The Ultimate Crispy Roast Potatoes

Name: The Ultimate Crispy Roast Potatoes
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 28 oz/ 800 grams Desiree Potatoes; 1/4 cup/ 50 ml Sunflower Oil; 1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda; 1-2 sprigs Rosemary; Salt (to taste)

December 19, 2020

A step-by-step recipe for the ultimate crispy roast potatoes! I'm sharing all my tips and tricks to get that perfect crispy exterior and fluffy interior!

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 50 mins

a close up photography of some crispy roasted pottatoes on a tray

Perhaps the festive season will be a little different this year, but if one thing is staying constant, it is my love for potatoes. And nothing beats the perfect roasted potato!

My foolproof crispy roast potatoes require just 5 ingredients and come out perfect every time! They have a soft and fluffy interior and a deliciously crispy golden exterior – what more could you want from a potato?

The secret to perfect crispy roast potatoes:

Pre-heat the oil. Whilst you are prepping the potatoes, pre-heat the oil in the oven. When your potatoes enter the hot oil, they will start to crisp up faster.
Boil the potatoes in baking soda. I first came across this trick from a post on Serious Eats – baking soda creates an alkaline environment for the potatoes to boil in, which maximises the starch so our roast potatoes are extra crispy!
Swish the potatoes around your colander. This is SUPER important for ensuring your potatoes crisp up. If you look at the photos for steps 3-4 below, you’ll see the difference this step makes. Swishing the potatoes around maximises the surface area, and therefore the crispiness!

Baking soda creates an alkaline environment, which maximises the starch to make the potatoes are extra crispy.

a tray of roasted potatoes with some rosemary

Which potatoes are best for making roast potatoes?

You may not know that there are actually two classes of potatoes: floury and waxy.

Waxy potatoes tend to hold their shape and produce a firm roasted potato. Floury potatoes, on the other hand, tend to disintegrate when boiled.

So which is best for making roast potatoes? A happy medium.

Desiree potatoes are a happy medium between floury and waxy potatoes – they have a pinkish-red exterior and a golden interior, and produce roast potatoes which are deliciously soft and fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside. Woohoo!

a close up photograph of some crispy golden roast potatoes

Aside from potatoes, you’ll also need sunflower oil, bicarbonate of soda, rosemary and sea salt for this recipe.

Okay, are you ready to make the ultimate crispy roast potatoes? Let’s do this!

How to make perfect roasted potatoes step-by-step:

You will need:
Desiree Potatoes • Sunflower Oil • Bicarbonate of Soda • Rosemary • Salt

Firstly, pre-heat the oil by adding it to a roasting tray and placing this in the oven.

Then, wash and peel your potatoes (photo 1). You can slice the potatoes in half or leave them whole – overall, we are aiming for golf ball-size chunks.

Then we are going to boil our potatoes with some bicarbonate of soda (photo 2). We only need to cook them for about 5 minutes as they will cook further in the oven.

Then drain the potatoes into a colander (photo 3) and ‘swish’ them around the colander until they have rough edges (photo 4). This step is super important – the photos show just how much difference it makes!

Next, remove the roasting tray from the oven and carefully add in the potatoes – they will splatter so I recommend adding the potatoes to the tray one at a time.

Add the rosemary sprigs and a generous amount of sea salt to the potatoes. Toss the potatoes in the oil and seasonings (photo 5). Finally, cook the potatoes for at least 30 minutes until they are golden (photo 6).

And then it’s time for my favourite part – sit down in your favourite chair, with no distractions, and enjoy the experience of eating the world’s best roast potato. Gah.

Variations on this recipe:

These roasted potatoes are amazing alone, but if you’re looking to switch things up, try one of these ideas. Use a flavoured oil such as chilli oil or garlic oil to add some extra dimension to the crispy roast potatoes.

Add some finely chopped garlic to the potatoes with the rosemary. You could even roast an entire bulb of garlic alongside the potatoes!

If you’re a herb fanatic, consider adding extra herbs like thyme or parsley to your roasties.

a side view of some crispy roasted potatoes with rosemary

Can I make these roast potatoes ahead of time?

I wouldn’t advise making these roast potatoes completely in advance – they are at their crispiest when they are hot out of the oven!

You can, however, pre-boil the potatoes ahead of time and set them aside to roast later. Make sure to still pre-heat the oil about 20 minutes before you are ready to roast the potatoes to maximise their crispiness!

golden brown roasted potatoes on a plate

I hope you enjoy these crispy roast potatoes friends! If you give them a go, I’d love for you to tag me on Instagram @shivanilf and share your creations using #shivanilovesfood! You can also keep updated with me on Facebook and Pinterest – I hope to see you there!

And finally, if you like this recipe, I just know you’ll also love my hassleback potatoes, sweet potato mac and cheese, and vegan naan pizza. Carbs are the best!

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