Treat Your Roasted Potatoes Like They're Baked — Top Them Like This

Crispy, crunchy, perfectly seasoned — roasted potatoes are a beloved side, and it's tough to believe that there's a way to make them even better. That being said, giving them the baked potato treatment takes them from delicious to unbelievably good. The idea is simple and will only take a few extra minutes of prep. All you need to do is put the same toppings on your roasted potatoes that you normally would on a baked potato. Bacon, butter, sour cream, cheese, chives — these go-to toppers all work just as well (if not better) on roasted potatoes as they do on top of a baked potato. The crisp texture and seasoned, nutty flavor of roasted potatoes combined with creamy, melty, smoky toppings takes this side to the next level.

Start with your go-to roasted potatoes recipe. Then, prep your toppings the same way you would before loading them up on a baked potato — chop up your chives, fry and crumble your bacon, and freshly shred some cheese (if you're going the extra mile here). After your roasted potatoes come out of the oven, hit them with the cheese and bacon, then put them back in the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese. Top them off with the rest of the ingredients you'd normally put on a loaded baked potato, and enjoy every savory, crunchy, roasted-to-perfection bite. Let's take a look at some more ways you can upgrade your roasted potatoes by giving them the baked potato treatment.

Extra crispy roasted potatoes are key to making this hack hit the sweet spot where you get the taste of a baked potato alongside the crunch you'd expect from a French fry. You can use flour to help roasted potatoes crisp up while they're in the oven. This creates a nice foundation for your toppings and helps to ensure that your roasted potatoes continue to hold the crispiness that makes them so delicious.

While bacon, butter, cheese, sour cream, and chives are most commonly associated toppings with a loaded baked potato, they are not the only option. Chili, for example, can take a baked potato from a side to a meal, and it can do the same for roasted potatoes. Stuffing baked potatoes with slow-cooked pot roast can also help you take leftovers from ho-hum to fantastic, and you can certainly use this idea with roasted potatoes as well. In some cases (like in the example of a luxurious, saucy pot roast), it might make more sense to use the roasted potatoes as a topper so their crispiness is preserved. That is, plate the pot roast and top that with the roasted potatoes. The bottom line: take your favorite way to enjoy baked potatoes, and apply it to the roasted variety instead. The crispiness and seasoning of roasted potatoes will give you a new twist on old favorites.