I learned a ton during my brief restaurant stage in Barbaresco, Italy, but one trick alone was worth the plane ticket and hours of (unpaid) work. I discovered the secret to incredible rosemary roasted potatoes that boast a crispy brown exterior and creamy insides — and, miraculously, they don’t stick to the pan. They’re a cinch to make at a moment’s notice and the cleanup is so easy. Rosemary roasted spuds have become my go-to side dish for everything from roast chicken to pan-seared steak. 

There are a million recipes for roasted potatoes out there, from the British-style boil-them-first “roasties” to simple sheet tray versions with a rainbow of seasonings, but they all fail for me in one important way: They tend to stick to the pan. No matter how much oil I use, or how much I stir them, I end up jabbing at the spuds with a spatula to loosen them from the pan, often leaving behind the crusty bits I was most excited for. The trick I learned in Italy remedies this and produces the best roasted potatoes I’ve ever had. It’s so simple, I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of it before: Preheat the roasting pan. 

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