This Potato Wedges Baked in Oven recipe is not only healthy and delicious, but also the perfect comfort food. Their crispy exterior and tender interior make for the ideal marriage of textures.

closeup of potato wedge fries on decorative plate with steak

Are potato wedges healthy – really?

Yes! Compared to many other starches, potatoes are actually good for you. Potatoes contain high amounts of protein, fiber, and multiple vitamins not found in any other starches. Additionally, they are among the lowest in calories.

However, when you fry potatoes, they gain calories and lose vitamins. As a result, their nutritional edge quickly vanishes. Since these wedges are cooked with only 3 tbsp of wholesome olive oil and are steamed rather than boiled, all of the nutrition values are still intact. In short, oven baked potato wedges are a guilt-free side to any meal.

Does soaking potato wedges in water make them crispier?

I found that soaking the potatoes for 10 minutes did help in making them crispier in the end, but I didn’t want this extra step. After a few tests I found an easy alternative. Covering the potatoes with tin foil for the first few minutes resulted in the same effect as soaking, thus making the process simpler.

Soaking does have a purpose. It removes some of the starches from potatoes, and the potato gets a chance to pre-cook. If you skip the pre-cooking step completely, then the end product could end up much soggier because of the moisture being held in by the starch. In other words, the potato will never really get crispy-done.

However, instead of soaking the wedges, you can steam them by covering them with tin foil as they cook. This alternative method also does the trick without the extra fuss.

Plate with oven baked wedge fries alongside steak with parmesan

Why are my potato wedges not crispy?

A common problem with potato wedges is that they don’t get crispy enough for people’s liking. The reason usually is that the potatoes either have too much water held in by starches, or the oven dried the potato out and left a leathery crust.

To fix this problem, I knew I needed to let the steam out but also to keep a starchy exterior on the potatoes. First I tried to coat the potatoes with the powder cornstarch; this gave a better result but was still not what I was looking for.

After a bit of research, I decided to create a paste by mixing cornstarch and water together and then heating the mixture up in the microwave. This method worked wonders: it gave the finished oven baked potato wedges a perfect crust with a fluffy interior.

Which potatoes are best for making oven baked potato wedges?

The best potatoes for potato wedges are waxier varieties of potatoes with a thin skin. Yukon Gold is my favorite, but red potatoes and fingerling potatoes are also wonderful for these oven baked potato wedges.

With potatoes that are less starchy and have delicate skin, baking with them makes a perfect combination of textures. That is, it results in a creamy interior that melts in your mouth but still is able to maintain its form when cooked.

Tips for Making the Perfect Wedges

Don’t crowd the pan. If you stack the potatoes, they’ll steam rather than crisp up. That will leave you with a soggy end product.

Spray the cookie sheet first with non-stick spray before adding the olive oil. Non-stick cooking spray has an ingredient called lecithin in it. Lecithin is a substance that reduces tension between a surface and a liquid, which helps the olive oil to evenly coat the pan without puddling. When I used only olive oil, the potatoes still found a way to stick to the pan. But using non-stick spray solved this problem.

Make sure that all sides of each wedge touch the cookie sheet at one point or another. This will ensure a crisp exterior.

By lining the pan with tin foil instead of parchment paper your wedges are going to be introduced to more direct heat thanks to the natural heat conductor that aluminum foil holds. With this boost of direct heat your potatoes are going to brown quicker and become more crispy. Also by lining your pan with tin foil clean up is a breeze.

How to Make Potato Wedges Baked in Oven

After preparing the pan, cut the potatoes into wedges. First cut the potato in half vertically, then cut into quarters again vertically until you have 4 wedges. One potato will make 8 wedges.
Mix cornstarch and water together and microwave to create a paste then rub the pate on all the potato wedges. This is going to make the wedges nice and crispy.

Spread the wedges onto the lined pan and cook at 425 degrees for about 40 minutes. I like to cover with foil the first 10 minutes and flip the wedges halfway through the next 30 minutes. When you remove them from the oven, sprinkle with parmesan or eat them like they are!

How to Freeze Leftover Potato Wedges Baked in Oven

If you have leftover wedges, place them on the sheet pan you cooked them on and place in the freezer for about an hour. Once the are frozen, put them in a freezer safe ziploc bag, label the date, and eat within 6 months.

How to Reheat Frozen Potato Wedges To reheat frozen Potato Wedges, place them on a tin-foil lined pan and place in a 400 degree preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until hot and golden.

If you like this reicipe, you’ll love my crunchy Twice Fried Sweet Potato Fries!