Crispy Roast Potatoes

Method

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1. Heat the oven to 220°C / 425°F. Pour the oil into a large, heavy roasting tin and put it in to heat.

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2. Put the potatoes in a large pan with cold water to cover, the fine salt and the bicarbonate of soda.

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3. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes, until the outsides are soft enough to scratch away with a fork but the centres are still firm.

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4. Drain into a colander and leave 2 minutes to steam dry.

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5. Tip them back into the empty pan, put the lid on, and shake the pan hard 4 or 5 times. Every surface should look furred and ragged. This is the recipe.

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6. Take the tin out of the oven — the oil should be shimmering and just beginning to smoke.

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7. Lower the potatoes in carefully and turn each one to coat. They should hiss loudly.

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8. Roast 30 minutes without touching them, then turn each potato over and roast 20 minutes more.

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9. Add the garlic and rosemary and roast a final 10 minutes, until deep golden and audibly crisp.

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10. Drain briefly on the tin, scatter with flaky salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

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Chef’s Tips

• Shake harder than feels reasonable. Timid shaking gives smooth potatoes and smooth potatoes do not crisp.
• Do not crowd the tin. Potatoes touching each other steam; use two tins if you must.
• The rosemary and garlic go in at the end or they burn.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.

Pairing Suggestions

• Any roast at all
• Gravy
• A sharp horseradish cream

Storage & Reheating

Best straight from the oven. Refrigerated for 2 days; re-crisp 12 minutes at 220°C, never in a microwave.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.