South of the Border Seasoned Potato Wedges

I had a family birthday dinner to cook for.  It took a long time to decide on the menu, and a lot of exploring the internet for ideas.  In the end I decided on a mostly South of the Border theme.  Top of the list was my fav corn recipe - a Mexican street corn called Esquites.  I have been making this recipe regularly since I first discovered it in 2022.  Lately the trend is for a creamy version, but I still like this original. 

Next I discovered a unique recipe for Chimichurri Chicken (recipe coming soon).  Instead of just the traditional parsley, it used a combination of parsley and cilantro.  And instead of brushing the Chinichurri on while cooking, you used it as a marinade. I needed another side dish. My birthday person liked rice best, but I had served it last time. He also didn't like yams, so potatoes it was. How to make them special. There were several great ideas, but I settle on seasoned, roasted potato wedges.  I reviewed a couple recipes and decided on my direction.  

Everyone loved the whole meal.  They had seconds of the chicken and the Esquites and polished off the focaccia I warmed.  But it was the potatoes that hit the gold mark.  Everyone commented on them. Everyone had more until every last piece was gone.  I have had good luck with a lot of recipes, but this was a stand-out.  And they weren't over the top with the seasoning, they just hit the right notes.  I chose to serve them with a small bowl of Chipotle Aioli (bought at Costco). About half took a scoop. I enjoyed them simply as is.

Enjoy!  (Note - the link for Esquites is above. The Chimichurri Chicken recipe will go live in the next week and I'll add a link here, so be sure to check back). 

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South of the Border Seasoned Potato Wedges

8 Servings (depending on how hungry they are)

Ingredients - 

3 lbs.                         Red skin medium size potatoes (skin left on)

1/4 C                         Olive oil (or avocado oil)

1 tsp                          Salt

1/2 tsp                       Paprika

1/2 tsp                       Chili powder

1/2 tsp                       Garlic powder

1/2 tsp                       Onion powder

1/2 tsp                       Oregano

1/4 tsp                       Pepper

Instructions - 

Preheat oven (you have a couple choices here).  You can preheat to 400 and bake for 30-40 minutes or 425 and bake for 20-30 minutes).  I chose the first as that temp seems to work better in my oven.  They also recommend an oven that heats top and bottom. As mine doesn't, when the potatoes were fully cooked I finished them off by broiling them a little to get those crispy flecks on top. 

In a large bowl add the oil and all seasonings. Stir until well combined. Wash and dry the red potatoes.  Cut length-wise into 6 wedges (if you have large potatoes you will need to cut them in half cross-wise, tossing them into the bowl of seasoned oil as you go. Toss the potato wedges in the oil until they are evenly coated with the seasonings.

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper (or prep with cooking spray). Pour the potatoes on, and stand them on end with the skin side down.  Bake according them timing mentioned above.  As I didn't have an oven with top and bottom heat, I finished them off by broiling the slices a bit to get the brown flecks on top. 

Serve as is, or with a dip of your choice. I offered Chipotle Aioli purchased at Costco. 

Note:  The amount of seasoning above offers a more subtle taste, which is what I wanted.  If you want a stronger taste, you can up the seasonings a bit, but we all loved them like this.