Pair the wine according to the main course.
Crispy roast potatoes
The perfect roast potato has a crispy, golden exterior that gives way to a soft and fluffy interior. A must to pair with roasts, but honestly – sometimes these steal the show! With my tips, you can cook perfect, crispy roast potatoes every time.
Servings
4 Servings
PREP TIME
40 mins
COOK TIME
1 hr 20 mins
TOTAL TIME
2 hrs
Difficulty
Easy
Wine pairing
Ingredients
1 kg potatoes
½ cup canola oil
2 tbsp plain flour
4 sprigs rosemary
1 tsp garlic powder (optional)
1 tsp each salt and pepper
Ingredients
2 lbs potatoes
½ cup canola oil
2 tbsp plain flour
4 sprigs rosemary
1 tsp garlic powder (optional)
1 tsp each salt and pepper
- Certain types of potatoes (ones that strike a balance between starchy and waxy) produce the best crispy roast potatoes. However, most potatoes in Australia are unlabelled (just white, red or brushed) so I use whatever I have at hand, and these always turn out great. If you’re lucky enough to live somewhere with a large selection of potatoes, or perhaps if you’re visiting a farmer’s market, here are the best types of potatoes to use:
- Yukon Gold/Dutch Cream
- Russet/Sebago
- Desiree
Note on cook times:
There’s nothing worse than cooking two dishes in your oven which require different oven temperatures! Here are a couple of tips and tricks if you need to cook at a different temperature:
- Adjust the roast time for common cooking temperatures:
- 180°C / 350°F = 1 hour 45 minutes
- 200°C / 390°F = 1 hour 20 minutes
- These potatoes can be mostly pre-roasted a few hours in advance. Take them out 20-30 minutes before they’re done, then pop them back in the oven later on to finish cooking (they might need a little bit longer to finish off this way, so allow an extra 10-20 minutes).
Directions
1Prepare and parboil the potatoes
1. First, pre-heat your oven to 200°C / 390°F. Grab a large baking dish with sides at least 1 inch high, and add the oil. Place the dish in the oven so the oil heats up while you prepare the potatoes.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut them in half, so each piece is about 4cm / 1.5 inches.
Tip: If your potatoes are really large you can cut them into thirds or quarters, but keep in mind that if they’re too small they’ll go incredibly crispy on the outside, but there won’t be much flesh left inside (unless this is your preference – they’re still quite good this way!).
3. Fill a large pot with cold water (cold water promotes even cooking) and add the potatoes.
4. Place the pot over high heat and bring to a gentle boil for 7-10 minutes.
Important: It’s crucial not to overcook the potatoes at this step, otherwise they’ll fall apart when you drain them. You can test that they’re done by piercing the centre of one of the potatoes with a sharp paring knife; you should be able to insert the knife with just a tiny bit of resistance. If the potato breaks apart when you do this, drain immediately!
5. As soon as the potatoes are easily piercable with a knife, drain them in a colander and leave them to cool for 5 minutes. Set the pot aside, as it’s needed again for the next step.
6. Tip the potatoes back into the pot, sprinkle the flour over them, then shake the pot to coat them evenly. You want the sides of the potatoes to get scratched and scuffed during this step, as this is what produces crispy exteriors.
Tip: An easy way to produce a good scruffy exterior is to place the lid on the pot, cover the lid with a tea towel and hold the tea towel in place along with the handles and shake, shake, shake! You could also put a pot lid on top of the colander and shake them up in there. Another option is to scratch up the surface of the potatoes with a fork, but this takes a lot more time.
2Roast the potatoes
1. Remove the pre-heated baking dish from the oven (be very careful, as hot oil can slosh around easily).
2. Carefully transfer each potato into the baking dish using tongs – do not use your hands in case hot oil splashes up and burns you, and certainly don’t tip the potatoes in or a burn is almost guaranteed!
3. Using the tongs, turn the potatoes around in the oil to coat all sides, then sprinkle the salt and pepper and garlic powder (if using) evenly over the top.
4. Place the tray back in the oven, and use tongs to turn the potatoes every 20 minutes.
Important: Don’t skip turning the potatoes, otherwise they won’t cook evenly on all sides and you’ll have roast potatoes that are extra crispy (bordering on burnt) on just one side.
5. Add the rosemary sprigs in the last 20 minutes of cooking.
6. You can tell visually when the potatoes are cooked. If you feel they need a bit more time, continue roasting for 5-10 minutes at a time.
Wine pairing