The perfect potato: crispy on the outside - soft on the inside!
Let's be honest, potatoes play a large role in the food industry and this goes for many countries around the world, and for many good reasons. Potatoes are nutrient-dense, extremely versatile, and delicious in all fashions. So, let's get right to the good stuff, roasted potatoes! One of the most common foolproof ways of prepping potatoes is roasting them. We've created a guide to enhance your roasting experience and take your potatoes to the next level of crispiness!
Steps to making the BEST roasted potatoes:
Potato Selection:
You can use any potato you have on hand, Yukon, red skin, russet, honestly, any potato would work. If you want to get technical, all potatoes have varying sugar and starch contents, which can affect how they roast, in terms of crispiness. If you are looking for the ultimate crispy potato, "floury" based potatoes tend to crisp up better than waxier potatoes. This is because floury potatoes like russet potatoes have a higher starch content than waxier potatoes like red skin potatoes. Again, you can absolutely use a waxier potato, just remember the end results will vary.
Par-Boil:
To help get your potatoes crispy you'll want to par-boil them first. So, what is par-boiling? Par-boiling is partially boiling/cooking a particular food, in this case, partially cooking the potatoes. To par-boil, quarter the potatoes and boil them in water for no more than 10 minutes. The par-boil time will depend on the size and type of potato, but a good rule of thumbs is about 5 to 10 minutes. Use a fork to test for doneness. The fork should initially poke through fairly easily but should be met with some resistance towards the center of the potato. Avoid over-boiling, you want the potatoes to hold their shape.
Now, for the great debate, do you add the potatoes to cold water, or do you add the potatoes to already boiling water? Generally speaking, when cooking most potatoes you will add them to cold water and then bring the water to a boil. This is to ensure more even and well-rounded cooking. While you will still get crispy potatoes this way, we have a better approach! For crispy potatoes, we actually want that uneven cooking, we want the exterior to cook more than the inside. So, bring a pot of water to a boil then add your potatoes to the boiling water.
If you are going to salt the water, salt after the water is boiling.
Last par-boiling tip, this step is optional but it does add to the crispiness, add baking soda to the boiling water. Why? Baking soda creates a more alkaline (higher pH) environment which helps to further break down the pectin in potatoes. Pectin is the fiber or the "glue" found in vegetables. The breakdown of pectin causes a softening to the exterior of the potatoes, thus, promoting a crispy outer shell! 1 teaspoon of baking soda should do the trick.
Dry:
If you want to get crispy potatoes make sure they are dry before roasting. As you let them dry off, give them a little shake in the strainer, this will rough up the exterior creating grooves for the oil to sink into.
Fat Selection:
Any fat will do here, but it is best to use oils or fats that have a higher smoke point. When it comes to the fat selection you really just want to give the potatoes a good coating, no skimping on the fat.
Seasonings:
Season the potatoes to your liking and taste! Simple seasonings are best with these roasted potatoes: salt, pepper, garlic, and various herbs. Here is a list of herbs we love using: sage, thyme, and rosemary. If you like spicy, feel free to add some red chili pepper flakes for an added punch.
A fun and 100% optional twist would be to infuse the olive oil with the garlic and herbs, strain the oil from the garlic and herbs, toss the potatoes with the infused oil, and after roasting the potatoes, add back the garlic and herbs. The idea behind this extra step is to prevent the garlic and herbs from burning, honestly, haven't found this to be a major issue, but it is fun to try different preparations.
Additionally, if you want to skip the whole infusing of the olive oil but want to avoid burning garlic and herbs, you could also saute your garlic and herbs for a few minutes until fragrant in a little oil then set aside until the potatoes are done roasting.
Roast:
Lay the ready-to-go potatoes on a baking pan and pop them in a preheated oven ranging from 400 to 425 degrees F. Timing will largely depend on the type, size, and how long the potatoes were parboiled. But, a good rule of thumb is somewhere from 40 to 50 minutes. You'll want the potatoes to be golden brown, would recommend checking for doneness around the 35 to the 40-minute mark.
For this recipe, we also recommend flipping the potatoes halfway through the cooking time.
If you want to give the potatoes a nice sear from the start, keep your baking pan in the preheating oven so it gets nice and hot, this way when you add your potatoes to the pan you'll get a nice sear. Would also recommend adding some of the fat to the baking pan during this time as well. This step is completely optional but can give a great head start to the roasting and crisping process.
Eat:
Time to enjoy the most delicious crispy potatoes! Serve alongside your favorite protein, veggies, and dipping sauce!
