Time for Potatoes to Cool After Parboiling 20 minutesmins
Total Time 1 hourhr15 minutesmins
Course Side Dish
Servings 5people
Equipment
1 colander for roughing up exterior of potatoes after parboiling
1 Large Pot for parboiling the potatoes
Ingredients
3lbspotatoeswith 15%- 20% starch; 20% starch will be crispiest but a bit dry (Russet, Idaho). 15% will be a bit less crispy but more buttery inside (Yukon Gold)
coarse saltfor salting the water during parboiling
Seasonings
6clovesfresh garlic
5sprigsrosemary
Instructions
Select the Right Potatoes
Ideally, we want a potato with 15%- 20% starch— That’s the sweet spot for delivering that coveted crispy exterior and a fluffy interior. The 20% will deliver the ultimate crisp, but likely be a bit dry inside for some tastes. Between 15-20%, a potato can become crispy but still remain a bit buttery tasting inside. See the article for varieties that fall in these starch ranges.
3 lbs potatoes
Cut the Potatoes the Right Size
Peel and cut the potatoes. Size is rather important here. We want to aim for roughly evenly-sized potatoes, cut into cubes or wedges of about 1 ½-2″ (4-5 cm).
Parboil the Potatoes
Parboil (pre cook) the cut potatoes to salted, boiling water. Wait for the potatoes to start boiling and cook them for 5 minutes.
coarse salt
Transfer the par-boiled potatoes to a colander (if they aren’t in one already) and then gently shake. The shaking process helps to dry them out some and to create the lovely exterior texture.After shaking the potatoes, we want to just leave them be.
Let them cool before handling them too much. When still hot, the potatoes will be more prone to falling apart. Once they are cool, we can move to the next important step….
Add the Fat
Use about 2 tablespoons of oil (or melted fat) for every pound of potatoes. Gently coat the surfaces of your potatoes by mixing them with the oil in a bowl. For best results, you’ll want to lightly grease the baking sheet you’ll be using and pre-heat that in the oven as well.Drizzle the melted fat or oil onto the potatoes and use your hands to gently mix them in a bowl. Be sure that all surfaces of each potato are lightly greased.
6 tbsp olive oil
Roast the Potatoes
Preheat the oven—with the oiled baking sheet inside— to 430° F (220°C), fan. If you prefer to use the ‘static’ setting (or your oven has no fan/convection), pre-heat the oven to 450° F (235°C).When the oven reaches temperature, add the potatoes to the hot, oiled baking sheet. Salt them at this time. Spread the potatoes out in one layer to maximize the crisp.
fine salt
Roast the potatoes for about 40 minutes in total. After the first 20 minutes, remove the potatoes and turn them over. It’s also the right time to add any fresh garlic or seasonings like herbs. We typically add several cloves of garlic (smashed, left in the skins) and some minced rosemary along with a few sprigs as well.
black pepper, 6 cloves fresh garlic, 5 sprigs rosemary
Finish roasting the potatoes. You may want to flip them every 10 minutes for the last 20 minutes of roasting.