Traeger Roasted Potatoes
Smoky Traeger Roasted Potatoes are the ultimate summer side dish! If you’re craving roast potatoes but don’t want to heat up your kitchen by using the oven, fire up the Traeger instead. Pair the potatoes with your favorite grilled steaks, burgers, chicken, and more.
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About these Traeger Potatoes
Traeger roasted baby potatoes are crispy on the outside, soft and pillowy on the inside, and have a subtle smoky flavor to them. They’re simply seasoned with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and fresh herbs, and are incredibly simple to prepare.
The potatoes are cooked in a cast iron pan at 425ºF. When cooking at this temperature, the Traeger functions more like a traditional grill but there’s still enough smoke generated to infuse the potatoes with layers of flavor.
Roasting potatoes on a Traeger is a game-changer during grilling season! We love being able to grill our favorite marinated meats or burgers on the Traeger at the same time as a vegetable side dish. Why heat up my kitchen on a warm summer day if I don’t have to?
Add this roast potato recipe to your meal rotation this season! It’s a flexible recipe that works with any waxy potato variety, and the fresh herbs can be mixed and matched to suit your tastes.
Kitchen Equipment You’ll Need
Since you’ll be roasting the baby potatoes on a Traeger, you’ll need a few key kitchen tools to safely prepare this recipe:
- Traeger or Other Pellet Grill – We love our Traeger, but any pellet grill will work. (If you don’t own a pellet grill, a traditional grill may be used.)
- Wood Pellets — Our favorite pellets to use are Traeger Blend Flavor or the Hickory Wood Pellets.
- Lodge 12-Inch Cast Iron Pan — Cast iron can safely be used on a hot grill, and the two handles make the pan easy to lift.
- Knife and Cutting Board — For cutting the potatoes and chopping the herbs.
- Measuring Spoons — For measuring out the herbs and spices.
Ingredients for Traeger Roasted Potatoes
You’ll need just a handful of ingredients for this recipe:
- Baby Potatoes (I like red or gold)
- Clarified Butter or Ghee
- Garlic Powder
- Salt and Pepper
- Fresh Rosemary, Thyme, and Parsley
For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions for these Traeger potatoes, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.
How to Roast Potatoes on a Traeger
There’s very little hands-on prep work required for this recipe, and once the potatoes are on the Traeger it does most of the work for you!
- Prepare the potatoes: Wash, dry, and halve the potatoes. Add to a bowl and coat with melted ghee or clarified butter. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Grill the potatoes: Transfer the potatoes to a 12-inch (or larger) cast iron skillet. Cook on the preheated Traeger for 25 minutes.
- Add the herbs: Sprinkle half of the rosemary and thyme over the potatoes and stir. Continue cooking for an additional 15 to 20 minutes.
- Garnish and serve: Sprinkle the remaining rosemary and thyme over the potatoes, as well as the fresh parsley.
For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions to make these Traeger roasted potatoes, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.
How Long to Cook Potatoes on a Traeger?
If you’re using halved baby potatoes as instructed in the recipe card below, you’ll need to cook them for roughly 40 to 45 minutes at 425ºF.
Stir the potatoes at the 25-minute mark, add the herbs, and then cook until the potatoes are tender in the middle and crispy on the outside.
Recipe Tips
- Use a large skillet — I recommend using a skillet that’s 12 inches or larger. You’ll be stirring the potatoes while they’re on the Traeger, and you don’t want any to spill over the sides of the pan. Plus, using a large skillet means that most of the potatoes will be touching the hot metal, which will help them crisp up more.
- Use a seasoned cast iron skillet — I suggest using a plain seasoned cast iron skillet and not an enameled one. Grills can damage the finish of enameled cast iron!
- Add the fresh herbs last — Even though we’re using heartier herbs like rosemary and thyme in this recipe, they’re still more delicate than the potatoes and are prone to burning. As such, you need to wait to add the herbs until the final 15 minutes or so.
- Opt for dried spices — Don’t substitute the garlic powder for fresh garlic! Fresh garlic will burn and the potatoes will develop an unpleasant flavor.
FAQs About This Recipe
Got questions about how to make this recipe? Here are the answers to a few commonly asked questions. Feel free to leave any other questions in the comments on this post and I’ll respond with answers.
What pellets are best for grilling potatoes?
We typically use the Traeger Blend Flavor or the Hickory Wood Pellets. Any wood pellet type will work, though!
Why does this recipe call for ghee or clarified butter? Can I just use olive oil?
You need to use ghee or clarified butter when cooking potatoes on a Traeger because they both have a high smoke point (clarified butter won’t start smoking until it reaches a temperature of 450ºF, and ghee around 465ºF).
The reason ghee and clarified butter have such high smoke points is because they’re pure butterfat. Regular butter contains milk solids, which start to burn and smoke around 350ºF.
You can make your own clarified butter, or purchase it at most major grocery stores. If you don’t have clarified butter or ghee, you may use avocado oil or another oil with a high smoke point. Olive oil will NOT work in this recipe!
Can I use dried herbs instead of fresh?
