Golden Gold Roasted Potatoes

Roasted potatoes are the ultimate comfort food and a welcome side dish to so many dinners. Golden Gold Roasted Potatoes always accompany my Mirepoix Mirepoix Lentil Soup when served as the main dish. They are also perfect for potato salad. Using roasted potatoes in lieu of boiled or steamed potatoes brings a whole new flavor dimension. Roasted potatoes are great even as an appetizer served with dips like Silky Smooth Vegan Hollandaise and  “Olivaise”.

Oil-free Roasted Potatoes Technique / SOS Free*

In a nutshell the oil-free roasting technique is: Scrub, Cut, Rinse, Spice, Rest and Roast

Scrub and Cut: The oil-free roasting technique is to start by scrubbing the potatoes, then cut into wedges or cubes. Add the cut potatoes in the wash bowl with clean cold water, then drain a couple of times or until the water is clear. This step is to remove excess starch and enables the spices to adhere.

Rinse and Spice: After draining the cut potatoes but leaving just a little water coating the potatoes, place them in a large prep bowl.  Its best to start with turmeric because if turmeric is applied last the potatoes have a powdery texture on the outside. After coating lightly with turmeric, add the remaining spices and toss in the bowl to distribute evenly.

Rest and Roast: Let the spiced potatoes rest in the bowl for 10 to 20 minutes, tossing occasionally to keep the potatoes evenly coated with the spices and moisture. This step brings more flavor and adds moisture to the spices so they don’t over cook during the roasting. After the rest time, lay the potatoes in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. If there is excess liquid, sop it up with a paper towel before putting in the oven.

*Golden Gold Roasted Potatoes is a naturally SOS free dish. SOS free means there is no salt, no oil and no sugar used in a recipe. While sugar isn’t included in roasted potatoes recipes, oil and salt are. Here, we purposely omit both and come out with flavorful golden roasted potatoes and neither the oil or salt is missed. Oil-free roasted potatoes are one of the anchors for a whole foods plant-based way of eating.

The Potatoes for Golden Gold Roasted Potatoes

Yukon Gold! Yukon Gold are my go-to potatoes and particularly for this oil-free roasted potato dish. Red Potatoes are a very close second choice and are equally good in this recipe. Yukon Gold and Red potatoes both hold their own distinct delicate taste, have wonderful texture once roasted and neither needs peeling, just a good scrubbing. I have found that keeping the peel adds flavor and apparently most of the fiber is in the skins.

Yukon Gold and Red potatoes are stocked in most grocery stores year round and have a good turnover. Look for potatoes with thin, smooth skin and are firm to the touch. Thin, smooth skin usually means the potatoes are fresher. Avoid potatoes that have a green tinge to them. The green indicates toxins have built up from prolonged exposure to light.

Spices for Oil-free Roasted Potatoes

The combination of spices listed below flavors the potatoes so fully that salt is purposely not used. Turmeric spiced potatoes are the best! I add turmeric to most potato dishes. The turmeric adds a slight ginger and earthiness, coriander has the slightest lemony taste, while the cumin give a little smokiness and perked up with black pepper.

I start the spice toss with turmeric alone because it absorbs better into the potatoes if applied first. Otherwise, once roasted potatoes may have a powdery finish as will adding too much turmeric. Tossing the potatoes in the bowl gives the potatoes an even spice coating, but stirring with a wooden spoon or flat spatula works well too.

Baking Sheets

Any baking sheet pan will do for this oil-free roasting technique. Over the years, I’ve used old (and abused, lol) baking sheets, new ones, different brands and haven’t noticed any big difference in results. Dark bottom pans will brown a little sooner. You want the pan size to accommodate the amount of potatoes you are roasting in a single even layer. To give you an idea, two pounds (or approx 1 kg) of potatoes as is called for in this recipe, fit in an even single layer on a 15”L x 10”W (38cm x 25 cm). Three pounds (or approx 1.5 kg) fit on the larger 18”L x 13”W (45cm x 32cm) baking sheet pan.

Parchment Paper

Unbleached parchment paper is preferred since there is potential for bleach to leach into your potatoes. Also check the package to be sure it is safe for higher temperatures. Most are rated for safe use of temperatures between 420 and 450 degrees. The “If You Care” brand is unbleached and rated as safe to 428 degrees. That said, I have used it to bake bread at 450 degrees without issue. Throw out or compost the paper after one use in the oven.