The Best Roast Potato Recipe

In this recipe, learn my 5 top tips on how to make the best roast potatoes, all of these tips and tricks will elevate your potatoes to the next level. 

Using the Right Type of Tray 

You want something with low sides but a bit of a lip like shown in the photos. A lot of people like to use high-sided trays like this but the trouble with this is it takes a lot longer for the potatoes to get deeply golden in colour this can result in a dry almost hollow roast potato because it has to be roasted so much longer. 

Place whatever fat you’re using into the roasting tray I’ll come on to what types of fat to use a little later and place it into your oven to preheat set at 180 C / 355 F this gives us more chance of getting an even golden crust and helps to stop the potatoes from sticking to the tray. 

Choosing Your Potatoes

Ideally, you want a flowery type of potato. In the UK the most popular types of Maris Piper or King Edwards, in North America I would go with Russets and in Australia I would go with Coliban or King Edwards, for the rest of the world just Google “flowery types of potato” and your country and you should have plenty of results. 

I like my roast potatoes peeled but you can leave the skins on if you like, then when cutting them don’t go too small I’m cutting these Russets in half or into thirds. 

How to Cook the Potatoes

Start cooking the potatoes from cold salted water, a general rule that we get taught as chefs is if it grows below the ground start from cold water and if it grows above the ground start from boiling water.  I apply this rule 99% of the time to when I’m cooking vegetables in water, carrots, swede, parsnips, pumpkins.

Bring the potatoes up to a simmer and cook them until they are just fork tender but still with a bit of resistance, drain them up and leave them to sit and steam dry for a few minutes. 

How to Get a Great Crust on Your Roast Potatoes

The main way to achieve this is by leaving them to sit and steam dry for a few minutes. Then roughing them up a little by tossing them in the pan or strainer, we end up with a much crispier crust on the outside of the potato. 

Quick Safety Tip When Handling Hot Things in the Kitchen

Leave a cloth or an oven mitt on the corner of the tray as a reminder that this tray is hot even after 15 plus years of working in a professional kitchen this is something that myself and all of my colleagues forget this cloth on the corner of the tray rule is universal across all kitchens as a non-verbal way of saying this tray is hot! 

What Fats to Use for Roast Potatoes

I’m using turkey fat today and I got this from roasting the bones for my gravy recipe there’s a link to that video below it’s delicious and it’s free.  Popular choices are duck and goose fat and also beef dripping (known as Tallow in the U.S) is one of my favourites. 

For veggie friendly options, I would use any high smoke-point oil, peanut, canola, avocado etc. Just avoid the low smoke-point oils like extra virgin olive oil. 

I use enough to cover the base of the tray by a few millimeters you can use less you just won’t get as much of a golden crispy texture on the outside of the potatoes. 

Place your potatoes onto your hot roasting tray they should sizzle and fry straight away. Give them a baste with some fat to get them coated then load the tray back into your oven. 

After 15 minutes give the potatoes a flip and if one side of the tray is getting more colour than the other then spin the tray 180 degrees to help even this out. 

After another 15 minutes of roasting they are looking great I’m giving the potatoes one last flip. Then after 45 minutes of roasting these roasties are done looking smelling and sounding amazing they have a super crispy outside and a soft fluffy inside follow the tips in this recipe to get the perfect roast potatoes every time.

Tips & Tricks For The Best Roast Potatoes

• Use a roasting tray with a low lip, this helps to get crisp golden crust alot quicker than using a high-sided tray because the air circulating around the oven can directly hit the potato.  Preheat that tray in a 180c / 355f oven with your fat of choice.

• Choose a floury type of potato, Maris Piper, King Edward, Russet, Coliban etc.
• Cut them into even sized pieces, not too small.

• Start cooking the potatoes from cold salted water, this gives you an even cook.

• Cook them until they are just tender, then drain and leave to steam dry for a few minutes.  After steam drying give them a gentle flip in the pan to rough up the surface a little, this gives us a great crust!

• Fats – Duck, goose, turkey, chicken, beef, these are all grat options, for veggie-friendly go with high smoke point neutral tasting oil like, canola, light olive, peanut, avocado etc.

FAQ

Are roast potatoes gluten free? Yes

Can roast potatoes be prepared in advance? Yes, cook them 80% of the way then roast for 10 / 15 minutes when ready to serve.

Can roast potatoes be reheated? Yes, they may be a little drier than before, but still DELICIOUS!

Will roast potatoes stay crispy when reheating? Yes.

Why are roast potatoes not crispy? Possibly because you are using a waxy type of potato, if not roast for longer.

Can you freeze roast potatoes? Yes, but they will be a little drier inside once defrosted and reheated.