The Best Roasted Potatoes
Properly crispy roast potatoes come down to a few key steps done right: parboiling until just soft enough to rough up the edges, then roasting in fat that’s already screaming hot when the potatoes go in.
Duck fat gives you a flavour and crispness that oil alone can’t match, and a homemade rosemary salt finishes them off properly. Don’t throw the peels away either — roasted with a bit of olive oil, they turn into their own crispy little side dish.
These are the kind of roast potatoes worth the extra bit of effort, whether it’s a Sunday roast or just a regular weeknight side.
The Best Roasted Potatoes
SIDE · ROAST · MEDIUM
Crispy edges, fluffy centres, done properly
Roughing up the potatoes in the colander after boiling scuffs up the edges, and those scuffed bits are exactly what turns into the crispiest, crunchiest parts once they hit the hot fat.
Getting the duck fat properly hot before the potatoes go in matters more than people think. You want to hear a sizzle straight away, not have the potatoes sit there slowly absorbing fat.
And the bonus potato skins mean nothing goes to waste. They come out just as crispy as the potatoes themselves, tossed in the same homemade rosemary salt.
The Best Roasted Potatoes
Ingredients
Potatoes
- 1.2 kg All-Rounder Potatoes Peeled & Quartered
- 120 g Duck Fat
Rosemary Salt
- 10 g Fresh Rosemary
- 10 g Sea Salt Flakes
Potato Skins (Peels)
- Potato Peels
- 15 ml Olive Oil
- Rosemary Salt (Above)
Method
Roasted Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
- Peel and quarter the potatoes into even-sized pieces. Place into a pot of cold water, covering by 1 inch. Place over high heat, bring to a boil, and cook for 9 minutes from when it starts boiling. Remove and drain. Cover the colander with a lid and gently shake to rough up the potatoes.
- While the potatoes boil, add the duck fat to a large, tall-sided baking pan and place in the preheated oven for 20 minutes to heat up (be careful, it will be very hot). Remove.
- Carefully place the roughed-up potatoes into the hot duck fat and spread out in a single layer, making sure they aren't overlapping. Roast for 1 hour, mixing around and rotating the pan every 15 minutes. Remove.
- Season the roasted potatoes well with the rosemary salt (below). Serve in bowls.
Rosemary Salt
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Add the rosemary and salt to the tray and place in the oven for 6 minutes to dry out the rosemary. Remove, pick the leaves off the stems, and discard the stems. Add the rosemary leaves and sea salt flakes to a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, and grind to a fine powder. Set aside.
Potato Skins (Peels)
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place the potato peels into a mixing bowl, add the olive oil and seasoning to taste, and mix well. Tip onto the prepared tray and bake for 20 minutes, mixing and rotating halfway through. Remove and serve.
Can we substitute the duck fat with something else?
Yes, you can. It can be substituted for canola, sunflower or vegetable oil.
Can the potato be fried from this recipe?
Yes it can
https://chefjackovens.com/the-best-roasted-potatoes/
“Carefully place the roughed up potatoes into the hot duck fat & spread around making sure the potatoes are sitting on top of each other.”
Did you mean to say, “…making sure the potatoes are NOT sitting on top of each other.”
Thanks for all your videos.
That would be my accent sorry. I did say aren’t sitting on top of each other.
Hey Jack. Thanks for the response, but (1) I’m a British-American dual-citizen so no problem with the accent 🙂 and (2) I was actually referring to the PRINTED text on the recipe page linked above….even though I confusingly used the phrase, “…mean to say…,” I should have typed, “…mean to write…”
The recipe page states, “4. Carefully place the roughed up potatoes into the hot duck fat & spread around making sure the potatoes ARE SITTING on top of each other.”
Thanks again for what you do. Your videos are making me a better home cook.