There are a few secrets to making the best ever Crispy Roast potatoes. This blog post shows you exactly how to make them perfectly every single time!
This is an important life recipe. Everyone should know how to boil an egg, make a white sauce and cook crispy, crunchy roast potatoes. And tea. One should know how to make a good cup of tea too. And stew. A beef stew. And maybe a roast chicken to go with the roast potatoes.
But let’s focus on Roast Potatoes today. Can we agree that no one in this entire world would ever want to eat a pale, soggy-crusted roast potato? Well, there is always one person that would, right? So, besides that person, everyone else would much rather go for the thick-crusted, crunchy, golden roast potatoes, yes? Yes! Yessssss!
Fabulous. There are a few secrets to getting this desired result every time. We can create a mantra for it. It’s Boil, Shake, Sprinkle, Bake. It goes like this:
You start off my peeling and cutting the potatoes in quarters. My advice is to find the BEST potato peeler you can find and then buy 3 of them. In South Africa, I recommend the Austware peeler which you can usually find at most supermarkets. It’s inexpensive, simple and most importantly it works!
The secret to the best Crispy Roast Potatoes is to firstly boil the potatoes for 5 minutes (Boil). This softens the outside a little which gets them ready for the next step which is to add flour, a little salt and if you like (Sprinkle), some herbs and spices too, and then to shake them in the pot (Shake). This gives the edges a rough texture – perfect for the oil to soak in and work its magic.
Next, you pre-heat about a half a cup of oil in the roasting pan – I like to add a sprig of fresh rosemary to infuse the oil. Then pop it in the oven for 10 minutes at 200C and let it get super hot before adding the potatoes.
Place the potatoes in the pan, then tilt the pan and using a large spoon, scoop some of the oil up and pour over the tops of the potatoes. Then place in the oven at 200C for about 45minutes to an hour, making sure to check on the potatoes every 20 minutes – you can turn them over or just scoop and pour oil on the top of the potatoes every 20 minutes.(Bake)
Boil, Shake, Sprinkle, Bake.
Once done, they should be a lovely golden brown, be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
How to Make the BEST Crispy Roast Potatoes
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Pin RecipeDescription
Recipe for how to make the best roast potatoes that are thick-crusted, crunchy and pillowy soft on the inside
Ingredients
- 1–1.5 kg potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 2–3 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon salt (plus extra to taste)
- Optional: dried herbs or spices (paprika, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder)
- ½ cup cooking oil (canola or sunflower)
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
Instructions
-
Peel and Boil the potatoes
Place the peeled, quartered potatoes into a large pot of water. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes — just long enough to soften the outside. Don’t cook longer than this. -
Rough up the edges
Drain the potatoes well. While still warm, sprinkle over the flour, salt, and any herbs or spices you like.
Place the lid on the pot and give it a shake until the potatoes look slightly fluffy around the edges.
This is what gives them that amazing crispy texture later. -
Preheat the oil
Pour ½ cup oil (you may need a little more depending on your pan – it needs to cover the base) into a roasting pan and add the optional sprig of rosemary . Place the pan into a 200°C oven for 10 minutes so the oil gets piping hot. -
Coat the potatoes
Carefully place the potatoes into the hot oil, side by side and then tilt the pan and use a spoon to scoop some hot oil over the tops of the potatoes before roasting. -
Bake
Roast at 200°C for 45 minutes to 1 hour, checking every 20 minutes.
Turn the potatoes or spoon hot oil over them each time to ensure even crisping. -
Serve
Once golden, crispy, and soft on the inside, remove from the oven, drain the oil, sprinkle with extra salt, and serve immediately or as soon as possible.
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