These easy Baked Parmesan Potato Wedges deliver exactly what they promise: Crispy, golden exteriors with creamy, tender insides. Perfect to serve as a fun and delicious appetizer, snack, or side dish!
Favourite Potato Wedges
These are the dreamiest potatoes — with creamy insides and very crispy outsides — loved by children and adults alike, and are so very easy to make. Just slice the potatoes into wedges (don’t bother to peel) and tumble them onto a pan. Pour on the olive oil, sprinkle with a spice mix – garlic powder, paprika, salt and black pepper – and some parmesan cheese. Mix everything together and stick the pan in the oven. In the oven’s high heat, the potatoes soak up all the flavours, the insides remain tender, and the outsides crisp to perfection. So satisfying and completely addictive, just like regular fries.
This time of year, I like to have the potato wedges cooking in the oven while grilling up some chicken or veggies on the bbq. Dunk the cheesy, crispy potato wedges in ketchup or whip up a creamy and luscious dipping sauce. So good!
The Secret to Crispy Baked Potato Wedges
There are a few simple and helpful tips to achieving the crispiest potatoes (see below). But there is one very important step that is the most crucial: Soak the potato wedges in cold water for about 30 minutes. Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch creates a gummy texture on the outside of the potato which will inhibit it from getting crispy when baked. Even a 10 or 15 minute soak will help.
If you don’t have any time at all to soak the potato wedges, place them in a large bowl and rinse with cold water at least twice.
Ingredient Notes
- Russet potatoes – For best results I like to use Russet potatoes. They hold up really well and get nice and creamy when baked in a hot oven. You can use Yukon Gold, if you prefer. It is best to avoid waxier potatoes like red or white.
- Olive oil – Tossing the potatoes in a good amount of olive oil gets them nice and crispy in the oven.
- Seasoning – Garlic powder, paprika, salt and black pepper lend lots of flavour and colour to the potatoes wedges.
- Parmesan cheese – My favourite ingredient in these potato wedges is the cheesy, salty parmesan. SO good!
- Flaky salt – Optional, but a bit of crackly salt on the exterior makes these parmesan potato wedges even more irresistible.
- Parsley – Chopped fresh parsley for garnish adds some nice colour but this is totally optional.
How to Make Parmesan Potato Wedges
- Cut each potato into 8 wedges (here is a quick video for guidance).
- Place the potato wedges in a large bowl of cold water. Soak for 30 minutes to remove the starch.
- Preheat oven to 425ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Drain the potatoes and pat them completely dry with a kitchen towel. Place the potato wedges back in the same bowl (make sure you dried it) and toss with olive oil to coat. Sprinkle seasoning and parmesan cheese over the potatoes and toss until wedges are well coated.
- Place potato wedges on the prepared baking sheet, assembling them skin-side down in a single layer and making sure they aren’t touching.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway, or until the potatoes are crisp and golden brown. (I don’t bother flipping the wedges.) Remove from oven and sprinkle wedges with a bit more parmesan cheese and flaky salt. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, if using and serve immediately.
Tips For Crispy Parmesan Potato Wedges
- Cut the potato wedges as evenly as possible. If you watched Gordon Rmasey’s quick video linked above, then you heard his rather stern reminder that cutting the potato wedges evenly produces evenly cooked potatoes. That said, don’t stress about minor differences, it all seems to work out in the end.
- Be generous with the oil. You don’t want to douse the potatoes in oil but make sure you coat each potato wedge really well. This is easier done in a bowl and using your hands.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan. I’m sure you’ve heard this repeatedly but if you want crispy wedges they shouldn’t be touching and they need room in the pan. You can use two sheet pans but this van be tricky. If you use two sheet pans the potato wedges might not cook as quickly or evenly. 4 medium-sized russet potatoes should fit on one baking sheet. If yours seems crowded, and you can fit a smaller sheet pan on the same rack, this is a great solution. Otherwise, see tip below.
- Use two baking sheets, if needed. If you need to use two baking sheets at once, arrange the racks on the top and bottom thirds of the oven. Halfway through cooking, rotate the trays and swap to ensure even cooking.
- Cook at a high temperature. To get the potato wedges nice and crispy make sure your oven is preheated to 425ºF. If your oven doesn’t run very hot, cook on convention mode for the last 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can place them under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I peel the potatoes?
These baked parmesan potato wedges are truly best when baked with their skin on. The skins are what help give structure and crispiness to these wedges. In addition, there is a lot of fibre and nutrition in the skin. If you do peel the potatoes, be sure to reduce the cooking time by about 10 or 15 minutes and give them a toss halfway through.
Can you make baked parmesan potato wedges ahead?
Unfortunately, much like fries, these baked parmesan potato wedges are just not as good if they have been sitting around for a while, or when reheated. I like to serve them when they are hot and crisp, as soon as they come out of the oven. That said, the leftovers are fabulous chopped up into soups, frittatas, omelettes, stews, or stir-fries.
Can I soak the potato wedges overnight?
To save time, you can leave the potatoes fully submerged in water overnight in the refrigerator.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy these baked parmesan potato wedges as an appetizer, or snack, served with your favourite dipping sauce. To serve as a side to a main dish, here are a few ideas:
- Burgers: Such as this veggie burger or this turkey burger
- Grilled or roasted chicken: Simply divine with this lemon hicken, this grilled chimichurri chicken, or this grilled piri piri chicken.
- Salmon: Such as this super delicious baked salmon.
For a fabulous light meal, serve the wedges with a side of scrambled or fried eggs – yum!
If you give this Baked Parmesan Potato Wedges recipe a try, please feel free to leave a comment and/or a star rating below. We appreciate and welcome all your feedback. Thank you!
Parmesan Potato Wedges
Ingredients
- 4 medium-large russet potatoes about 2 pounds
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley optional
Instructions
- Wash and scrub the potato skins to clean them well. Cut each potato in half lengthwise, then each half in half again lengthwise. Then cut each quarter again in half lengthwise to make 8 wedges.
- Place the potato wedges in a large bowl of cold water. Soak for 30 minutes to remove the starch.
- In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 425ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Drain the potatoes and pat them completely dry with a kitchen towel. Rinse and dry the same bowl and place the potato wedges back in the bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss well to completely coat each potato wedge. Sprinkle the potato wedges with the seasoning and toss again to coat. Add in the parmesan cheese, reserving a few tablespoons for later, and give everything one last toss.
- Place potato wedges on the prepared baking sheet, in an even layer, skin side down, making sure they aren’t touching.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway, or until the potatoes are crisp and golden brown (no need to flip).
- Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle wedges with remaining parmesan cheese and flaky salt, if using. Serve hot, garnished with freshly chopped parsley, if using.
Notes
- Cut the potato wedges as evenly as possible.
- Don't overcrowd the pan.
- Leftovers: These potato wedges are best served hot and crisp, as soon as they come out of the oven. That said, the leftovers are fabulous chopped up into soups, frittatas, omelettes, stews, or stir-fries.
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