Roast potatoes are probably the best bit of a roast dinner, in my opinion! We love these crispy on the outside, soft in the middle potatoes with our Sunday roast. There are so many variations of roast potatoes, and we are certain everyone has their own way of cooking them.
Our tried and tested recipe for roast potatoes is inspired by Delia Smith, who taught us how to cook many years ago with her brilliant cookbook. We know that the Jamie Oliver version includes giving the potatoes are good squish when they go into the oven in order to give as much outer surface area as possible up for crispiness.
Do you need to par-boil potatoes first?
We’ve even heard that there are some purists who prefer to simply pop their potatoes straight into the oven without par-boiling them first. But we think our recipe is worth the extra effort in order to get the contrast of crispy and fluffy. Plus, when you add herbs to the oil you impart a delicious flavour that elevates any meal.
Using herbs with crispy roasted potatoes
Our preferred classic take on oven-roasted potatoes is to add fresh sprigs of rosemary and whole cloves of garlic. This adds a wonderfully rich and hearty note to the vegetable. Plus, it fills the whole house with a wonderful aroma that is sure to spark memories for your family and friends. Now, whenever we get that scent of rosemary and garlic in the air we are taken back to happy memories of roast dinners at home.
Fresh rosemary with potatoes lends a nice woody taste, but be sure not to overdo it the first time as it is a powerful herb. Once you’ve got used to the flavour add as much or as little of the fresh herb as you like.
The whole garlic cloves are a treat. By roasting the cloves in their skin you allow the garlic to soften as it cooks in the oil. It’s a chef’s treat to peel off the skin and eat the soft, sweet garlic flesh. I never knew just how sweet garlic can be until I tried this.
We recommend using herbs to flavour the oil for your roast potatoes. If you are into garlic potatoes, you are going to love these rosemary and garlic roast potatoes.
If garlic or rosemary aren’t to your liking, or if you want to try something else, you could try fresh thyme or sage.
How to serve roast potatoes
Roast potatoes are best served hot and straight from the oven. But they do keep, so you can make ahead of time and reheat in the oven, they just don’t quite have the same fresh crispiness. However, leftover roast potatoes are great in so many leftover recipes. We often chop them up the next morning to make a breakfast hash.
When to eat crispy roasted potatoes?
The great thing about roast potatoes is that they’re not seasonally specific. You can enjoy roast potatoes throughout the year, whether it’s a special occasion such as Christmas and Easter, or simply a family get-together.
What to serve roast potatoes with
Roast potatoes go well with roast dinner, of course. They are also great alongside stews, fish, nut-roast, sausages, lamb chops, toad in the hole, pie, the list goes on. They even taste great sneaked out of the fridge cold and dipped in a tiny bit of salt!
Which potatoes are best for roast potatoes?
The key to this recipe is to use floury potatoes and not waxy potatoes. By all means, you can oven roast waxy potatoes such as fingerling potatoes or new potatoes, but the texture is totally different.
Is this recipe ok for Vegetarians and Vegans?
This recipe can certainly meet vegetarian and vegan requirements so long as you don’t use any animal fat, which I know is popular around Christmas time
ROAST POTATOES WITH GARLIC AND ROSEMARY (SERVES 4-6)
INGREDIENTS
- 1KG Floury Potatoes such as Maris Piper, Desiree, or King Edward, peeled and cut in half (aim for evenly sized pieces)
- 200ml Vegetable Oil (or half and half mixture with Goose Fat or other animal fat) (quantity approximate, depending on the size of the baking pan)
- 3-4 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary
- 1 Large Bulb of Garlic
- 2 Large Pinches of Maldon Sea Salt
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 200C.
- Place the peeled and halved potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Salt the water and bring to the boil, reducing to medium heat and allowing to cook for about 8-10 minutes.
- When the outer edges of the potatoes have softened a little, but the potato is not cooked through, drain into a colander and allow to steam dry for 5 minutes.
- Tip the potatoes back into the saucepan, add the lid, and holding it on securely give it a shake to roughen up the outside of the potatoes.
- Meanwhile, heat up the oil in a large, high-sided baking tray in the preheated oven. This should take maybe 10 minutes or so.
- Remove the baking tray and place on the hob over a low heat whilst you carefully place the potatoes into the tray in one layer, be sure not to overcrowd the tray.
- Add the sprigs of rosemary and turn each potato, using a pair of long tongs, to make sure each is even coated in oil. Sprinkle generously with sea salt.
- Roast the potatoes for about 40-50 minutes, turning the potatoes after 25 minutes and adding the whole garlic cloves.
- When golden brown removes the pan from the oven and using tongs transfer the potatoes out of the pan onto a plate covered in a kitchen towel to soak up any excess oil.
- Serve immediately in a lovely serving dish.
Easy Crispy Roast Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary
The best roast potatoes are crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle. And even better is that they are really easy to make. This recipe uses garlic and rosemary to infuse the cooking oil to make the potatoes taste delicious.
Ingredients
- 1KG Floury Potatoes, peeled and cut in half (aim for evenly sized pieces)
- 200ml Vegetable Oil (or half and half mixture with Goose Fat or other animal fat) (quantity approximate, depending on the size of the baking pan)
- 3-4 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary
- 1 Large Bulb of Garlic
- 2 Large Pinches of Maldon Sea Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C.
- Place the peeled and halved potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Salt the water and bring to the boil, reducing to medium heat and allowing to cook for about 8-10 minutes.
- When the outer edges of the potatoes have softened a little, but the potato is not cooked through, drain into a colander and allow to steam dry for 5 minutes.
- Tip the potatoes back into the saucepan, add the lid, and holding it on securely give it a shake to roughen up the outside of the potatoes.
- Meanwhile, heat up the oil in a large, high-sided baking tray in the preheated oven. This should take maybe 10 minutes or so.
- Remove the baking tray and place on the hob over a low heat whilst you carefully place the potatoes into the tray in one layer, be sure not to overcrowd the tray.
- Add the sprigs of rosemary and turn each potato, using a pair of long tongs, to make sure each is even coated in oil. Sprinkle generously with sea salt.
- Roast the potatoes for about 40-50 minutes, turning the potatoes after 25 minutes and adding the whole garlic cloves.
- When golden brown removes the pan from the oven and using tongs transfer the potatoes out of the pan onto a plate covered in a kitchen towel to soak up any excess oil.
- Serve immediately in a lovely serving dish.
Notes
For floury potatoes use such as Maris Piper, Desiree, or King Edward.
You can substitute the herbs for anything you like such as sage or thyme.
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