to taste
50 grams grated Parmesan cheese
1 sprig fresh rosemary, needles stripped and chopped

Instructions

Add your chopped potatoes to a pot and cover with cold water. Put your pan on the stove over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and drain the potatoes in a collander.
While your potatoes are boiling, turn your oven on to preheat to 200 C (400 F). Add your sunflower oil to a roasting pan and put this in the oven as it heats.
Once your potatoes are drained, put them back in the pot (you can use another mixing bowl, but then you'd just have to wash two things). Sprinkle over the polenta and salt and pepper. Gently toss the potatoes to coat them in the polenta and seasonings.
Once your roasting pan and oil are hot, carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven. Using tongs or a long-handled spoon, carefully transfer your potatoes to the roasting pan. Give them a quick turn in the oil, and sprinkle over any remaining polenta that might have been left behind.
Pop the potatoes in the oven, and let them roast for 30 minutes.
Carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven. Sprinkle over the Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh rosemary. Carefully turn the potatoes over, and return the pan to the oven for another 20 minutes or until the potatoes are crisp and golden brown.
Serve hot.