Recipes › Rosemary › Rosemary Roast Potatoes
Rosemary Roast Potatoes
The definitive rosemary roast potato — properly parboiled, roughed up in the colander to create craggy edges, then roasted in very hot goose fat or oil with whole rosemary sprigs until shatteringly crispy outside and fluffy within. The rosemary perfumes the fat and coats every craggy surface of the potatoes. These are the roast potatoes everyone fights over.
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Ingredients
- 20 g fresh rosemary, sprigs left whole
- 1200 Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes, peeled and cut into large even chunks
- 4 tbsp goose fat or vegetable oil
- 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 1½ tsp flaky sea salt
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, for the parboiling water
Method
- Preheat your oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Put the fat in a large roasting tin and place it in the oven to heat while you prepare the potatoes — the fat must be smoking hot before the potatoes go in.About 5 min
- Cook the potatoes in a large pan of well-salted boiling water with the bicarbonate of soda for 7 to 8 minutes until the outside is just beginning to soften. Do not fully cook them — they should still be firm in the centre.About 10 min
- Drain thoroughly in a colander. Leave to steam dry for 2 minutes, then shake the colander vigorously to rough up the outside edges — this is what creates the crispy craggy surface.About 4 min
- Carefully remove the hot roasting tin from the oven. Add the potatoes to the hot fat — they should sizzle loudly. Toss to coat, then roast for 40 to 45 minutes, turning every 15 minutes, until deeply golden all over.About 45 min
- In the last 10 minutes of cooking, tuck the rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves among the potatoes. The rosemary will become fragrant and slightly crispy. Season with flaky salt to serve.About 10 min
Tips
- The fat temperature is the single most important factor — if it is not smoking hot when the potatoes go in, they will absorb it and be greasy.
- Bicarbonate of soda in the parboiling water makes the water more alkaline and helps break down the potato surface for maximum crispiness.
Ring the changes
- Add a few sprigs of thyme alongside the rosemary for a more complex herby flavour.
Keeping it
Roast potatoes are best eaten immediately. Leftovers can be reheated in a very hot oven for 15 minutes but will never be quite as crispy.
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