Coming up with dinner ideas gets really old, really fast. I try to mix things up a little so we’re not eating the same handful of things all the time but it’s hard to find new ideas that everyone will eat (or at least try). Not only do they need to be delicious, it’s got to be something quick and easy I’ll be able to make after working all day with hungry kids constantly asking what’s for dinner. Coming up with new main dishes can be a little more tricky so sometimes I’ll keep the main dish the same and try to find new side dishes. These sheet pan potatoes have become part of our rotation now and I can’t wait to share the recipe with you.
What do I need to make sheet pan potatoes?
When I say that these are easy, I’m not kidding! All you need is:
• 1lb Potatoes (diced)
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 1 Ranch Seasoning Packet
• Freezer Bag
If you’re leaving the skins on your potatoes, give them a good scrub to get off any excess dust or dirt before you start chopping them up. Peeling the potatoes is always an option too.
You don’t have to worry about peeling your potatoes before cutting them into cubes if you don’t want to. And if you don’t have time to peel and chop, just grab a bag of frozen hash browns or home fries that are already cubed for you.
Ranch not your favorite flavor? You can use this basic recipe and change out the seasonings to give you new options for your side dishes.
Start out by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. Grab a sheet pan to bake your potatoes on. I prefer to make these on some aluminum foil or parchment paper to help make clean up easier. You can also give the sheet pan (or foil or parchment paper) a light spray of cooking spray to make sure they don’t stick too.
Once you’ve got all of your potatoes cut up into cubes, put them into a gallon sized zip top bag. Add in the olive oil and packet of ranch seasoning. Make sure your bag is sealed well and start shaking!
When I’m making it, I like to add in half the oil and ranch and shake it a bit. Then open the bag back up and add in the rest of the ranch and oil before shaking the bag more. You can always reserve a bit of the ranch to sprinkle on the sheet pan potatoes once you’re ready to bake them if you’re worried about getting them all covered evenly.
If the kids are helping to shake, I fold the top of the bag over a couple of times and tell them to hold on to the top of the bag with one hand and bottom of the bag with the other hand. That helps to keep the bag closed if the shaking gets a bit out of hand.
Pour the shaken potatoes covered with oil and ranch onto the sheet pan. If you’re using foil or parchment paper, make sure to put that down before you add the potatoes. Shake the pan or use a wooden spoon to help spread out the sheet pan potatoes so that they’re in one layer on the sheet pan. This will help them all cook as evenly as possible.
Once the potatoes are spread out on the sheet pan, if you think they need a bit more seasoning, you can give them an extra sprinkle of ranch (or another favorite seasoning of your choice).
Bake your sheet pan potatoes for about 40 minutes. The baking time will vary a little bit depending on the size of your potato cubes and how soft you want your sheet pan potatoes to be when they’re finished.
Part way through the baking, give the sheet pan potatoes a toss and let them keep cooking. Doing this will help you get crispy edges on different sides of your potato cubes.
Like crunchy outsides on your sheet pan potatoes? At the very end of baking them, put them under the broiler for a few minutes. This will help crisp them up. Just remember to keep an eye on them so they’re crispy and not burnt.
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