Crispy Potato Wedges

Satisfy your french fry cravings with these Crispy Potato Wedges! Oven baked, seasoned with parmesan and herbs, and paired with a spicy chipotle dipping sauce, this is an easy and healthy appetizer or side dish. 

If there is a holy grail of home cookery, I think that it must be the perfect oven fry. Getting that ultimate combo of crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, perfectly salted and never soggy... well, it's dang near impossible, isn't it?

I did, at one point in my life, buy a deep fryer on an impulse, and even then I found the perfect crispy french fry to be mostly elusive.

It occurred to me finally that I was approaching things all wrong; I needed to work with the strengths of a home kitchen rather than try to emulate restaurant results at home. If a perfectly crispy pub-quality frite is what i'm in the mood for, then I should go and satisfy that craving with the real deal.

When I'm in the mood for crispy spuds at home, however, the wedge is where it's at.

Are ya with me? Grab some taters, and let's make some Crispy Potato Wedges!

What's the difference between fries and wedges?

Excellent question. First of all, the shape is different. Fries are usually cut into strips or julienned, whereas wedges are sliced radially around the potato, so you've got a sort of triangle shape.

Classically fries are either fried, twice fried (as in frites), or boiled then fried (as in French fries) to give them a super crispy exterior. While potato wedges *can* be deep fried, they're more classically baked or roasted.

The wedge shape provides lots of contact with the sheet pan, yielding a crispy exterior and a soft, fluffy interior.

What do I need to make crispy potato wedges?

Hold onto your hats, folks, this is going to floor you. You're gonna need some....

• Potatoes --> Wait, did you see that one coming?
• Oil --> Don't be skimpy here!
• Salt --> Let's make these legit!
• Seasoning --> This is totes optional. Sometimes I season and sometimes I don't.
• A killer dipping sauce --> More on this below.

What's the best kind of potato for wedges?

Gather round, potato nerds!

While the best kind of potato for classic french fries is undeniably the Russet, wedges are another beast altogether. Oven baked spuds like these Crispy Potato Wedges are best made with a waxy potato varietal, like red or Yukon Gold potatoes.

How do I make this recipe?

Alright, grab your potatoes and let's get going!

Step 1: Take a moment to pre-heat your oven. We want it nice and hot when the wedges go in.

Step 2: Start by slicing your potatoes. I like to slice them in half lengthwise, then slice those halves in half, then slice those halves in half one more time. If your potatoes are large you might want to do one more round of slicing.

This kinda depends on the size of your potatoes and how thick you want your wedges, but if you choose long and skinny potatoes like the ones I've used here, each potato will yield 8-16 wedges.

Step 3: Now you're going to throw your potato wedges into a bowl, cover them with hot water, and let them sit for 10-ish minutes. This step draws some of the starch out of the potato and helps to yield a crispier wedge.

Step 4: Once the wedges have soaked, drain 'em and then dry 'em. I mean, grab a kitchen towel and legit pat them dry.

Wet wedges = soggy wedges when you bake them. Ain't nobody got time for soggy wedges.

Step 5: Dry out the bowl and toss the wedges back in there. Drizzle them with oil, and then salt them generously. If you're going to season your wedges, now's the time.

Step 6: Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper, and arrange the wedges in a single layer with plenty of space between them.

Like me, wedges turn out best when they've got adequate personal space. Too crowded and they'll come out soft instead of crispy.

Step 7: Throw the wedges into the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Turn with a metal spatula, and roast for an additional 10 minutes if necessary. This totally depends on your oven.

Step 8: Remove from the oven and top with Parmesan and finely chopped herbs if you like. That's it! Your wedges are done!

Hold up now, didn't you say something about a dipping sauce?

Yes, yes I did. I'm a firm believer that behind every great wedge is an even greater sauce. That's how it goes, right?

This is my favourite dipping sauce: thick n' creamy full-fat yoghurt spiked with lime juice and swirled with chipotle peppers.

What about seasoning the wedges?

I like these wedges seasoned with just salt and pepper, and topped with parmesan and parsley. However, sometimes when I'm feeling fancy I'll use a blend of garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika, which is what you see in the photos above.

Hey Nutrition Lady, are potatoes healthy?

You bet they are! Potatoes are a great source of vitamin B6, which does all kinds of important things, like building new cells in your body. B6 is also needed for the creation of amines, like serotonin, melatonin, epinephrine, and norepinephrine that help to regulate mood, sleep, and stress, respectively.

Diets rich in vitamin B6 are attributed to lower rates of heart disease. Also, B6 is vital for the breakdown of gylcogen – the form in which sugar is stored in our body – into usable energy.

Potatoes are also a good source of potassium, copper, vitamin C, manganese, phosphorous, niacin, and dietary fiber. But! Most of the fiber content is in the skin of the potato, so leave the skin on for all of the important benefits of fiber.

Other recipes you might enjoy:

Baked Zucchini Fries
Crispy Roasted Garbanzo Beans
Chickpea Fries
Air Fryer Kale Chips
Air Fryer Nachos
Tofu Nuggets

This recipe was originally published November 28, 2016.  It was last edited and updated on February 24, 2021.