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How to make crispy and delicious roast potatoes? The following are 5 tricks for crispy roast potatoes inspired by J. Kenji López-Alt’s YouTube channel. Follow these tricks and the recipe of Kenji roasted potatoes to make special roast potatoes for Christmas Day or any other occasion.
5 Tricks for Crispy Roast Potatoes
1. Choose the right potatoes
Russet produces the crispiest crust, pale golden brown when roasted. The interior is smooth and soft.
Yukon Golds are slightly darker in color when roasted, due to their lower starch content and higher sugar content. This type of potato has a richer taste, but the crust is slightly less crispy. The interior is also nice and soft.
Red potatoes are very dark when roasted because they have a very low starch content and are difficult to crisp. At first it was crunchy when it came out of the oven, but soon it lost the crunch, becoming soft and tender.
So, for the perfect crispy roast potatoes, choose Russet potatoes for very crispy potatoes, Yukon Gold for quite crispy potatoes with a rich taste, and just skip the Red ones.
2. Cut the potatoes into large enough sizes
Large potato chunks enhance the contrast between the exterior and interior. The result is roast potatoes that are crispy on the outside but soft on the inside, just like Kenji potatoes.
3. Know how to parboil potatoes the right way
Do you know how to par boil potatoes properly to create a crispy texture? Here is the important trick : Parboil the potatoes with baking soda. Parboiling the potatoes in alkaline water (PH 8 and above) breaks down their surface, creating a rich, starchy mush for added volume and crunch. Baking soda has a PH of 8-9.
Make sure that when you want to par boil potatoes, the water has to boil first, then add the potatoes, salt, and off course baking soda. This method will produce potatoes that are crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.
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4. Drain the potatoes and shake
Drain the potatoes for 30 seconds after boiling to reduce the moisture content. Shake the potatoes vigorously in a large bowl to form a paste on the surface of the potatoes, which will increase crispiness.
5. Roast the potatoes in the right technique
Arrange the potatoes on the baking sheet, separating them. Roast in the oven at 450°F/230°C (or 400°F/200°C if using convection). Leave them for 20 minutes, then flip them over until they are evenly browned.
Kenji Roasted Potatoes Recipe for Crispy Result
ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT
- Oven: Essential for preheating and baking the potatoes to achieve the desired crispiness.
- Saucepan: Used to boil and cook the potatoes before roasting.
- Baking Sheet: Necessary for roasting the potatoes in the oven.
- Pan: Required for frying the garlic and black pepper to prepare the infused oil.
- Fine-Mesh Strainer: Used to strain the oil from the garlic and rosemary mixture, which is a crucial step in the recipe.
INGREDIENTS
- Kosher salt (buy here)
- 1/2 teaspoon (4g) baking soda (buy here)
- 4 pounds (about 2 kg) Russet (buy here) or Yukon Gold potatoes (buy here), peeled and cut into quarters, sixths, or eighths, depending on size
- 5 tablespoons (75ml) extra-virgin olive oil, duck fat, goose fat, or beef fat (buy here)
- Small handful picked fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped (buy here)
- 3 medium cloves garlic, minced (buy here)
- Freshly ground black pepper (buy here)
- Small handful fresh parsley leaves, minced (buy here)
HOW TO MAKE CRISPY ROAST POTATOES
- Place an oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 450°F/230°C (or 400°F/200°C if using convection).
- Put 2 liters of water in a large saucepan, heat over high heat until it boils.
- Lower the heat, add 2 tablespoons of kosher salt (about 1 oz or 25g), the baking soda and the potatoes, and stir. Cook until the potatoes are cooked, which is when you feel it’s easy to pierce the potato with a knife, about 10 minutes after the water returns to a boil.
- Meanwhile, fry the garlic and a little black pepper in a pan using olive oil, duck fat, or beef fat over medium heat. Stir constantly until the garlic begins to turn golden, about 3 minutes.
- Strain the oil through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl. Set aside the garlic/rosemary mixture to use again later as baked potato seasoning.
- Drain the cooked potatoes and let them sit for about 30 seconds to allow excess moisture to evaporate.
- Combine the potatoes and the previously prepared infused oil in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and mix thoroughly.
- Shake the bowl vigorously until a thick layer like mashed potato paste forms on the surface of the potato pieces.
- Transfer the potatoes to a large rimmed baking sheet. Separate them with little space, so no potato sticks. Place the pan in the oven and roast the potatoes for 20 minutes without moving them.
- Using a thin metal spatula, remove the stuck potatoes, shake the pan, and flip the potatoes. Continue baking until the potatoes are dark brown and crisp. Turn and shake several times during cooking. This process takes 30 to 40 minutes.
- Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and add the reserved garlic/rosemary mixture, chopped parsley, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir until the seasoning is evenly distributed, and serve.
Roast Potatoes Calories for 1 Cup
| Serving | Ingredient | Calories |
| 4.13 oz | red potatoes | 104 |
| 0.619 tbsp | vegetable oil | 75 |
| 1.25 grams | salt | 0 |
| 0.24 gram | pepper | 1 |
| 0.11 gram | rosemary | 0 |
Alright, that’s the 5 tricks for crispy roast potatoes and Kenji roasted potatoes recipe. Good luck, we hope you succeed in making it!
