Roasted Spanish Potatoes

Why We Love This Recipe

• Crispy exterior, fluffy interior: These roasted Spanish potatoes are the perfect combination of crisp and fluffy. To do this, we soak the potatoes in cold water prior to roasting, which removes any excess starch. The second is the addition of a little bit of cornstarch, which makes for the perfect crunchy coating!
• Easy to make: Simply soak the potatoes, coat them in the spices and bake! It's that easy and they're incredibly delicious. The soaking does add some extra prep time, but we promise it's worth it. (That being said, you can skip the soaking if you absolutely don't have time!)
• So much flavor: These potatoes are packed with (smoked and sweet) paprika and cayenne to create a smoky spiciness that's balanced by the richness of tomato paste. Lemon juice cuts through all of the spice for an addictive combination.
• Dipping sauce: This tomato paprika dipping sauce is optional, but is a fantastic pairing for these Spanish potatoes. Especially great if you're serving these as an tapas-style or as a small bite for entertaining! These Spanish potatoes are also excellent with this avocado crema on the side.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make these roasted Spanish potatoes:

Ingredient Notes

• Potatoes: For this recipe, we're using Yukon gold potatoes, but feel free to use red potatoes if you they are more readily available. For super crispy potatoes, it's important to soak them in cold water prior to roasting (to remove excess starch), so be sure to factor that in to your prep time.
• Oil: We love the flavor of olive oil, but you can also substitute with just about any oil you have on hand (vegetable, sunflower, avocado, etc).
• Cornstarch: You can also substitute this with arrowroot starch. Don't skip this step, as it helps the potatoes achieve a super crispy exterior.
• Tomato paste: This provides a bold tomato flavor that pairs well with our spice blend, and adds a unique touch to this recipe.
• Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed is always best! Just a small amount cuts through the spices in this recipe and adds extra zest to these Spanish potatoes.
• Paprika: This is the key spice in this recipe. We use both smoked and sweet paprika for maximum flavor. If you have to choose just one, I'd have to say smoked is best – it packs the most punch in terms of flavor.
• Cayenne: If you're super sensitive to spice, feel free to leave this out.
• Parsley: This is optional for serving once the potatoes are roasted, but we highly recommend! It adds the perfect, refreshing final touch to these crispy Spanish potatoes.

Instructions

(1) Add diced potatoes to a large bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit for 40-60 minutes, then drain and rinse thoroughly (this removes excess starch for super crispy potatoes). Pat the potatoes dry with a clean towel.

Preheat oven to 400˚F/ 200˚C. 

(2) Whisk together olive oil, tomato paste, and lemon juice. Stir in cornstarch, salt, smoked paprika, oregano, garlic powder, cumin, and cayenne.

(3) Pour the spice mixture over the potatoes and toss well to coat.

(4) Spread potatoes onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet and roast for 35-45 minutes, stirring 2-3 times throughout, until potatoes are crispy.

Optional: top with finely chopped fresh parsley. 

Make the optional dipping sauce: Whisk together ½ cup vegan or regular mayo, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika, ¼ teaspoon salt, and a pinch of cayenne. It's absolutely delicious with these Spanish potatoes!

Tips and FAQs

• How to reheat roasted potatoes: My favorite method is to microwave them for 30-60 seconds (until warmed), then transfer to a skillet with 1 tablespoon of oil. Sauté until they're nicely crisped and warmed through.
  • Alternatively, spread them on a sheet pan, cover with aluminum foil and place in a 400˚ oven for 10-15 minutes, until warmed through.
• If you're short on time and can't soak the potatoes for an hour: place them in a colander, then place the colander in a large stainless steel bowl. Set in the sink, and allow cold water to run over the potatoes for about 5 minutes. This will remove a good amount of starch from the potatoes, and it's better than not soaking them at all.
• Stir once or twice while roasting: This makes sure the potatoes are all cooked evenly, and also helps the crisping process so each potato has as much crispy surface area as possible!
• Switch it up with sweet potatoes: You can follow this recipe the exact same by using sweet potatoes (or even purple sweet potatoes)! Don't skip the soaking – it makes for the best crispy sweet potatoes (seriously not soggy at all).
• Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• Make them spicier: If you love spice, double the quantity of cayenne.
• How to serve: Serve these Spanish potatoes as tapas with a bunch of other small plates, or as a hearty appetizer alongside our vegan paella or Mediterranean grilled tofu. They're also great in the morning in a breakfast skillet, or as a component for burrito bowls. They would also be great in these crispy potato tacos!
• Air fryer: If you prefer, you can definitely make these in your air fryer by cooking at 375˚F/180˚C for 25-35 minutes.

More Potato Recipes to Enjoy

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