Rosemary Potatoes: The Perfect Side Dish

Whether you are entertaining for the holidays or you're looking for a simple and flavorful side dish for a weeknight dinner, rosemary roasted potatoes are delicious and easy to make. This oven-roasted rosemary potatoes recipe is nutritious and versatile, allowing you to add your favorite herbs and spices to the mix. It also goes well with other sides on your dinner table, such as glazed carrots, blanched green beans, or roasted Brussels sprouts (which we like because they deliver the health benefits of cruciferous vegetables).

What are rosemary potatoes?

Rosemary roasted potatoes are potatoes seasoned with olive oil and the fresh herb rosemary, and they make a hearty side dish to your favorite meals. The combination of rosemary, potatoes and healthy fats confers a number of health benefits. Roasted potatoes are complex medium carbohydrates that provide your body with fiber, vitamins and lasting energy. Rosemary has been studied for positive effects on mood and memory, and healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil are a big part of the heart-friendly Mediterranean diet.

During the holidays, roasted potatoes are an easy side dish that pairs well with turkey. Even better, the carbohydrates can help your body more efficiently utilize the amino acid tryptophan, which your body uses to make the happy hormone serotonin. But at any time of year, roasted potatoes are a great addition to a flexitarian diet because of their health benefits and crowd-pleasing flavor. In moderation, rosemary roasted potatoes can be a nice addition to any diet except for very low-carb diets.

Roasted potatoes are ideal with rosemary, but they also go well with many other herbs and spices, so if you'd rather mix in dill or thyme or any other flavor, rest assured that this recipe is a flexible one!

Which type of potato should I use?

Roasted potatoes can be made with any type of potato—red potato, russet potato, Yukon Gold potato, baby potato, fingerling potato and even sweet potato. They can also be prepared with a variety of baking methods:

• Oven-roasted on a baking sheet
• Air-fried
• Grilled in a vegetable tray
• Pan-fried
• Boiled

Rosemary roasted potatoes are delicious when tossed with olive oil, parmesan, fresh rosemary, and garlic salt and roasted in the oven until perfectly crispy. In addition to using any type of potato and cooking with the method of your choice for this recipe, you can also use any fresh or dried herbs you either grow in your garden or already have in your kitchen. In addition to (or instead of) rosemary, you can use fresh thyme, oregano or parsley. Some people like adding black pepper to the recipe as well. Customize this side dish to whatever your taste buds desire.

How to make rosemary roasted potatoes

This gluten-free potato recipe is easy to make and tailor to your tastes. With a roasting time of 35-45 minutes and minimal prep steps, this side dish can be completed in a total time of less than an hour. This recipe makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. red potatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil or extra virgin olive oil
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• ⅓ cup parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp garlic salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Chop potatoes into 1" pieces. Place on a baking sheet.
3. Drizzle with olive oil and coat well.
4. Mince the fresh rosemary.
5. In a medium bowl, combine the parmesan cheese and a teaspoon of garlic salt.
6. Top potatoes with minced rosemary and parmesan with garlic salt. Gently toss to combine thoroughly and spread on a sheet pan in a single layer.
7. Bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes (until potatoes are crispy on the outside and softened in the middle).

Nutrition facts per serving

Calories: 150
Protein: 4 g
Carbohydrates: 20 g
Fat: 6 g

Tips for success

• It is easy to add vegetables to your baking sheet before roasting to complement this side dish. Try mixing in sweet peppers, baby carrots or Brussels sprouts, depending on your tastes.
• Keep the skin on your potatoes, especially if they are thin-skinned varieties like new potatoes or Yukon Gold. Just be sure to wash them well before cutting them into bite-sized pieces.
• Black pepper is an easy substitute in this recipe if you don't like rosemary.
• If you want to increase the garlic taste of this dish, use garlic-infused olive oil. You can also add garlic powder to the cheese in addition to the garlic salt.
• To make this recipe dairy-free, use nutritional yeast in place of the parmesan cheese.

Are rosemary roasted potatoes good for you?

When you combine the health benefits of potatoes and olive oil with the beneficial properties of rosemary, you're adding foods to your diet that are both good for you and delicious. Rosemary is an easy way to add freshness and flavor to roasted potatoes, and it has been studied for its antioxidant properties (important to maintain healthy cells) and its ability to promote a healthy inflammatory response.

Potatoes are rich in potassium, a nutrient that supports healthy blood pressure. They also contain vitamin C, starch and fiber. The olive oil (or extra virgin olive oil) adds healthy fat, supporting heart and brain health. Extra virgin olive oil has also been shown to support healthy blood sugar, bone health and vascular health.

What to make with rosemary roasted potatoes

Roasted potatoes are the perfect side dish, and they provide the carbohydrates needed in most diet plans. To create a well-balanced meal around this potato recipe, include protein, vegetables and nourishing fats. Some meal ideas to create with these roasted rosemary potatoes include:

• BBQ chicken thighs with oven-baked broccoli
• Kielbasa sausage with cabbage
• Breakfast burrito with black beans, eggs and crispy potatoes
• Sirloin steak with roasted cauliflower
• Ground turkey with spicy Brussels sprouts

These meals incorporate plant and animal proteins as well as cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. Cruciferous vegetables are a rich source of compounds known as glucosinolates, which support cellular health throughout your body and may promote longevity. Cruciferous vegetables are also breast health superstars.

If you find that you aren't eating cruciferous vegetables with at least one meal a day, a dietary supplement may help you maintain DNA health and already healthy hormone levels. Triple Action Cruciferous Vegetable Extract is a comprehensive, food-based formula that promotes cellular health, liver health and estrogen metabolism in an easy capsule form.

References

• Aune D, et al. "Fruit and vegetable intake and the risk of cardiovascular disease, total cancer and all-cause mortality-a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies." Int J Epidemiol. June 2017. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28338764/
• Dahl WJ, et al. "Health Benefits of Olive Oil and Olive Extracts." University of Florida. July 2022. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FS282
• Ghasemzadeh RM, Hosseinzadeh H. "Therapeutic effects of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) and its active constituents on nervous system disorders." Iran J Basic Med Sci. September 2020. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7491497/
• "Potato health benefits and why you should eat more spuds." Good Food Is Good Medicine. May 2022. https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/good-food/potato-health-benefits-and-why-you-should-eat-more-spuds/2022/05
• "What Are Cruciferous Vegetables—and Why Are They So Good for You?" Cleveland Clinic. June 2023. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/crunchy-and-cruciferous-youll-love-this-special-family-of-veggies/