Crunchy Seasoned Baked Potato Wedges – Golden brown. Super crunchy. Perfectly seasoned. Why buy frozen ones when homemade is so much better and so easy to make??
Pssst. And did you know that the calories in potato wedges is less than half that of fries??
CRUNCHY Baked Potato Wedges!
Potato wedges are almost as popular as fries in Australia. When you go to a pub, there will inevitably be wedges on the bistro menu right alongside fries.
And there’s almost as many varieties of frozen potato wedges as there are fries. Different flavours, different crunch levels, normal potato and sweet potato, extra spicy – the list goes on and on.
I’m not going to deny that I have been known to have a stash of frozen wedges in my freezer. They are SUCH a great midnight snack….I can’t help it, I just can’t resist the convenience!
BUT as with everything, homemade is so much better. I’ve always noticed that the frozen ones have a slight sourness to them (I’ve also noticed that with frozen Potato Gems / Tater Tots) – anyone else notice that??
Coating potatoes in a light seasoning adds flavour and extra CRUNCH!
Potato Wedges Seasoning
I use a seasoning made with just paprika, garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper.
I’ve played around with various seasoning mixes, but keep falling back to this simple combination that I think closely resembles the seasoned wedges served at pubs and the ones you can get from the supermarket!
How to make potato wedges
Potato wedges are really simple to make – and faster than fries too because the potato is cut into larger pieces!! Just cut into wedges, toss in oil and the seasoning, then bake for 35 minutes until crunchy!
How to cut potato wedges
Cutting potato wedges is far easier than cutting fries! Just cut the potato in half (step 1 below), then place the cut side face down on the cutting board (step 2 below).
Then cut that piece into 3 or 4 pieces, depending on the size of your potato.
I cut large potatoes into 8 wedges, and small/medium potatoes into 6 pieces.
My tricks for CRUNCHY potato wedges!
You’ll find recipes “out there” that swear by all sorts of involved methods for super crunchy baked potato wedges, from soaking in water to dusting in semolina, to preheating oil in the oven before adding the wedges – like I make insanely crunchy Roast Potatoes.
I find these come out with great crunchy factor without fussing with any of those fiddly techniques! And here are my tips:
- Light dusting of seasoning provides a coating that gets crunchy when baked
- Right amount of oil. Too much and it actually makes them soggy. Too little and the seasoning doesn’t stick on the wedges and the wedges stick to the baking tray.
- High(ish) oven helps set that crust extra quickly!
- Right potato – this recipe is pretty solid and will work with the common potato types (which tend to be great all rounders). Just avoid really waxy potatoes. Australia, use: dirt brushed (I use this the most), white washed, red potatoes. US: Yukon Gold, Russet.
Dipping sauces for potato wedges
Something to dunk the wedges in is essential!!!
I know some people like tomato sauce or ketchup. Other sauce options I’ve seen include BBQ sauce, yogurt, ranch, aoli (mayo + garlic), and I also like to serve this with Avocado Dipping Sauce.
But for us Aussies, we can’t go past sour cream and sweet chilli sauce. In fact, if you order wedges at a bistro, sour cream and sweet chilli is the default serving sauces – you have to ask if you DON’T want them!!
If you’ve never tried the sour cream/sweet chilli combo, give it a go! It’s outrageously moreish – I guarantee you’ll love it. ? – Nagi
Serve these wedges on the side of…
….a big juicy beef burger! Or a chicken burger, copycat Nando’s Portuguese Chicken Burger or any of these Burgers or Sandwiches & Sliders.
Watch how to make it
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Seasoned Baked Potato Wedges
Ingredients
- 2 lb / 1 kg potatoes , peeled (4 large ones) (Note 1)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Seasoning
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder (or sub with more garlic powder)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
To serve (optional - but highly recommended for optimal experience!)
- Sour cream and
- Sweet chili sauce
- Other options: Ketchup, tomato sauce, aioli, mayo, yogurt, BBQ sauce, relish
- Avocado Dipping Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220°C/430°F (200°C/390°F fan/convection)
- Mix the Seasoning ingredients.
- Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 4 "wedges" (so you get 8 pieces from each potato). If your potato is small/medium, just cut into 6 wedges.
- Place potatoes in a large bowl, drizzle over oil and seasoning. Toss with hands.
- Spread out on tray, ensuring cut side lies flat on the tray.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, turning once, or until dark golden brown and crispy.
- Serve immediately!
- Dipping sauces: Classic Aussie way is with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce. Otherwise, try tomato sauce/ketchup, BBQ sauce, yogurt, ranch, aoli.
Recipe Notes:
- Australia - the common dirt brushed potatoes are the best. These are a great all rounder. DO NOT use desiree (the red ones) - these are waxy, suitable for potato salad.
- US - Russet, Idaho and Yukon Gold are great!
- UK - Maris Piper is a good all rounder which is suitable and readily available in all the supermarkets.
Nutrition Information:
Originally published May 2015. Updated with brand new photos, step photos, video and most importantly, Life of Dozer section added!
Life of Dozer
Proof of crunchiness – I made these these wedges at home and they were still crispy by the time I got them down to Geoff, the unofficial caretaker of the Bayview Dog Park where I take Dozer for a swim almost every day!
I only live 5 minutes away, but by the time I got myself organised, bundled Dozer in the car, found a park then got these wedges to Geoff, they were probably about 15 minutes out of the oven. And he swore they were still super crunchy (and I nicked one to double check! ?)
This has got me making my own wedges again – dunno why I stopped really!!!
Yesssss! So much cheaper than store bought! N x
Okay, cutting my potatoes right now! For the sour cream sweet chili sauce, is it a 50/50 mix or something else? We’ve been to Australia (from Canada) three times, and we never got sour cream sweet chili sauce in any pub! Why did they keep this secret?!?!?! We’re Canadian, almost honourary Aussies!
Are you joking???! It’s a standard here!!! You serve with sour cream and sweet chilli separated (not mixed). Dip into the sour cream then dunk in the sweet chilli and DEVOUR! N x
It was delicious – even though I did mix the sour cream with the sweet chili sauce … thank you Nagi, I love your recipes!