Baked Red Potato Wedges Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Are red potatoes best for baking? ›

Red potatoes tend to be smaller and waxy. Their higher moisture and lower starch content are great for boiling or roasting, and they manage to hold their shape well. These properties tend to make them less desirable for a baked potato, which should be a little larger in size and easy to fluff up on the interior.

Prepping the Red Potatoes for Roasting

The potatoes are easy to prep; just a few quick steps: Scrub the potatoes or wash them well with water – There is no need to peel them – the skin is thin and waxy and provides a lot of flavor, so be sure to leave it on!

Wedges should be about 1/2″ thick. If they are cut too thick, they won't crisp up properly. Soak potatoes: Place potatoes in a bowl of cold water with about 2 cups of ice cubes. Let them stand for 30 min then pat dry thoroughly with paper towels or a tea towel.

Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes. Cold water is used because hot water would react with the starch activating it, making it harder to separate from the potatoes.

Red potatoes have a higher nutritional content and more fiber than Russet potatoes. Potatoes can have other health benefits, but it depends on the type and the way they're prepared. Potatoes are an incredibly versatile root vegetable consumed in a variety of dishes around the world.

Red potatoes are great for roasting, cooking in soups, or boiling or steaming for potato salad. The waxy nature of the flesh means they'll maintain their shape, but it also means they will get gluey when overworked, so you'll want to choose a different potato for mashing.

Boil, roast or bake a red potato, include some fresh herbs and seasonings, add fresh veggies, and it's still delicious and fat free. Naturally sodium free and high in potassium, red potatoes are a major contributor of maintaining a healthy blood pressure.

Don't wrap your potatoes in foil

Foil holds in moisture and steams the potatoes, resulting in a "boiled" taste and texture. Plus, without the use of foil, the skin will get extra crispy and flavorful.

Right amount of oil.

Too much and it actually makes them soggy. Too little and the seasoning doesn't stick on the wedges and the wedges stick to the baking tray. High(ish) oven helps set that crust extra quickly!

If you want to prepare your potatoes later after you have cut them soaking them in cold water will keep them from turning brown. Also, if you are going to fry them they will turn out crispier. Soaking them helps to remove the starch.

How to cook potatoes into wedges? ›

Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil. Cut the potatoes into chunky wedges, then boil in the water for 7 mins. Drain and leave to steam dry for 5 mins. Spread the wedges out on a large baking sheet or two smaller ones.

I always cut them out just a matter of habit, but there is in truth nothing toxic about them. The eye of a potato is ok to eat along with the rest of the potato; however, if the potato eye is sprouting, that sprout and eye has become somewhat unfit to eat.

A potato that has grown eyes is still safe to eat so long as it's firm to the touch and its skin isn't shriveled. Sprouts, however, are not edible and should be removed and tossed.

Russet potatoes are arguably the best potatoes for baking, although they are also great for mashing and frying. The main reason thick-skinned Russet potatoes are perfect for baking and more is because they contain significant amounts of starch.

Red potatoes are great for roasting, cooking in soups, or boiling or steaming for potato salad. The waxy nature of the flesh means they'll maintain their shape, but it also means they will get gluey when overworked, so you'll want to choose a different potato for mashing.

You absolutely can substitute red potatoes for the russets in potato soup. Red potatoes are waxy, have more moisture, and tend to keep their shape better when cooked, so some people actually prefer them when making soup. In fact, I prefer them in most soups with the exception of this recipe.

Russet or Idaho potatoes are "starchy" and tend to lose their shape and absorb more moisture as they cook. Red-skinned potatoes and fingerling potatoes have a "waxy" starch that helps them keep their shape as they cook. However, they don't absorb moisture as well as Russets do.