Ranch Potatoes

Easy side dishes don’t get more delicious than these Roasted Ranch Potatoes! They taste great with everything and feature everyone’s favorite flavor: ranch!

 

If I had to choose one food to eat for the rest of my life, hands down without a question I’d choose potatoes. There are SO many ways to prepare a potato and all of them are delicious. Some of my favorite potato recipes are:

Ingredients

It’s almost silly to list them out, because you only need THREE simple ingredients to make these ranch potatoes.

• Potatoes – The type of potato you use is based on personal preference. I like russet potatoes, but you can use a red potato or yukon gold potatoes too. Cut into uniform chunks.
• Vegetable oil – I prefer to use vegetable oil to coat the potatoes to allow the ranch seasoning to stick. However, you can use any neutral oil you prefer.
• Dry Ranch dressing mix – Now you can easily buy a packet at the grocery store, but making your own at home is so easy!

Variations

There are plenty of ways for you to make these ranch potatoes your own. Here are a few suggestions.

• Cheese – Sprinkle your potatoes with a little cheese too add something extra. Cheddar cheese or parmesan cheese would be delicious.
• Toppings – Feel free to top your potatoes with things like bacon bits or sliced green onions or chives to add a little jazz.
• Seasonings – I love these potatoes with just ranch, but you could certainly add something like dill or black pepper to take things up a notch.

How to Make Ranch Potatoes

Making these potatoes is as easy as 1, 2, 3!

1. Toss potatoes in oil. In a large mixing bowl combine cut potatoes with vegetable oil, tossing to coat.
2. Toss potatoes in ranch seasoning. Add Ranch seasoning mix and toss again until coated.
3. Bake in ungreased baking sheet until potatoes are brown and crisp.

Tips for Crispy Roast Potatoes

Getting crunchy, crispy potatoes seems like an easy task, but it all too often a challenge. Here are my tips:

1. Cut evenly-sized potatoes: If your potatoes are all wonky sizes, then they all need different cooking times leading to some being undercooked.
2. Cold water bath: After chopping your potatoes, let them sit in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes or more. This prevents oxidation (browning potatoes) but also rinses off the starch.
3. Dry your potatoes: Just like when you sear a steak, make sure your potatoes are nicely patted dry. Not only does this allow for the maillard reaction, water in the oven also creates steam and steam is the enemy of crunch.
4. Toss them in fat: You’ll need to toss your potatoes in some sort of fat. Something like rendered bacon fat or duck fat actually works best, even melted Crisco, but olive oil is good too.
5. Dry seasoning: Dry seasoning like salt, garlic powder, onion powder and more can also help get crispy potatoes. Add this evenly after you coat in oil so there aren’t pockets of seasoning. Some even add 1-2 teaspoons of cornstarch for extra crunch.
6. Use a low rimmed baking sheet: Using something with high sides has the tendency to create steam within the pan. Use a low rimmed baking sheet for best results.
7. Don’t overcrowd the pan: Make sure your potatoes have room to breath! Hot air needs to circulate around each and every piece AND being too close together can also make for steam. Steam = soggy potatoes.
8. High heat: High heat will crispy up the outside while leaving the inside nice and fluffy, but make sure your pieces aren’t too big or they won’t cook the whole way through. About a 1-inch dice seems to be the sweet spot.
9. Flip Them. Half way through cooking, flip the potatoes so they evenly brown.
10. Serve immediately: Fresh, hot crispy potatoes are best! If you wait too long or make them ahead of time, they will never be the same.

What to Serve Ranch Potatoes With

Potatoes and burgers go hand in hand so I like to serve mine with a good burger. They would also taste great with practically any protein or main dish. Here are a couple of options:

• Grilled chicken
• Salmon
• Pork Chops
• Ribs

Storage and Freezing

How to Store Leftover Ranch Potatoes

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Can I Freeze Ranch Potatoes?

Roasted potatoes can be frozen in an airtight freezer bag. Reheat while still frozen in hot oil in a large skillet until thawed and browned.

More Ranch Recipes

Calling all ranch recipe fanatics! If you love ranch as much as I do, you’d got to try all of our favorite ranch recipes.