My aunt taught me this wildly simple trick years ago when I was complaining that my roasted potatoes always came out pale and sad. Her secret? Mayo. That’s it. No long list of spices, no complicated steps—just potatoes, mayonnaise, and salt. The mayo clings to the potatoes, helps them caramelize, and creates those deeply golden, bubbly, almost lacy edges that make you want to eat them straight off the pan. If you’re juggling work, kids, and everything else, this is the kind of weeknight magic that feels almost too easy for how good it tastes.
These mayo roasted potatoes are perfect next to simple mains like roasted chicken, grilled steak, or pan-seared salmon. I also love them with a big salad for a low-effort dinner, or alongside burgers and brats on the weekend. Serve them straight from the baking sheet with a squeeze of lemon or your favorite dipping sauce (ketchup, ranch, or a quick yogurt dip) if you want to dress them up a bit, but they’re honestly so flavorful and crispy that they don’t really need anything else.
Oven Baked 3-Ingredient Mayo Roasted PotatoesServings: 4
Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds small waxy potatoes (baby gold or red potatoes)
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Directions
Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Place two rimmed baking sheets in the oven while it preheats so they get nice and hot—this is my aunt’s first trick for super crispy bottoms.
Scrub the potatoes well and pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel. Do not peel them; the skins help with texture and crispiness.
Slice each potato in half lengthwise so you have lots of flat surfaces. If any are extra large, cut them into quarters so all the pieces are roughly the same size for even cooking.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and kosher salt until smooth. It should look like a thin, spreadable coating rather than a thick blob.
Add the potato halves to the bowl and toss really well, using your hands or a spatula to make sure every cut side and every curve is lightly but completely coated in the mayo mixture. You want a thin, even film—not big clumps—so they roast, not steam.
Carefully remove the hot baking sheets from the oven and set them on heat-safe surfaces. Working quickly, arrange the potatoes cut-side down in a single layer on the sheets, leaving a little space between each piece so the edges can crisp instead of crowding and steaming.
Once all the potatoes are arranged, use your fingers or a spatula to gently press each potato down so the cut side makes full contact with the hot pan. This is my aunt’s second trick for those deep, crackly, browned crusts.
Place the baking sheets back in the oven and roast for 25 to 30 minutes without stirring or flipping. Resist the urge to move them; leaving them alone lets that cut side develop a dark golden, bubbly crust.
After 25 minutes, check a few potatoes by gently lifting them with a thin spatula. The bottoms should be a rich golden brown with some darker blistered spots around the edges, and the insides should be fork-tender.
When the potatoes are crisped to your liking, remove the sheets from the oven. Let the potatoes sit on the pans for 3 to 5 minutes to set the crust, then use a thin spatula to loosen and transfer them to a serving platter or bowl. Taste and sprinkle with a pinch more salt if needed, then serve hot and enjoy those extra crispy edges right away.
Variations & Tips
For a little extra flavor while still keeping things simple, you can stir 1 teaspoon of garlic powder or smoked paprika into the mayo before tossing the potatoes (this technically adds a fourth ingredient, but it’s worth it when you want something a bit different). Swap in Japanese mayo for an even richer, slightly tangy crust. If you’re cooking for a crowd, double the recipe and rotate the baking sheets halfway through roasting so they brown evenly. To make these ahead for meal prep, roast as directed, cool completely on the pans, then store in an airtight container in the fridge; re-crisp them on a hot baking sheet at 425°F for 8 to 10 minutes. For smaller households, halve the recipe and use just one baking sheet so the potatoes still have plenty of space to crisp. You can also cut the potatoes into wedges instead of halves—just keep the flat sides pressed firmly against the pan for that same dark, crunchy crust.