Dried herbs may be substituted for fresh in a pinch. Use ⅓ the amount that the recipe calls for (dried herbs are more potent than fresh).
What are the best potatoes for cooking on a Traeger?
I recommend using waxier potato varieties. Baby red potatoes and baby gold potatoes are my favorite (note that they’re sometimes labeled as “petite” or “new” potatoes). Purple or white potatoes can also be used.
If you use larger potatoes, be sure to cut them into smaller pieces (approximately .75 – 1 ounce each). If you don’t cut them into smaller pieces, the potatoes will cook either too fast or too slow.
Can I use Russet potatoes for this recipe?
Technically yes, but Russet potatoes are much starchier and the texture won’t be the same compared to baby red potatoes or baby gold potatoes.
Can I use different types of herbs in this recipe?
Of course! You can use all fresh rosemary or all thyme. Fresh sage or oregano also work.
However, I don’t recommend using fresh basil or dill because they’re more delicate and can burn.
What pan do you use to cook potatoes on the Traeger?
I use this Lodge 12-inch cast iron pan. It has two handles, which lets you can pick it up (with potholders) using both hands and shake it around to stir the potatoes at the midway point. It also makes it easier to carry!
Storage Instructions
Leftover Traeger roasted potatoes should be allowed to cool before being stored in an airtight container. They’ll last up to 5 days in the fridge.
What to Serve with Traeger Potatoes
Serve the Traeger roasted baby potatoes alongside your favorite grilled meats or comforting mains. We love eating these roast potatoes with the following:
- Steak: Grilled Chimichurri Skirt Steak and Sous Vide Steak.
- Burgers: Gouda Stuffed Burgers, Blue Cheese Burgers, and Black Bean Burgers.
- Chicken: Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken, Smoked Whole Chicken, and Grilled Bruschetta Chicken.
- Special Occasion Mains: Slow Cooker Ham, Smoked Traeger Prime Rib, and Instant Pot Chuck Roast.
Try Grilling Potatoes on a Traeger at Home!
Next time you’re looking for an easy side dish that can be made on a Traeger pellet grill, give these roasted potatoes a try!
Did you think love how crispy the potatoes were? Leave a comment below and give it a review for others to see what you thought.
On Instagram? Share your photo and tag me with @goodlifeeats and #goodlifeeatsrecipes. I’d love to see a photo of your Traeger roast potatoes!!
More Traeger Recipes:
The best way to grill asparagus? On a Traeger pellet grill, of course! Traeger Asparagus is ready in 15 minutes and is infused with smoky flavor from the wood pellets.
Smoked Chicken Drumsticks are so easy to cook on a Traeger grill or other electric pellet grill. You’ll love how little prep is involved in this BBQ drumstick recipe and how inexpensive it is to serve a crowd!
Smoked Pork Shoulder is a classic summertime BBQ recipe. Come check out my tried and true method for making Traeger Smoked Pulled Pork along with my 10 pro tips for the best smoked pork.
Learn how easy it is to make Smoked Pork Ribs with fall-off-the-bone tender meat! Mango habanero pork ribs are full of flavor and perfect for your next summer BBQ.
Easy Smoked Chicken is a great summer meal. The chicken turns out incredibly flavorful, tender, and juicy!
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Traeger Roasted Potatoes
Smoky Traeger Roasted Potatoes are the ultimate summer side dish! If you’re craving roast potatoes but don’t want to heat up your kitchen by cranking up the oven, fire up the Traeger instead. Pair the potatoes with your favorite grilled steaks, burgers, chicken, and more.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. small potatoes (about 1.5 ounces in size per potato) - a mix of colors such as petite red and petite gold
- 2 tablespoons Ghee or clarified butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 - 1 ¼ teaspoons Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 1 tablespoon miced fresh rosemary
- ½ tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat Traeger according to manufacturer instructions to 425 degrees F.
- Meanwhile, wash and dry the potatoes. Then, cut them in half lengthwise and add them to a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Pour the melted ghee or clarified butter over top of the potatoes and stir with a wooden spoon, tossing to coat the potatoes on all sides.
- Sprinkle the garlic powder, salt, and pepper over the potatoes, stirring to coat.
- Then transfer the potatoes to a well seasoned cast iron pan that is at least 12 inches in size (one you don’t mind putting in the grill - I recommend a plain cast iron pan not one that is enamel coated).
- Transfer to the preheated grill and cook for 25.
- Then, sprinkle half of the rosemary and thyme over top and stir. Continue cooking for an additional 15 - 20 minutes, or until tender with a crispy golden brown exterior.
- Garnish with remaining half of the rosemary and thyme along with the parsley. Serve.
Notes
Clarified butter / ghee: can be replaced with avocado oil or another oil with a high smoke point.
Potatoes: I recommend waxier potato varieties. Petite red and petite gold are my favorite, but purple or white also works.
Herbs: You can use all rosemary or all thyme. Sage or oregano also work. I don’t recommend basil or dill because they’re more delicate herbs and can burn.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 199Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 456mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 4g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy. This provided information is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
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