Whole30 Potatoes That Are Both Delicious AND Healthy

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Its time we stop making potatoes the bad guy.

Do you know what potato translates to in French?

Pomme de terre, which literally means, apple of the earth.

Whats so bad about that?!

(That actually sounds downright wholesome and healthy, if you ask me!)

Potatoes get a bad rap for being unhealthy when the reality is, potatoes are not bad for you.

In fact, potatoes are exceptionally good for you when it comes to eating a balanced, nutrition-packed diet.

According to the USDA, one medium potato only has about 167 calories, plus 25% of your daily recommended potassium, 70% of your daily recommended Vitamin C, and just two-tenths of a gram of fat.

Its the Western diet thats ruined the potato.

When you doctor up a potato by peeling it (which removes a lot of great nutrients!) and adding things like cream and butter to it

And maybe some cheese and bacon for good measure…

Or even frying those previously good-for-you taters…

Sure, its gonna taste delicious but its not gonna be great for you.

Which is a real shame, because heres the thing:

Potatoes are freaking amazing on their own!

A properly roasted piece of potato is crispy on the outside, creamy and fluffy on the inside, and just salty enough to make you tuck in for another bite.

Youll know these potatoes are done when your kitchen smells like heaven and drool is running from the corners of your mouth.

Sorry mashed potatoes, who?

FTHs Crispy Roasted Whole30 Potatoes With Herb-Infused Oil (Vegan, Gluten-Free & Paleo-Friendly)

Equipment Needed: Oven or toaster oven; small saute pan; large pot; nonstick liner or parchment paper; metal spatula

Recipe Time: 60-75 minutes from start to finish

Serves: 6-8 as a side

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds medium potatoes, such as Yukon golds, russets, or red potatoes; washed, trimmed as needed, and cut into quarters, sixths, or eighths, depending on size (see Recipe Notes)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3-5 cloves of garlic, peeled and lightly smashed
• 1/3 cup olive oil, lard, or duck fat 
• Kosher salt (can use truffle salt if desired do NOT use truffle oil)
• 1-2 strips lemon zest, from about 1/2 lemon
• 1-2 handfuls of fresh rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, or a combination of herbs you like (use at least two types of fresh herbs if you can)

Directions:

1) Parboil the potatoes.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large pot, bring 2 quarts of water, the baking soda, and 2 Tbsp kosher salt to a boil. 

When boiling, add the potatoes, turn the heat down to medium, and cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until you can pierce the potato with a knife without any resistance.

2) While the potatoes cook, make your infused olive oil.

In a small saute pan, combine the olive oil, lard, or duck fat with the garlic. Cook on medium-low heat until the garlic is sizzling and golden brown, 2-3 minutes.

Remove from the heat, then add the lemon zest and chopped herbs of choice. Do not let the garlic turn dark brown, or it will taste bitter and acrid.

3) Toss and roast your taters.

When the potatoes are done, drain them, then return them to the pot to steam for about 30 seconds (keep the heat off). This will allow more moisture to escape before you toss them in oil.

Strain the oil into a large bowl do not throw out the solids.

Add the potatoes to the large bowl, then add a large pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper if desired.

Toss the potatoes until a sticky paste coats each piece.

The ideal way to bake these potatoes is on a clean rimmed baking sheet. However, if youre like me, and your baking sheets arent exactly nonstick anymore, parchment paper or a Silpat will help you avoid any sticky potato emergencies in a pinch.

So whatever your setup is, spread the potatoes out evenly and make sure they arent touching each other. 

Transfer them to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, without touching them.

4) Flip and keep roasting.

After 20 minutes have passed, flip a potato and check it out.

Is it brown on at least one side? If so, flip the rest of your potatoes and return to the oven to bake for about 30-40 minutes.

If not, continue baking and checking every 10 minutes until at least one side of your potatoes is as brown as you want. Then flip the rest and continue baking.

While they roast, decide which fresh herb (or herbs) youd like to finish your potatoes off with. Chop the leftover garlic and herb mixture you used to make the infused oil (discard the lemon zest), and add any other herbs as desired.

5) Finish off your crispy buddies and serve!

When the potatoes are crispy all over and seriously brown, take them out and toss them with your garlic and herb mixture.

Taste for seasoning, adjust, and serve right away.

Recipe Notes

• If your potatoes are especially large, you may have to cut them up into eighths instead of quarters or sixths and vice versa if theyre small. Just make sure not to cut them TOO small, because they will shrink a little in the oven as they lose moisture.
• The reason you add the baking soda is because making the water slightly alkaline will help the surface of the potato break down faster making for a crispier, more flavorful crust.
• If you decide to use rosemary, its better to infuse it into the oil, then chop it and use it rather than finishing the potatoes with it alone. Rosemary can be extremely pungent when raw (think Vicks VapoRub), so warming it up a little will help tame some of its edge.

Did You Know You Can Make These Potatoes Without Parboiling Them First?

Its true all you have to do is roast them twice, and youll end up with (almost) equally delicious results.

Heres how you do it:

Cut your potatoes like you normally would for this recipe into quarters, sixths, or eighths.

Then, toss them in olive oil no seasoning and roast for 30-40 minutes, or until you can pierce the skin with a knife.

Next, toss your potatoes with a little more oil, plus a large pinch of salt and some black pepper if desired.

Roast them again for another 45 minutes to an hour, until crispy on all sides and done to your liking. (Feel free to flip them a couple times while they roast.)

Toss them with the garlic and herb mixture when youre done, and thats it!

This will save you some dishes, and potentially even some time, depending on the power of your oven.

The Pre-Bedtime Whole30 Hack That Can Give You Faster Results, Using Way Less Effort

When I was doing Whole30 I had one major weakness bedtime snacks.

Id wake up and eat a healthy breakfast, snack on protein-packed things throughout the day, and have some form of potato and meat for dinner most nights

And that sounds like a good plan, right?

But without fail, every time Id go to bed hungry and then Id find myself reaching for 2, 3, or more spoonfuls of peanut butter (a classic Whole30 no-no).

I wasnt losing weight which drove me INSANE because Whole30 is a ton of effort.

So I did some research and found that doing a few things differently in my bedtime routine would not only make me less hungry at night

But would keep my cravings at bay the next day, AND help me burn more fat while I slept!

And Im telling you right now, these things may not seem like theyll make much of a difference

But try them for a week, and I think youll be just as surprised as I was.

(I started doing them halfway through Whole30, and was still able to lose 7 pounds even after I GAINED weight in the beginning):

Click Here to Discover These Bedtime Whole30 Hacks That Help You Lose More Weight, Beat Cravings & Burn Fat While You Sleep

[Note: This post was updated by Fit Trim Happy on December 22, 2019.]