As much as I love to cook, the less time I have to spend in the kitchen, the better! That’s more time I can be making stuff – other than food. : ) Most roasted or baked potato recipes call for the potatoes to be in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. That’s just way to long to wait for food! Plus, here in South GA, the less time the oven’s on, the better. I have a little trick to lessen the oven time and you may have used it yourself. For those that are curious, keep reading! I’m going to show you how to make cheesy roasted potatoes in less than 30 minutes! Because it’s so easy, I’ll through in a few kitchen tips as well. ; )

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The Ingredients

There are only 4 ingredients for this recipe! The potatoes, butter, and cheese you probably have. The specific seasoning I’m using, you may not. This Weber roasted garlic & herb seasoning is one of the best mixes I have found. It’s also great on chicken! And no, I’m not being paid to say that – I just love it that much!

Now that I think of it, I have several of their seasoning mixes I use. Maybe they should be paying me! Haha! You could definitely sub in your favorite seasoning for this recipe. Salt & pepper works too!

The Potatoes

There are so many kinds of potatoes out there! According to Potato Goodness, there are 600 varieties but only 7 categories. I’m sure you could use whichever is your favorite and this would be just as good. I’m partial to red potatoes for this recipe. I have used white & russet potatoes as well. The russet potatoes tend to have tougher skins when roasted.

Whichever potato you use, make sure to wash it really well & poke holes in them with a fork. Why? Because they go into the microwave first! That’s my secret weapon! You can cook them for about 10 to 15 minutes in the microwave & that’s most of the cooking done. Yes!

You’ll know they’re ready when the skin looks kind of wrinkly and you can pull them apart with a fork. This saves so much time! It’s also great for baked potatoes. I know they sell individually plastic wrapped potatoes for baking in the microwave at the store. That plastic wrap is totally unnecessary and it cost way more! Plus, microwaving things in plastic is questionable for your health. I use a ceramic or glass dish to microwave in just to be safe. : )

Roasting the Potatoes

Ok, you can’t get that “roasted” flavor without actually roasting the potatoes! Since they are technically cooked, we just need to add some flavor and sort of sear it in with the oven. Go ahead and chop the potatoes into about 2″ pieces. If your potatoes are small, just cut them in half. Smaller pieces won’t need as long in the oven either!

Now mix the seasoning and melted butter and spread it over the top.

I use this little silicone brush for things like this. It’s just easier to clean than the cotton ones to me!

Just stick the potatoes in the oven at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes or so. You just want to let them soak up some of the good flavors. Take them out and add the cheese. Yum! {This picture was taken after I cooked it a little more because I forgot to take one before. #reallife }

When you put them back in the oven, turn it on broil for about 3 to 5 minutes. It really depends on how your oven cooks. Mine’s old and cantankerous, so I have to rotate things! When the cheese and potato tops start to look crusty, it’s ready.

Make sure you scrape up those cheese crusties – it might be the best part!

There you have it, cheesy roasted potatoes in less than 30 minutes!

Kitchen Tips

Here’s a few kitchen tips that I hope y’all will find useful!

~> Grind spices with a coffee grinder

I have a cabinet full of spices, but sometimes they get clumped up. I guess it’s the humidity or one of the ingredients that causes it. A coffee grinder is a great way to break the spices back down. It’s great for grinding up any whole or dry spice or herb. Yes, it will still grind coffee beans too! {Coffee is great in meat rubs, in case you didn’t know!} Checkout the video I posted on Instagram to see it in action.

Extra tip ~> I see these for sale during Black Friday all the time! Sometimes as low as $5!

~> Defrost with hot water

I’m forever forgetting to lay things out for supper! Microwaves usually have a defrost button, which I’ve used for meat. When it comes to veggies, I find hot water in a bowl to be the best solution. Just use the hottest water you can get from the tap. A stainless steel bowl seems to keep the water hotter longer. I got this set for Christmas from the in-laws and I love it!

~> Crunchy Fry Batter

Hello, my name is Kristie, I’m from the south and we like to fry things! Haha! Now, I don’t fry things everyday – maybe once a week. It’s not the best thing for your health, but it’s good for the soul! That kind of makes it healthy, right? : )

Anyway, I honestly didn’t know a thing about frying foods when I left home. I knew it took flour, but my fried food was never very tasty and it didn’t stick. Then I discovered the secret – buttermilk! Now I soak all meat to be fried in buttermilk first. Make sure it’s good, thick buttermilk too, no shortcuts! Also, add some spices to the flour, whatever you’re in the mood for. My final tip is to add some of that buttermilk to the flour to get some nice crumbles that give you a great crunch!

Hopefully it will look something like this when you fry it up!

By the way, this is not a typical meal at my house! Just need some soul food every now & then! ; )