Ultra-Crispy Roast Potatoes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do I keep my roast potatoes crispy? ›

If you want to make this roast potatoes day before recipe and keep the potatoes crispy, ensure you put them in hot oil before baking them. This will help the potatoes stay crispy. If you're preparing roast potatoes in advance and find they have gone soggy in the fridge.

Roast the potatoes

Remove the steamed potatoes from the oven and change the setting to 350°F/180°C, convection setting (no steam). While the oven heats, drain the potatoes of any water and return them to the tray. Give them a good shake around to crush the edges slightly, this will help make them extra crispy later.

Do I have to boil potatoes before roasting? Not necessary but this can help get the perfect consistency and crispiness. Make sure you boil them but leave them a bit al dente and they will crisp up perfectly in the oven.

Goose fat is one of the first choices for roast potatoes because first of all – it tastes nice! It has a really rich flavour compared to your more common vegetable oils. It's a bit like how cooking your roast potatoes in dripping from your turkey can add more flavour to your spuds too – they're both animal fats.

Parboiling the potatoes in alkaline water breaks down their surfaces, creating tons of starchy slurry for added surface area and crunch. Offering you the choice of oil, duck fat, goose fat, or beef fat means you can get whichever flavor you want.

A: This sure sounds a lot like potatoes that have been stored too long, in too cold of an environment before cooking. When potatoes are held below 41°F for too long a period, the starches convert to sugar and it changes the cooking chemistry.

Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes.

When the corn starch comes into contact with the hot oil, it forms a barrier that traps moisture within the potato while also developing a crunchy crust. This results in fries that are both tender on the inside and crispy on the outside, mimicking the texture of fries you might find in restaurants.

Here's a few tricks to try to make them even more delicious. Sprinkle your parboiled potatoes with flour. This gives potatoes extra crunch. A tablespoon is all you need!

For an easy roast that's a great summer staple you can use quick-cooking New, Baby or Salad potatoes. These tend to be more moist or 'waxy' in texture, so you'll get a denser more creamy inside than with a 'traditional' roastie, and more potatoey flavour.

How does Gordon Ramsay make roast potatoes crispy? ›

The key to crunchy roasties is getting a fluffy exterior before they go in the oven. Drain the potatoes well and give them a moment to steam and dry out further. Then don't be afraid to shake the colander or pan vigorously to rough up the edges before you add the oil.

You can, but you don't need to boil them first. Boiling them won't make them more crispy, but it will make them more tender. The best way to make them crispy is to boil them, then shallow fry them to dry and begin the browning process, then finish them off in the oven.

Also, be mindful of the oil. Potatoes can react like sponges; too much oil can make your potatoes appear to be soggy. Try placing oil in a spray bottle or using an aerosol to apply the oil to the potatoes. Lastly, ensure that the potatoes are dry before you add the oil.

Best Overall: Nordic Ware Naturals Big Sheet Baking Pan

This classic aluminum sheet pan is a workhorse in the kitchen, whether you're making sheet-pan dinners, baking cookies or roasting vegetables. We love the simplicity of Nordic Ware's Naturals line, which is made from uncoated aluminum.

Skip rubbing your potatoes in oil and salt until the end of the cooking time. That's when they'll deliver the most texture and flavor benefit for the spuds.

If it's for a short time, just spread them on a half-sheet pan and stick in a 200F oven. Because it's below 212F the potatoes won't keep cooking and because the oven is dry, they will stay crispy. If it's going to be longer, allow them to cool below 200F, put in a large bowl and seal well with oven-safe plastic wrap.

Try placing oil in a spray bottle or using an aerosol to apply the oil to the potatoes. Lastly, ensure that the potatoes are dry before you add the oil. Excess moisture will increase the cooking time of potatoes and may result in soggy spuds.

Using foil with openings: If you need to transport the roast potatoes or keep them warm on the go, you can cover the container with foil, leaving small openings for steam to escape. This method allows some heat to be retained while preventing excessive condensation that can make the potatoes soggy.

If transporting right away, leave them uncovered; otherwise let them cool completely to room temperature, then place them in an airtight container and refrigerate. Don't cover while they're warm or they'll lose their crispiness.