To me, the perfect roast potato has a thick, golden, super crunchy crust, it is fluffy and moist on the inside and perfectly seasoned. How many times have you gone to the effort of making a spectacular roast dinner, only to be let down by less than perfect roast potatoes?
Want to try the deluxe version? Head over to Duck Fat Potatoes!
Here’s why this recipe makes Truly Crunchy Roast Potatoes:
1) par boiling the potatoes and roughing up the potatoes creates more “suction” for the surface to absorb fat which is how you make potatoes crunchy and creates the extra thick crust;
2) the potatoes are lightly coated with semolina which creates extra crunch;
3) the potatoes are poured into a pan preheated with hot oil; and
4) the oil used is a high smoke point oil (peanut, safflower, rice bran, sunflower oil)- the hotter the oil when the potatoes go in, the better the crust.
Above all else, the 3rd and 4th points are the key. It makes all the difference and doesn’t take any extra time because the oil is heated in the pan while the oven is preheating. If you don’t have time to par boil, then cut the potatoes up smaller and dust with semolina (but it doesn’t stay on well as when you do this after par boiling), use the preheated hot oil method and you’ll notice the potatoes are a lot crunchier.
This recipe for roast potatoes came after I watched Nigella on a Christmas Special a number of years ago making her perfect roast potatoes. It changed the way I made potatoes forever, and I have never looked back.
Nigella’s recipe is rather indulgent. It is made using goose fat – A LOT of it, around 2 cups (640g/1 1/4lb). I remember reading in the news that the first year her Christmas Special aired, goose fat sold out all over the UK!!
We didn’t have that problem here in Australia because goose fat is expensive – it’s around $15 to $20 per can and you need TWO of them. So basically, making Nigella’s roast potatoes would cost close to $40! Duck fat is the closest substitute, but it is expensive as well, around $12 to $15 per can.
I have made this with both goose fat and duck fat, and it is sensational. I used fat rendered from roasting goose and duck, not store bought fat – I don’t think I could ever justify such a cost, not even for potatoes!
There is a distinct flavour using goose or duck fat that can’t be replaced with any bottled oil. BUT you can still achieve the same level of crunchiness, using the same method as Nigella does but with specific types of cooking oils instead of goose fat. And using a lot LESS oil too.
I call this Perfect Roast Potatoes for Normal People. Nigella’s Perfect Roast Potatoes is for wealthy people who can afford $40 roast potatoes! (Or if you live in the UK, where goose fat is MUCH cheaper!).
I’ve provided directions for Nigella’s recipe in the notes. Just in case you are one of “those” people!
I made these roast potatoes to go with a Slow Roasted Rosemary Garlic Lamb Shoulder. You can’t bake them at the same time because of the different oven temperatures required, but lamb shoulder can be set aside to rest for up to a couple of hours before having to reheat it. So the timing works very well!
Oh, the other thing worth noting is that the potatoes will be crunchy when they are a golden colour with only a few bits of dark brown parts. Standard roast potato recipes are typically darker brown.
Love to hear what you think if you try it! Shout out if you have any questions at all. 🙂
– Nagi
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Truly Crunchy Roast Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup / 165 ml oil – it must be one of the following: Safflower Oil , Rice Bran Oil, Peanut Oil, Corn Oil, Sunflower Oil. I used peanut oil. (Note 1)
- 3 lb / 1.5 kg potatoes (Note 2)
- 2 tbsp semolina (best substitute is polenta)
- 2 tsp salt (increase to 3 tsp if you have a salty palette) (Note 3)
Instructions
- Pour the oil in a metal or cast iron baking dish and place in the oven. Crank up your oven to as high as it will go (mine is 250C/480F fan forced).
- Boil a large pot of water. Peel and cut the potatoes into large pieces, about 6cm/2.2″ wide. (Note 4)
- Boil the potatoes for 10 minutes. Drain then return to the pot.
- Scatter over the semolina and salt. Clamp the lid on and give the pot 5 good shakes to rough up the potatoes. Leave the lid on and set aside.
- The oil should be hot enough by the time the oven comes to temperature. Test it by tossing in a pinch of potato – it should sizzle straight away.
- Pour the potatoes in (be careful of oil splashing). Working quickly, use an egg flip to toss the potatoes in the oil, spread them out as best you can then put the pan to the oven.
- Turn the oven down to 220C/425F. Roast for around 50 minutes, possibly up to 1 hr 15 minutes (Note 5), turning once during baking. They are ready when they are a golden brown with some browned edges and they are crunchy. (Note 6)
- Serve immediately! They will stay crunchy for around 30 minutes, but the faster you get them on the table, the better! They also crisp up pretty well when reheated – reheat @220C/425F for around 15 minutes (from room temp, add 5 min from fridge).
Recipe Notes:
US – russet is ideal. Yukon Gold is not suitable.
