Looking for an easy potato side dish that feels a little fancy without requiring much effort or expense? These Crispy Parmesan Roasted Fingerling Potatoes check all the boxes!
Made with simple, wholesome ingredients like fingerling potatoes, good olive oil, fresh rosemary, garlic and freshly grated Parmesan, this easy roasted potato recipe delivers big flavor with very little prep. The potatoes roast up with golden, crispy Parmesan-coated edges and a soft, buttery center. Honestly, it’s hard not to eat them straight off the pan!
They’re elegant enough to serve alongside a holiday roast, steak or special occasion dinner, but inexpensive and easy enough to make any night of the week. And with just a handful of everyday ingredients, you don’t have to spend a lot to make a side dish everyone will love.
Why You’ll Love These Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
- So easy to make: Just slice, season, toss and roast. No complicated prep, special equipment or fancy cooking techniques required.
- Everyday easy, dinner-party worthy: These crispy fingerling potatoes look and taste special enough for entertaining but are simple enough for a Tuesday night dinner.
- Budget-friendly: Potatoes are an inexpensive pantry staple that can stretch a meal and feed the whole family without stretching your grocery budget.
- Big flavor from simple ingredients: Good olive oil, fresh herbs, garlic and Parmesan create a delicious savory crust without a long list of ingredients.
- Great for fueling an active lifestyle: Potatoes provide quality complex carbohydrates to help replenish energy for running, hiking, biking, strength training and all the other things that keep you moving.
- Easy to customize: I used fresh rosemary, but thyme, parsley or another favorite fresh herb would work beautifully. You can also adjust the Parmesan to your liking (although I’m firmly in the more-is-more camp!).
A Little Love for the Humble Potato
Let’s give potatoes a little credit! Yes, they’re a carbohydrate, but that certainly isn’t a bad thing. Potatoes are a nutrient-dense whole food that provides carbohydrates for energy, along with important vitamins and minerals. For runners, hikers, cyclists, strength athletes and anyone who simply wants to stay active, potatoes are an affordable, versatile way to include quality carbohydrates in a balanced diet. No need to fear the potato. Just enjoy it!
They’re particularly useful for active bodies and busy brains because carbohydrates are an important fuel source for both working muscles and the brain. Potatoes also provide potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and fiber (especially when you leave the skin on).In fact, ounce for ounce, potatoes provide more potassium than bananas! Potassium plays an important role in muscle function, nerve signaling and fluid balance.
A Few Tips for the Best Crispy Roasted Potatoes
A few simple details make a difference when making oven roasted fingerling potatoes:
- Dry your potatoes well: After washing, pat them dry so excess moisture doesn’t interfere with browning.
- Potato Variety: I used fingerling potatoes, but smaller Russet potatoes (not those ginormous ones used for meal-sized loaded taters) or Yukon Gold. I like the smaller potatoes because they give a good skin-to-flesh ratio! Avoid New, Red, or Purple Potatoes . . . they have a low starch content and stay too firm (aka no soft, buttery interior).
- Use good olive oil: A high-quality olive oil adds flavor and helps the seasonings and Parmesan adhere to the potatoes.
- Don’t skimp on the Parmesan: Freshly grated Parmesan gives you the best flavor and helps create those delicious golden edges.
- Give them room: Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Crowding the pan can cause them to steam instead of roast.
- Flip halfway through: Turning the potatoes helps both sides develop that beautiful golden-brown finish.
- Serve immediately: These are at their absolute best hot from the oven, when the Parmesan crust is crisp and the centers are tender.
- But reheating IS an option. I also have good luck reheating leftovers from the fridge in the air fryer for a few minutes. I put in the microwave on ‘defrost’ for a minute or so to take the chill off . . then I pop in a 380F air fryer for 2-4 minutes to re-crisp the exterior. PLUS, you get that helpful health benefit (of turning more of the carbs into resistant starch) that I talk about below!
More Easy Potato Recipes to Try
If you love easy potato recipes as much as I do, here are a few more from The Fit Fork archives to add to your must-make list:
Sheet Pan Chile Lime Spiralized Hash Browns – A zesty, crispy take on hash browns with a little chile-lime kick.
The Easy Potato Hack to Lower Glycemic Index: Cook, Chill & Reheat Method – This one is fascinating! Cooking and cooling potatoes can increase their resistant starch, a type of carbohydrate that is digested differently and may help support gut health and blood sugar management.
These crispy Parmesan roasted fingerling potatoes are an easy, delicious side dish made with olive oil, garlic, fresh rosemary and freshly grated Parmesan. Golden and crispy outside, buttery inside! Perfect for weeknight dinners or special occasions.
- 24 oz fingerling potatoes washed and dired
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary or other herb of choice
- 1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese sometimes I go up to ½ cup!
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Preheat oven to 425°F
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Halve fingerling potatoes lengthwise (quarter any extra-large ones).
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Toss with olive oil, garlic powder, salt and black pepper, plus chopped fresh rosemary.
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Mix in ⅓–½ cup freshly grated Parmesan. Don’t be shy.
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Spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
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Roast at 425°F for 20 minutes. Flip and roast another 10–15 minutes until golden and crispy