Super Crispy Skin On Roast Potatoes

4 minutes

These aren’t like your traditional roast potatoes. Instead, I like to keep the skin on them and roast them until they become super crispy. The beauty of my Crispy Skin On Roast Potatoes is that they take minimal effort and time.

You can encourage even more crispiness by leaving the skins on these potatoes. Ultimately, the one thing you want from a roast potato is a crispy outside and a fluffy inside – that’s exactly what you get from these.

How to Make Skin On Roast Potatoes

Step 1: If you want your potatoes to become unbelievably crunchy and crispy then you’ll need to get your oven warmed up.

There’s no point putting potatoes into a lukewarm oven. 200°C is roughly how hot you’ll need the oven for these.

Step 2: Cut the potatoes up into evenly-sized pieces so that they cook at the same time. If you have a combination of large and small potatoes, leave the small potatoes whole (around the size of a golf ball) and half the rest.

Step 3: Pop the potatoes in a pot, cover them with cold water and then bring it up to a boil. Drop the heat so they’re simmering, and leave them for around 5 minutes.

You’re just looking to take some of the bite out of the potatoes, not cook them fully.

Step 4: Tip the potatoes into a colander and shake them quickly to blister some of the skins – these will turn super crisp. Allow them to steam dry for 5 to 10 minutes. This will also help with getting that crunch.

Step 5: Optionally, coat the blanched potatoes in some cornflour, season and share again to make sure they’re all evenly coated.

Step 6: Heat your chosen fat (it has to be goose fat!) in a roasting tin in the oven for a minute or so, then tip the potatoes into the hot fat – being fairly careful as it will burn.

Turn the potatoes over in the fat to ensure they’re fully coated.

Step 7: Season with salt and black pepper, add rosemary springs and then pop into the oven for around an hour until cooked through and crisped up.

Step 8: Once cooked, immediately remove the potatoes from the tin to a kitchen paper-lined plate to absorb the excess far. Give them a final seasoning with salt.

Tweak

Honestly, these potatoes probably don’t need much tweaks or customising. If you’re after super crispy roast potatoes then nothing needs change. But, here are a few things you could do if you want to experiment:

• Change the Fat: Instead of using goose fat or duck fat, try olive oil, coconut oil, or even ghee.
• Use Different Herbs: Swap the rosemary with thyme, sage, or oregano. Most woody, hardy herbs will work well with roasted potatoes – just consider what you’re serving them with.
• Add Spices: Sprinkle some paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, or turmeric before roasting for an added kick.
• Cheesy Twist: Sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese over the potatoes during the last few minutes of roasting for a cheesy flavour and extra crispy texture.
• Sweet Potatoes: Replace regular potatoes with sweet potatoes for a slightly healthy version.
• Herb Oil: Infuse the oil with garlic and herbs before tossing it with the potatoes for an intense flavour. Some herbs and garlic can taste a bit burnt when left in the oven with the potatoes so you can combat this by infusing the oil beforehand.

Store

When storing these skin on roast potatoes, it’s important to think about how long you need to store them. If it’s up to 5 days, then use the fridge, otherwise, the freezer is the option to go with:

Refrigerate: Once the roasted potatoes are cooled, place them in an airtight container. Keep the container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The key is to ensure they’re completely cool before storing to prevent condensation.

Freeze: Let the roasted potatoes cool down completely. Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer.

Once frozen, transfer them into freezer-safe bags or containers and they can be stored for up to 3 months. You can learn more about freezing roast potatoes here.

Reheat: To maintain the crispiness, reheat the potatoes in the oven at 200°C (around 400°F) for about 15 minutes, or until they’re hot and crispy again.

If reheating from frozen, extend the reheating time to 20-25 minutes. Microwaving is not recommended as it could make the potatoes soggy.