UK – Maris Piper is a good all rounder which is suitable and readily available in all the supermarkets. King Edwards and Desiree are also great. 3. This might seem like alot of salt but you lose some of it in the roughing up. 4. Size matters. If the potato is too small, they will overcook before the outside becomes crunchy. 5. The roasting time depends on the strength of your oven, oil, how much you preheated the oil, and how heavy based the roasting pan is. 6. These potatoes do not roast to a dark golden brown that you may be used to with ordinary roast potatoes. They will be crunchy when they are a golden brown colour with only some browned edges. 7. Nigella’s recipe has the same steps except she uses goose fat instead of normal oil. Her recipe calls for 1lb 5oz / 640g of goose fat which is 2 cans. Also she uses 5lb/2.5kg of potatoes which doesn’t fit into any of my pans so I reduced the amount of potatoes.
Nutrition assumes 8 servings.
Nearly identical to my own technique but I must try the semolina. I pat dry the potatoes after par-boiling. Also I sprinkle the potatoes with lashings of fresh rosemary when they go into the hot oil – yummy with Greek-style lamb.
Ooooh YUM! Love the fresh rosemary idea!
Yum! Best roast potatoes, loved the semolina addition. This is how I usually make my potatoes but I’ve never come across the semolina trick before. They turned out just perfectly. Next time I would probably use 2 tsp salt tops, I think I went a bit heavy for this first time around. But gosh they were delicious that night sliced up as a pizza topping as well!
Fantastic to hear Beck! thank you for the tip on the salt, I meant to put 2 tsp as the base option with 3 tsp for those with a saltier palette. 🙂
Your par boiling time is twice as long as Nigellas is this correct. John
Hi John! It’s partly to get a fluffier exterior which creates more surface area to make it even crispier and compensate for not using goose fat 🙂
Hi Nagi,
What can I use instead of semolina to make it gluten free?
Going to try the roast and the potatoes this week!
Use corn meal or polenta as suggested of course. I am trying the lamb roast and spuds tonight too.
Tried these for the Christmas lunch with my family… these things are deadly. SO DAMN GOOD. I couldn’t tear myself away. Using semolina/polenta made a huge difference, what a clever idea! Thanks Nagi!!
OMG I actually shorted with laughter when I read this!!! Glad you’re as addicted as I am to these! 🙂 N xx
Hi these look delicious, can’t wait to try. Question about the pan though.
Can you use those foil one time use roasting pans?
Can you send link or show photo of what you mean by metal pan?
I don’t have cast iron and don’t want to buy one yet as they can be expensive…
Please advise if you can!
Hi Anna! The disposable foil ones won’t hold enough heat I’m afraid 🙂 Any roasting pan that’s not disposable will work just fine! 🙂
I just discovered your site a month ago and have made several of your recipes–all big successes with friends and family–thank you for sharing them! I’m planning to make this dish for Thanksgiving–my husband loves roast potatoes and I can never get them just right :/ What size pan did you use?
Hi Zeina! I’m not home at the moment so I can’t measure it 🙂 However, any large roasting pan will be fine, need space for the potatoes to spread out!
Thanks, Nagi 🙂 !
If I want to make these ahead, is that possible? what point do i stop? Can they be frozen? I only ask because I want to eat these all the time they look so delicious!
Hi Annie Rose, I’m sorry but they can’t really be made ahead more than a few hours. I find they don’t come out as crispy – the surface gets moisture on it. And they ARE incredibly delish!!!
Those potatoes make my knees weak. There may also be a bit of drool escaping the corner of my mouth 😉
I love this idea, but, while I definitely don’t want to try goose or duck fat, I recognize that some animal fat mixed in the cooking oil could really boost the richness of the finished potatoes. With that in mind, what do you think of using some real, unsalted butter melted into the high temp oil? Should the butter be drawn first or would it be better to let the fat solids brown while roasting the potatoes? Also, the only hi-temp oil I have access to is grapeseed. Do you think it could work as well as the ones you mention?
One other question. We prefer to leave the skins on our potatoes. Would you recommend doing the scarring on the skin side too, or just the naked sides (I usually quarter med red potatoes to roast)?
I Love your recipes and the exuberant joy you take in life, food, family, friends. Thanks for sharing with us!
Hi Channon, please don’t use better! The smoke point is way too low, it might even catch on fire 🙁 Grapeseed will be fine! Only scar the cut side of the potatoes, but the skin actually gets crisper using this method than normal baking methods! N x
I recently came across your website via… Ninemsn website! The magic cake was featured on its main page (woohoo!). Been entertained by your blogging style and have ear-marked several recipes to try. Love your explanations! I made the roast spuds yesterday using your recipe. YUMMO! I’ve had trouble for several years suddenly not being able to roast spuds crunchy (it’s like aliens suddenly sucked the knowledge out of me). Last night was a success. Thank you! Now just to make it gluten free… hmm…
Hi Sharon, I’m so glad you enjoyed these!!! I used polenta to make them gluten free, works almost as well! 🙂
So so good! Made these with your Greek slow roasted lamb for dinner tonight. Finally I know the secret to crunchy golden roast potatoes! They even looked like your pictures! (That never happens to me!) You are so kind to share your tried and tested secrets, Nagi. Thank you! Hope you had a great weekend.
