Enjoy these hearty and satisfying Roasted Garlic Baby Potatoes with Rosemary as a side dish, paired with your favorite mains. The potatoes are first parboiled on the stovetop and then roasted in the oven. Fresh garlic and rosemary are added at the end of roasting to add flavor but without the risk of burning. This recipe is vegetarian, vegan and gluten free.

Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Potatoes in a bowl ready for serving.

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Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Potatoes Highlights

One of the most comforting and versatile foods is the humble potato. These rosemary garlic potatoes are a tasty side dish to accompany your favorite savory mains for breakfast or dinner.

For this recipe, we’re roasting baby potatoes (aka: new potatoes), keeping the skins on. They’re small in size, have tender skin, and cook quickly.

This Recipe Is:

garlicky
creamy on the interior
lightly crispy on the exterior
can be prepped ahead
freezer friendly

If you love tasty potato recipes, you’ll enjoy these rosemary garlic potatoes.

Ingredients for Parboiled Roasted Rosemary and Garlic Potatoes

Ingredients You’ll Need

Simple ingredients create tasty roasted rosemary garlic potatoes. Here’s what you’ll need (see recipe card for details):

Baby Potatoes: also known as new potatoes, but they’re called baby because they’re a smaller variety of new potatoes. You’ll often find them in mesh bags at the grocery store. I like the 1 1/2 – 2 inch size, just large enough to slice in half. You can use red or gold/yellow. If using larger new potatoes, slice into 1 inch uniform pieces.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: use a high quality extra virgin olive oil for roasting. I like Corto or California Olive Ranch brands.

Fresh Garlic: you’ll need about 3-4 plump cloves, minced. If you love garlic, go with the high end of 1 1/2 tablespoons; otherwise, use one tablespoon.

Fresh Rosemary: has a distinctive and robust flavor that’s often described as earthy, sage-like and slightly peppery. It adds depth and interest to these roasted baby potatoes. Use leftover rosemary in this tasty Roasted Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup or Sweet and Spicy Roasted Rosemary Cashews.

Fine Sea Salt: a heavy dose of salt goes into the boiling pot with the potatoes. This seasons the potatoes as they parboil.

Fresh Ground Black Pepper: potatoes can take on a lot of pepper. You’ll add this just before roasting and after to taste.

Slicing red baby potatoes on a cutting board. — 1. slice the potatoes in half.

Red new potatoes in a Dutch oven filled with water. — 1. slice the potatoes in half.

Taking a Few Extra Steps for Tasty Roasted Baby Potatoes

This recipe is simple, but it’s the attention to little details that create tasty roasted baby potatoes.

Parboil the Potatoes: We’re taking an extra 10-minute step to parboil the potatoes before roasting. Here’s why: parboiling ensures the potatoes are seasoned with salt throughout the interior. Also, because starches are released during parboiling, you get nice tender-crisp crust on the outside with a soft, fully cooked interior after roasting. You can parboil ahead of time too, to get a jump on prep. Then, roast the potatoes later (more on that below).

Preheat the Sheet Pan: Preheating the pan is a technique that helps to support a crispy exterior on the potatoes. When the potatoes come into contact with the hot surface, they start cooking right away. I use the same technique with my Crispy Oven Fries.

Add Rosemary and Garlic at the End: To ensure the fresh rosemary and garlic don’t burn while they’re in a hot oven with the potatoes, we’ll add them at the end of roasting drizzled with a touch of olive oil to retain their fresh, mellow flavors.

Minced garlic on a cutting board. — 5. meanwhile, mince the garlic….

Minced rosemary on a cutting board. — 5. meanwhile, mince the garlic….

Get Ahead Tip: How to Parboil & Store the Potatoes Ahead

To get a jump on prep, you can parboil potatoes ahead of time and store them in the refrigerator before roasting. Storing the parboiled potatoes in the fridge helps maintain their texture until you’re ready to roast the potatoes. Here’s how to do it:

Parboil:

Transfer the potatoes to a large pot, and fill it with cold water, enough to cover the potatoes by about 1 inch of water. Add salt and bring to a boil.
Turn down the heat and simmer for about 7-9 minutes, or until just fork tender.
Drain the potatoes and let them steam off for 5 minutes, then rough them up by putting the lid on the pot and shaking it. Cool to room temperature.

Refrigerate:

Once the potatoes have cooled, transfer them to a lidded container and refrigerate, where they can be stored for about 24 hours.
When you’re ready to roast, preheat the oven and sheet pan and continue with the recipe.

Parboiling your potatoes before roasting ensures thoroughly seasoned potatoes a tender-crisp exterior with a soft, fully cooked interior.

Close up of Roasted Garlic Rosemary Potatoes on a sheet pan.

Expert Tips

Double the Recipe: As written, this recipe serves 3-4. Depending on how many servings are needed, you can double it (as seen in the photos). The recipe doubles with no adjustments needed.
More Garlic Please: We’re a garlic-loving household so I use 1 1/2 tablespoons, minced, in this recipe. Feel free to reduce this to 1 tablespoon if desired.
Scoop it Up: The garlic and rosemary don’t really stick very well to the potatoes after roasting, so be sure to scoop those bits up and sprinkle them over the potatoes when serving.
How to Freeze: Although these are best fresh from the oven, you can freeze these rosemary roasted potatoes for up to two weeks. Freeze individual pieces on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Once frozen, store in a lidded container. They can go from freezer to oven!

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