The most buttery yet crispy saffron potatoes are the perfect pairing to every protein. Make extra on Sunday and serve the whole week.
These Saffron potatoes are one of my favourite sides especially when I have some tzatziki sauce on hand. They are buttery on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside.
These potatoes are also super delicious. The combination of the saffron with herbs gives these potatoes the perfect sweet yet earthy flavour.
As you may already know, I love all potatoes so when I say that these are one of my favourites that means they are the best of the best.
Don’t be discouraged by the two-step cooking process. It really is very simple.
When making these potatoes with our pork souvlaki, after putting the potatoes in the oven, take your souvlaki to the grill and start cooking.  You’ll have an amazing healthy meal ready in no time. Â
Preparing Saffron Potatoes
IngredientsÂ
Mini potatoes: Mini potatoes are recommended in this recipe because you want the potatoes encased in their skin for the best results. The skin adds flavour and keeps the flesh from drying out.
Saffron: Cultivated from the saffron crocus flower, this spice is very labour-intensive. The threads are hand-picked from inside each flower and are coal-dried. As a result, this spice is also very expensive.
Olive oil: I use olive oil for this recipe because of its mild flavour. Olive oil is the fat extracted from olives. The least processed is extra virgin olive oil, which I use in this recipe.
Oregano: Oregano is a plant from the mint family. It’s used as s herb and has a very potent flavour. Dried oregano is the leaves of a fresh plant that has been air-dried.
Thyme: This herb has an amazing flavour that goes so well with most meats and veggies. It is part of the mint family and is a small bush, with branches that are covered in small leaves. We use a whole sprig or branch per packet so no need to pick off the leaves.Â
How to Make Saffron Potatoes
We do use two cooking methods to make these potatoes but there is enough time in between to make this process seamless and simple.
We’ll start with parboiling the potatoes.
What is parboiling?Â
Parboiling is cooking something in water, usually vegetables, for a short period of time with
the intent of not fully cooking it through.This is often done before roasting to get a crispier finish. If the vegetable is already partially cooked, you can bake it on much higher heat, which is what is needed for a crispy outer shell, while still cooking the vegetable all the way through.Â
Otherwise, high temperatures may burn the vegetable on the outside before it ever cooks inside.
Step 2: Season the Potatoes
When the potatoes are done, remove as many saffron threads as you can grab and put them in the baking dish. Strain the potatoes and move them to the baking dish as well.
Next, add the remaining salt with the thyme, oregano and oil.
Toss the potatoes to coat them in the oil and herbs.
Step 1: Parboil the potatoes
Start by adding water to a medium pot. Add 2 teaspoons salt to and ½ tsp saffron threads to the water. Â
Next, wash and cut the potatoes in half and add them to the pot.
Place the pot on a burner set to medium-high heat for 20-30 minutes. The potatoes should only be boiling for about 10 minutes or so.
The goal is to be able to pierce the potatoes without going through to the middle. 
They will cook more in the oven.
5 minutes before the potatoes are done, preheat the oven to 450ËšF.
TIP: I like to use silicone spatulas. They are gentler on the potatoes.
Once the potatoes are well coated, turn them all cut side down in the baking dish.
Step 3: Bake the Potatoes
The last step is to bake the potatoes. Place them in the preheated oven for at least 15 minutes. If you want crispier bottoms keep them in for an extra 5 minutes.
Storing Baked Potatoes
If you happen to have any leftovers, these potatoes store great in the fridge in an air-tight container. You can keep them in the fridge for up to a week.
Reheating Saffron PotatoesÂ
There are two great ways to reheat potatoes after they have been baked.
- Bake: Yep, that’s right, to reheat these potatoes, simply put them on a lined cookie sheet and bake at 400˚F for about 5-10 minutes.
- Pan fry: Panfrying potatoes is my favourite way to reheat potatoes. They get crispy all over again, even more so than the first time. Add a tablespoon of oil to a pan and heat it up on medium-high heat. Fry on each side for 3-4 minutes each.
Serving Saffron Potatoes
As you might expect, I will tell you that these saffron potatoes go with EVERYTHING! Honestly, the flavour is very versatile and complements most, if not all protein.
I love to serve them on the side of pork souvlaki with our simple spinach salad.
I also love them with any barbecued dishes. Try them as a side to shishkabobs. Make your shishkabobs while the potatoes are boiling then barbecue them while the potatoes are in the oven. It’s the perfect meal.
 
Last, but certainly not least, these saffron potatoes are the perfect balance to our peri peri chicken.
Let us know in the comments if you have any other questions. And if you like this recipe be sure to leave us a five-star rating below.Â
Are you looking for dinner ideas? Check out our recipes:
Baked Saffron Potatoes Recipe
Equipment
- Medium pot
- Knife and cutting board
- 9x13 baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 lb mini potatoes
- 2 ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp saffron threads
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried thyme
Instructions
- Cut the potatoes in half.1 lb mini potatoes
- Add 1.5 L of water to a medium pot, then add 2 tsp salt, the potatoes and saffron threads.2 ¼ tsp salt, ½ tsp saffron threads, 1 lb mini potatoes
- Place the pot on a burner over medium-high heat for 30 minutes (not from boiling point, from the time you put the pot on the burner).
- With a few minutes of cooking time remaining preheat the oven to 450ËšF.
- Strain the potatoes saving the saffron threads. You should be able to pierce the potatoes with a fork just a little bit, not all the way through.
- Place the potatoes in a 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle with oil, remaining salt, oregano, thyme and any saffron you saved. Gently toss to coat the potatoes evenly. I usually get a bit of water in the baking dish which is totally fine.1 lb mini potatoes, 2 ¼ tsp salt, 2 tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp saffron threads
- Turn the potatoes to face them cut side down and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- Serve with your favourite protein and tzatziki sauce.