Aren’t they incredible??? I could seriously just eat these for an entire meal!
Absolutely fantastic!!! Will be making these often. Whole family loved them including our 5 children.
Thanks!
WOO HOO! So glad you and the fam loved it C, thank you for letting me know! 🙂 N x
I have to say I’m so glad I found your website. I haven’t been able to get my children to eat potatoes since they were babies. ( I think I may have over fed them mash he he) this is the first time my daughter and son actually ate the roast potatoes I put on their plates. They even asked for more. I served them with your slow roasted rosemary and garlic lamb, even the carrots were a hit! Thank you so much.
Woah! What a compliment! 😉 I am so glad your children are eating these potatoes!!!
I love these potatoes. I have never seen goose fat in any stores in the US. I shudder to think how much it would cost IF I could find it. I chose peanut oil. The resulting potatoes were delicious.
I know Patti! Goose fat is really expensive here too – WHEN I can find it!!! So glad you enjoyed these potatoes. I honestly could eat these for an entire meal!!
You realize that between these potatoes, the garlic cheese bread that is like crack, and a few of your other recipes, you are almost solely responsible for my pants getting tighter. I’m certain that my own recipes have nothing to do with it. LOL.
I find my wardrobe is heavily weighted towards STRETCHY clothes nowadays….. 😉
Nagi your potatoes looks good and crunchy. I am in SA . some of the ingridients are a problem with some of us like when you talk about semolina and polenta I became confused can they be substituted or do they have other names that can be used in SA? Please Nagi your recipes are so enticing they are so delicoius I have tried serverals. OOohh they are gorgious!!!
Hi Ntombi! I just had a google and found a semolina recipe on woolworths.co.za so I am assuming it is available in SA but possibly hard to find? Even if you leave it out, it will still be crunchy, I promise! The semolina just adds a teeny bit of extra crunch 🙂
I was wondering if ghee could be substituted for the oils you mentioned. Looking to still use some animal fat on those potatoes 🙂
Ooh YES! I didn’t think of Ghee, it will work GREAT in this!
The use of lard or dripping are great for roasting as they have a high smoke point. I dispute the fact that refined oils have a high smoke point. Contrary to belief oils are not healthy. The best oil is coconut oil great for asian cookery. I personally don’t like to use it for a steak or eggs as it does leave a slight after taste of coconut. Virgin olive oil is good for sauteing.
Absolutely agree that drippings are the BEST for roast potatoes!! You are right, refined oils don’t have as high a smoke point but the ones I list are the higher smoke point oils that work GREAT for this! 🙂
Nagi – crispy potatoes are my weakness! I have to try your method of cooking them as they look so divine.. I just love how they are not fried especially.
Thanks Thalia!
OH MY GOODNESS, I must have missed Nigellas Christmas Special that year! BUT I can see her AND you tossing a pot of potatoes around to rough them up! I am making them this way next time, because this family LOVES roasted potatoes! THANK you for suggesting another oil, because WHERE in the US would I FIND goose fat?????? NO WHERE! I will be using polenta because it is what I have, and will let you know how the potato tossing goes.. I will get my husband to throw the pot around, it would KILL my back 😉 Thanks Nagi!
That’s a travesty Lisa!!! It was a great series 🙂 She also did a brined turkey which is legendary!! Polenta works fabulously, I often switch it out because I pretty much always have polenta in stock, but not always semolina. I really hope you try this!! It is sensational 🙂 Re: roughing up the potatoes, if your hubby isn’t around, just use a big spoon to “toss” the potatoes around, that will achieve a similar result. 🙂
A potato dish! I love all your potato dishes, keep them coming 🙂 This one looks especially delicious because it’s a crunchy potato.
Thank you Sarah! Yup, this one really is crunchy. SERIOUSLY crunchy! 🙂
I understand that avocado oil also has a high smoke point. Would that work? I don’t use any of the kinds of oil you mention and don’t want to buy them. I love the idea of crunchy roasted potatoes.
Hi Susan – actually, from my research, I understand that Avocado Oil has a low smoke point of 375 – 400F which is too low for this recipe. Vegetable and canola oil are the next best alternatives to those I listed, do you have either of those? However, the smoke point of these are borderline to the temperature they will reach in this recipe so you will need to stay “around” while the oil is preheating to make sure the oil doesn’t start smoking. Once the potatoes are in, you won’t have that concern. 🙂