The dream roast potato has two distinct, but vital, components. Outside, it will be gnarly, crunchy and toothsome, with a crust that shatters as you bite in. Inside, that spud’s got to be super fluffy and light. Get these two things right, and almost anything else that goes wrong with your Sunday roast will be forgivable.
Someone who knows a thing or two about roasting potatoes is Ben Ebbrell of SORTEDfood Follow his top 10 tips and tricks to achieve perfection.
10 steps to making crunchy roast potatoes
1. First up, make sure you choose the right potato variety. Floury potatoes like Maris Piper work well. As Ben comments, “You want a fluffer” so the King Edward is my favourite variety to use. They will crisp up but stay soft on the inside and hold their texture.”
2. To start, peel the potatoes and remove the eyes – these can be tougher, cook differently to the unblemished potato and don’t look that good either.
3. Cut the potatoes into quarters – it’s the best size to get the ultimate crisp exteriors.
4. Add the potatoes to a couple of litres of generously salted water. Controversially Ben adds his potatoes to boiling water. For root vegetables the rule of thumb is usually to use cold water, but the boiling water helps with ‘fluffing up’ the potatoes and keeping the insides firm.
5. Ben’s secret ingredient is adding bicarbonate of soda to the pan – this changes the PH of the water and helps the potatoes to break down even more on the outside, so they later crisp up better in the oven.
6. Once they have been on a rolling boil for 5-6 minutes remove from the hob and drain. Shake them gently in a colander to get rid of any excess water, then lay them out on a wire rack to cool off and dry out. If you have time leave them in the fridge overnight for up to 24 hours uncovered.
7. Once fully dried out douse them in fat – Ben likes to use half olive oil, half goose or duck fat, seasoning with salt. The olive oil is for flavour and the fat to get crispy edges.
8. Place the potatoes on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper – this stops them sticking so you don’t lose any crispy bits. Start with the oven as hot as it can go (around 240C) and then place the potatoes in the preheated oven. Turn it down after a few minutes to 220C, leaving the potatoes at this temperature until they have crisped up. Don’t turn them until they are crispy, otherwise you risk leaving mash potato on the greaseproof!
9. ‘Burp’ the oven every 10-15 minutes – this is basically opening the oven door to let some steam out. It allows the potatoes to get extra crispy. Cook until golden brown. It will take about an hour.
10. For extra flavour, add some finely chopped garlic and herbs (like fresh rosemary and thyme). Put them in right at the end, so they don’t burn. Toss them with the potatoes to coat, and give them a few minutes in the oven to take the raw edge off the garlic. And there you have it - the ultimate roast potatoes!
