At the heart of every great Sunday dinner lies an accompaniment of tremendous roast potatoes. These wholesome spuds will form the backbone of any meal, and effectively help elevate it to dizzy new heights. As a result of its lofty status, folks embarking on this culinary right of passage should ensure that their spuds get the attention they deserve. When cooked correctly, they will reward their diners with a delicious fluffy interior, and for this particular recipe, a delightfully crispy and well-seasoned outer coating. So, joining up with our amazing Yorkshire Pudding recipe, let’s get busy cooking up some Crunchy Garlic Roast Potatoes.
Garlic Roast Potatoes
Equipment
- 1 Baking Tray
Ingredients
- 750g (½lb) White Potatoes
- 6g (½tsp) Baking Soda
- 1 Sprig Rosemary
- 15g (3 Cloves) Garlic, Chopped and Crushed
- 5g (1tsp) Fresh Rosemary (Chopped)
- 10g (1tsp) Salt
- 2g (½tsp) Black Pepper
- 30g (1oz) Unsalted Butter
- 45g (3tbsp) Sunflower Oil
Instructions
- Peel, wash and chop your potatoes into reasonably-sized chunks. You're aiming for 750g once peeled, with each chunk around the 45g mark
- Give them all one last rinse, then pop them in a saucepan with enough water to completely submerge every spud and bring to the boil
- Once boiling, toss in 6g of Baking Soda, 5g of the Salt, and a sprig of Rosemary, then continue to boil for 10 minutes
- While on the boil, heat the oven to 200℃ (390°F, Fan 180°C, Gas Mark 6), and pour 30g of Sunflower into a suitably sized baking tray. Just before draining the potatoes, place the pan in the oven to heat the oil
- When the 10 minutes are up, drain the Spuds in a colander, leaving them for approximately 1 minute for the excess water to evaporate. In the meantime, quickly dry the saucepan with a piece of kitchen paper
- When ready, return the potatoes to the saucepan and throw in 30g of Butter, 15g of Sunflower Oil, 15g of finely chopped Garlic, 5g of Chopped Rosemary, 5g of Salt, and 2g of Black Pepper. Once the Butter has completely melted, place the lid on the saucepan, and holding it tightly closed, give the whole thing a ruddy good shake
- Transfer the resulting seasoned Potatoes to the oiled and heated baking tray, then roast for approximately 45 minutes, until deliciously golden brown and crunchy
- Serve with whatever dish you had in mind
Nutrition
Getting the Most out of Your Garlic Roast Potatoes
About Potatoes – For this recipe, I have kept the type of potato deliberately vague, as wandering around the local market of any country I find myself in, I generally don’t have the luxury of knowing what variety of spud I’m buying. So, for dishes like this, as well as mashed potato and chips (French fries), I keep a beady eye out for the larger legumes that are white the whole way through. For those with a local supermarket on their side, however, Maris Piper, Yukon Gold, or Russet potatoes will all work wonders.
The Vegan Option – I like to drop a knob of butter into my spuds, as I think it adds an extra subtle punch to the beloved roasties. However, those looking to veganise their roast dinner can simply switch out the butter in favour of 15g of Olive Oil. Just make sure the Olives come from one of the producers that profit from avian genocide. Bird friendly Olive Oil brands include Filippo Berio, Olive Branch, and generally any Olives that were handpicked by humankind.
Baking Soda – While on the face of it, baking powder may seem a bit of a weird addition to roast potatoes, its presence actually comes rooted in science. By dropping it in during the boil, the fizzy powder will turn the water to an alkali, effectively allowing it to break down the outer edge, and resulting in extra crispy spuds when roasted.
Air Fryer Roast Potatoes – For those looking for an excuse to use their fancy new kitchen device, they will cook perfectly well in an air fryer. Therefore, crank it up to 200℃ (390°F), before cooking the taters for approximately 20 minutes, turning once half way through.
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