Crispy Onion Roasted Potatoes

We got slammed with a wintry mess here in North Carolina yesterday. It snowed throughout the day, accumulating about 6 inches, then turned into sleet and freezing rain. Needless to say, the state is in a complete shutdown. Major power outages everywhere, massive pile-ups and abandoned cars on the roadways, and snarling traffic for those caught in the midst of the storm. And, as if all that isn’t bad enough for this area, another storm is headed our way late this morning and expected to continue into the night. Up north, this would just be another winter day, but for the south, this is crippling weather. In the aftermath of yesterday’s storm, today is eerily quiet, no vehicles moving, no people moving. It’s like being stranded in a ghost town.

There’s nothing like oven roasting to bring warming comfort during blustery weather. It used to be that the only time we would ever have roasted potatoes was when I was preparing a pot roast, or roasted chicken, basically anytime I could just throw a combo of veggies in the baking dish along with the meat. Somehow, it just never occurred to me that I didn’t need a one pot meal, in order to enjoy a good side dish of crispy, roasted potatoes. Maybe it's because I always associated roasted potatoes with gravy; or I considered it to be too time consuming; or (more likely) I was just being a creature of habit. This recipe for Lipton Onion-Roasted Potatoes has been around for a long time and, in my opinion, continues to be the best, because it is practically foolproof. Actually, it has been slightly modified from the original version, making the best even better. If you don’t like onion soup mix; any of Lipton’s other dry soup mixes can be substituted (such as Herb with Garlic) to achieve the same magnificent crispy spuds. Warm up the kitchen and your soul with a satisfying, classic family favorite.

 

Preheat oven to 400° F.  (It will also work at 375° F. if you need to adjust temp to accommodate other food items in the oven.) 

Peel potatoes; cut into large chunks.

In large (gallon-size) resealable plastic bag (or large oven roasting bag), combine potatoes, dry soup mix, olive oil, soy sauce and garlic powder. 

Shake (or roll bag around on countertop) to evenly coat potatoes with mixture.

For quicker roasting, I prefer using a broiler roasting pan; but any 13x9-inch baking dish will do fine. Spray baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Pour potato mixture onto baking dish. Arrange potatoes, so they are evenly spread around. 

Season potatoes with thyme, parsley and black pepper. (I don’t suggest adding salt; as soup mix and soy sauce have sufficient sodium content. Add salt later, if needed. You can always add more, but you can’t take it off.)

Bake, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Check potatoes every 15 to 20 minutes, and shift them around, if necessary, so the potatoes on the outer edges of the pan don’t burn. Halfway through cooking time, flip as many potatoes as you can, for a nice even brown. Potatoes should be tender and golden brown in 1 hour to 1-1/4 hours. If cooking at 375° F., allow an additional 15 to 30 minutes.

These were cooked at 375° F. (as I had a meat loaf in the oven also), and they still turned out perfect!

CRISPY ONION ROASTED POTATOES
Source: Lipton
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 envelope Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Onion Soup Mix
• 4 all-purpose potatoes, cut into large chunks (about 2 lbs.)
• 1/2 cup    olive oil   
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

   
DIRECTIONS:
 
1. Preheat oven to 400° F. (or 375° if you want to cook slower and longer).
2. In large zip-lock or oven roasting bag, toss dry soup mix, potatoes, olive oil, soy sauce and garlic
    powder. Roll bag around to evenly coat potatoes.
3. In 13 x 9-inch baking or broiler roasting pan, arrange potatoes.  Sprinkle with thyme, black pepper and
    dried parsley.
4. Bake at 400°, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 1 hour to 1-1/4 hours, or until potatoes are tender and
    golden brown.  Sometimes, I prefer baking at 375°, especially if I need to share the oven with other
    food items. Just allow additional cooking time, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours if using a lower temperature.

Servings: 4