These oven-baked garlic herb potato wedges are exactly the kind of thing I throw together on autopilot: thick-cut potatoes, a generous tumble of fresh rosemary sprigs, plus just three more pantry ingredients. The method is as simple as it sounds in the headline—spread the rosemary right over the raw wedges in a cast iron roasting pan and let the oven do the work. This style of roasted potato is rooted in classic European country cooking, where potatoes, olive oil, garlic, and herbs share the same hot pan until everything turns golden and fragrant. The result is a savory, crisp-edged bite that feels at home beside weeknight chicken as much as a holiday roast.
Serve these wedges straight from the cast iron pan while they’re still sizzling, with a sprinkle of extra salt and a squeeze of lemon if you like a bit of brightness. They’re a natural partner to roast chicken, grilled steak, or seared salmon, and they’re equally good next to veggie mains like roasted cauliflower or a hearty bean stew. I also like to offer a simple dipping sauce—plain Greek yogurt with a pinch of salt and pepper, or ketchup whisked with a little hot sauce—for anyone who wants something to swipe their wedges through.
Oven-Baked 5-Ingredient Garlic Herb Potato WedgesServings: 4
Ingredients
2 pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into thick wedges
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
4 large garlic cloves, smashed
4 to 6 fresh rosemary sprigs
Directions
Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Place a 10- to 12-inch cast iron roasting pan or skillet in the oven while it heats so the pan gets hot.
Cut the scrubbed potatoes into thick wedges: halve each potato lengthwise, then cut each half into 3 to 4 long wedges, aiming for evenly sized pieces so they cook at the same rate.
In a large bowl, toss the potato wedges with the olive oil and kosher salt until every surface looks lightly coated and seasoned. This quick toss ensures the potatoes don’t stick and brown evenly in the hot cast iron.
Carefully remove the preheated cast iron pan from the oven and place it on a heatproof surface. Spread the seasoned potato wedges into the pan in a single layer, cut sides mostly facing down for good browning.
Scatter the smashed garlic cloves around the potatoes. Then, with clean hands, spread the fresh rosemary sprigs across the raw thick-cut potato wedges, tucking some sprigs between and over the wedges so the herb perfumes the whole pan as it roasts.
Return the cast iron pan to the oven and roast for 20 minutes without stirring, allowing the undersides of the wedges to develop color and a slight crust.
After 20 minutes, use a spatula or tongs to gently turn the wedges so more sides can brown. Shift the rosemary sprigs back over the potatoes if they’ve slid to the edges, so they keep flavoring the wedges as they finish roasting.
Continue roasting for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potato wedges are deep golden in spots, crisp on the edges, and tender when pierced with a fork. If any rosemary sprigs are getting too dark, you can remove them during this final stretch.
Taste a wedge and add a pinch more salt if needed. Serve the potato wedges hot, directly from the cast iron pan for a rustic presentation, making sure a few rosemary sprigs and bits of softened garlic make it onto each plate.
Variations & Tips
For a slightly different flavor profile, you can swap in thyme sprigs for some of the rosemary, or use a mix of both, still keeping the total herb amount about the same so it doesn’t overwhelm the potatoes. If you prefer a richer flavor, drizzle a tablespoon of melted butter over the wedges right after they come out of the oven, tossing gently in the pan. To make them spicier, add 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes to the potatoes when you toss them with olive oil and salt. For extra crisp edges, let the cut potatoes sit in cold water for 20 to 30 minutes, then drain and pat them very dry before tossing with oil and salt; this removes some surface starch and helps them brown. If you need to reduce sodium, cut the salt to 3/4 teaspoon and finish with a light sprinkle of a flavorful finishing salt at the table instead of salting heavily up front. Food safety tips: Always handle the hot cast iron pan with oven mitts and keep pan handles turned away from the edge of the stove or counter to avoid accidental burns. Make sure potatoes are cooked until tender all the way through; undercooked potatoes can be unpleasantly hard and starchy. Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator and reheat thoroughly in a hot oven or skillet until steaming before serving.
