One of the things that I thought would be difficult about changing to a whole foods, plant-based diet (wfpb) was cooking without added oils. I had a bottle of olive oil on the counter beside the stove and I went through litres of the stuff, merrily glugging it into the frying pan, onto salads, and over roasting vegetables.

I thought, then, that olive oil was good for me. I’ve since learned differently, and I’ve improved my own health dramatically by eliminating oils from my diet.

The Good, Bad and Ugly About Oils

I needn’t have worried about cooking without oil. It turns out to be no big deal, and I quickly learned to prefer foods without an oily film.

Here’s how I make roasted potatoes. These are crispy and flavourful on the outside and creamy on the inside. I never made them better in my olive oil days. Steaming the potatoes before roasting means the insides are never hard by the time the outsides are done, and seasonings stick wonderfully to the wet, starchy potatoes when you are preparing to put them in the oven.

Roasted Potatoes

1. Cut potatoes into bite size pieces.
2. Steam or parboil the potatoes for 5 minutes. I much prefer steaming and I encourage you to get a decent size steamer basket for this and so many other things.
3. Place potatoes on a baking sheet lined with a silicone sheet liner or parchment paper and toss with seasonings. I like a tiny bit of salt and smoked paprika.
4. Roast for 30 minutes at 400F (200C).
5. They should be done at this point, but you may want to brown the outsides a bit more by leaving them in for a few more minutes.