Roasted potatoes recipe | Jamie Oliver recipes (2024)

FAQs

Roasted potatoes recipe | Jamie Oliver recipes? ›

We prefer olive oil, but you can opt for vegetable, canola or grapeseed oils instead.

We prefer olive oil, but you can opt for vegetable, canola or grapeseed oils instead.

Cook the potatoes in a large pan of boiling salted water for 20 minutes, then drain and steam dry. Tip into a large roasting tray and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil, then add a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Bash and add the unpeeled garlic cloves to the tray, then roast for 20 minutes.

Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes.

In a video online, Gordon explained: “For crispy roast potatoes, you can depend on them, my tip is to parboil them, leave them to steam dry, then sprinkle them with semolina or flour, and then give them a good roughing up.”

Vegetable oil is the ideal choice for those who like a subtle, or blander flavour from their roast potatoes, because it cooks best at a medium heat and so the potatoes won't take on too much flavour from the oil. This also means the potatoes won't overpower other dishes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.

The potatoes cook on the inside when you parboil, so the baking time is basically crisping them up to perfection, which we do at a high oven temperature. If the potatoes are raw, when you use a high temperature, the outside of the potatoes will burn before the inside cooks.

Do I have to boil potatoes before roasting? Not necessary but this can help get the perfect consistency and crispiness. Make sure you boil them but leave them a bit al dente and they will crisp up perfectly in the oven.

Russet potatoes will produce crisper crusts and fluffier centers. Yukon Golds will be slightly less crisp and have creamier centers, with a darker color and deeper flavor. You can also use a mix of the two. The potatoes should be cut into very large chunks, at least 2 to 3 inches or so.

Is it better to roast potatoes on parchment paper or aluminum foil? ›

TIP: parchment paper is better to prevent sticking, but aluminum foil yields crispier results. If you use foil, you'll want to lightly grease it to prevent the potatoes from sticking. Note that even if you do that, they may still stick.

When the corn starch comes into contact with the hot oil, it forms a barrier that traps moisture within the potato while also developing a crunchy crust. This results in fries that are both tender on the inside and crispy on the outside, mimicking the texture of fries you might find in restaurants.

You might not be using enough oil. If you're not using enough oil to coat the potato, it won't get crispy as it bakes. You might be using the wrong type of potato. Potatoes with a high starch content, such as Russet potatoes, are better for baking because they become fluffy and crispy when cooked.

One of Jamie's favourite olive oils comes from the Petrolo estate in South-Eastern Chianti, Tuscany.

Neutral, low-cost oil such as vegetable oil, canola oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, corn oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, etc., work well for roasting. These oils have a high smoke point, allowing the potatoes to get very hot to achieve maximum crispiness.

Alternatives to olive oil for roast potatoes:

Sunflower oil for a light, universally appealing taste. Coconut oil for a slightly sweet and unique twist.

Best cooking oil for roasting

Extra virgin olive oil and coconut are both good for slow roasts due to their low smoke point and added flavour, whilst vegetable oil and rapeseed oil are neutral, medium smoke point oils that are versatile and can be used in most roasts.