A Dusting Of Ranch Seasoning Takes Roasted Potatoes To A Whole New Level

A tray of roasted potatoes, baked until golden and crunchy at the edges, is a classic crowd pleaser. But if you want to take your taters to a whole new level, you've got to dust them with some all-American ranch seasoning to lend them a scrumptious garlicky tang and moreish salty coating before roasting them until crisp. 

This simple trick is unbelievably easy but garners the tastiest results. All you need to do is sprinkle the seasoning over your prepped potatoes (parboiling them first will encourage a super fluffy middle), along with a drizzle of oil or melted butter. Give everything a good mix to evenly coat the surface of the spuds. You can do this in a large bowl or zipper bag, however, dusting the potatoes directly on the sheet pan and massaging in the ranch by hand will reduce the washing up. Then, bake your chopped potatoes as normal, taking care to give them a toss halfway through the cook time to ensure that they're baking uniformly and developing that appetizingly golden crunch on every exposed side.

Once baked, you can dust your extra-crispy baked fingerling spuds with more seasoning for an extra punch of herby chutzpah or serve them with a drizzle of ranch dressing to double up on that inviting aroma. Alternatively, add the ranch to the core ingredients of one of your favorite recipes, such as lemon roasted potatoes, to imbue the taters with a supplementary smack of intensified flavor.

Planning on air frying your spuds instead of baking them? Try blending your powdered seasoning with a touch of mayo and softened butter before liberally rubbing the mixture over your chopped taters and roasting. This highly-flavored paste will cling to the exterior of the potatoes as they bake, imbuing them with a garlicky tang. Plus, the thick texture of the compound butter will guarantee that the seasoning sticks to the potatoes instead of flying away. Ranch seasoning can also be used to amplify the flavor of crispy-edged smashed potatoes — dust a light sprinkling of the dried powder over the smashed spuds just before popping them in the oven to crisp up, flip them over halfway through cooking, and dust again to ensure every craggy surface is coated.

Traditionally blended with buttermilk to create a tangy dressing for salads or creamy dip for chicken wings and chips, ranch powder makes a delectable all-purpose seasoning to dust over other dishes too, such as baked mac and cheese, garlic bread or even popcorn. Why not combine a spoonful of dried ranch — which already features garlic powder, salt, herbs, and pepper — with sesame seeds and onion seeds to make a DIY batch of bagel seasoning?