So you go to the trouble of making a homemade burger, steak or chicken wings and then you reach for the freezer drawer to pull out your go-to shop-bought oven chips or fries. STOP! Don’t do it! Double down and make these crispy, smokey oven-baked Paprika Potato Wedges instead. Your family won’t be disappointed. They are also great for parties, served with your favourite dip. They are easy to make and can be prepped within 10 minutes. And you can also air fry them, or even grill them on the barbecue.
Prep Ahead
These can be prepared right before you are ready to cook, but you can prepare them earlier in the day or the day before. Scrub and cut them up, then put them in a large bowl or food storage container full of cold water and refrigerate. Soaking them will actually help to make them a little crispier, as it will remove the starch from the outside which can stop them crisping up to the max. About 30 minutes before you are ready cook, drain them off well (and ideally pat with paper towel). Now you are ready to toss them in the oil, paprika and salt.
How to Cook my Paprika Potato Wedges
Watch me make these Paprika Potato Wedges step-by-step before or as you cook.
Cooking My Paprika Potato Wedges in the Air Fryer
These can be air fried no problem. My air fryer has shelves and I line these with baking paper before I add in the wedges. If you have shelves too, you’ll find the top wedges will cook quicker than the bottom so it’s best to rotate the top one with the bottom when it’s around half way through cooking. If you have an air fryer basket you might need to cook them for an additional 5-10 minutes because of how many wedges you have, or cook them in two batches.
Cooking My Paprika Potato Wedges on the Barbecue
The best way to cook these on the barbeque is in mesh grill bags. You can also cook these in foil packets on the barbecue. However, they won’t be crispy unless once cooked, you take them out of the foil and lay them directly on the grill rack for a few minutes each side. I’ve included barbecuing instructions in the recipe notes below.
Kids Cook Too
Get the kids to help by tossing the wedges in the oil and paprika mix.
Feed a Crowd
These homemade Paprika Potato Wedges are a perfect side dish if your entertaining friends and family. The recipe is SO easily doubled or trebled, you just need to make sure you have 2 or 3 extra large oven trays/sheet pans and space in the oven, or cook them in batches, especially if using the air fryer.
Diet Details
My Paprika Potato Wedges are gluten-free, nut-free, vegetarian and vegan.
Adapting My Paprika Potato Wedges for your Family
Eating together is beneficial for families of all ages and stages, for a multitude of reasons; nutritional, behavioural, psychological and for healthy family functioning. This section will show you how to tweak these Paprika Potato Wedges for sharing with a weaning baby, toddler or a fussy eater, to help make it easier for you to eat together as a family.
Keeping Picky Eaters Happy
The sweet smokey flavour brought by the paprika is mild enough for any fussy eater who isn’t mad on spices to enjoy. If you are worried though, just toss theirs in a little oil and put to one side of the oven tray. Serving the wedges with a dip they like will also help.
See more from me on fussy eaters here >
Making Them Baby & Toddler Friendly
For babies and toddlers I recommend you tweak their serving a little, so you can eliminate the salt from their wedges. The easiest way to do this is to hold back a few wedges once you’ve cut them and toss them separately in just a drop of the olive oil. Then add them to a corner of the oven tray/sheet pan. Toss the rest of the wedges with the remaining oil, the paprika and salt.
I’ve also included these notes under the recipe so you have them to hand when you come to cook.
For more on how I keep my family meals baby & toddler friendly read here >
My Paprika Potato Wedges Pair Perfectly With…
- Any burger, steak or fried chicken or wings.
- Your favourite dip! Ours is homemade sriracha mayo, just mix 120g / ½ cup mayonnaise with 1 tablespoon of sriracha.
- These main dishes…
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PAPRIKA POTATO WEDGES
Equipment
- Chef’s knife + chopping board
- 1 XL baking tray/sheet or 2 regular size
- Baking paper
- Tongs or turner
Ingredients
- 4 medium-size potatoes scrubbed and wiped dry
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220ºc/200ºc fan/425ºf/gas mark 7. Slice your potatoes in half lengthways and then each half into approx 1cm (just under ½ inch) slices. Ideally do this earlier in the day or day before and leave the wedges to soak in cold water in a covered container in the fridge to remove starch and allow them to be the crispiest they can be. Then drain them about 30 minutes before ready to cook and if you have time, pat them with paper towel too.
- Line an extra large oven tray/sheet pan (or 2 regular size) with baking paper and pile in the wedges. Sprinkle over the paprika and salt and drizzle over the oil. Toss all together, until the wedges are completely coated in the paprika mix. Then level out into an even layer to ensure good crisping (if you don’t have an extra large oven tray/sheet, toss together in a large bowl and then split across two regular trays).
- Transfer to the top of the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges have gone deep golden brown and crispy.
AIR FRYER INSTRUCTIONS
- Use a little less oil than the recipe states, 1 ½ tablespoons will do it. Preheat your air fryer for 5 minutes (if recommended to do so). If your air fryer has shelves, line them with baking paper. Add an even layer of wedges on each tray. Cook for 10 minutes, turn (ideally using tongs) and cook for a further 5-7 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. The top shelf of wedges will cook quicker than the bottom, so swap the shelves over when you take the wedges out to turn them. If you have an air fryer basket you might need to cook them for an additional 5-10 minutes because of how many wedges you have, or cook them in two batches.
COOKING ON THE BARBECUE
- Toss the wedges in the oil, salt and paprika in a large bowl. Then divide into two batches, placing each in one mesh grill bag. Alternatively, lay each batch on one side of a double layer of foil, about 2 inches in from the edge. Fold over the empty side of the foil and fold all the edges over to make a package. Cook on the edges of the grill rack for 25-35 minutes, turning the bags/packages over every so often to cook evenly. If you use foil, bare in mind they won’t be crispy. To crisp them up after, take them out of the foil and lay them directly on the grill rack for a few minutes each side.
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