Extra Crispy Potatoes

I know - it's a big call, right? Crispy Oven Roasted Potatoes. We all want them. Crispy, super crunchy, glass-like on the outside but fluffy in the middle.

Well, these are THOSE kind of roasted potatoes. Yeah baby!

I'm not going to claim they are the "best ever", that's a BIG statement. But let's just say that in our house, never before has there been such crispy potatoes, and from here on out these are the oven roasted potatoes to which all others shall be compared...

These crispy oven roasted potatoes are made with a secret ingredient pantry staple.

My secret is crispy roasted potatoes with baking soda

I came across a recipe for crispy roast potatoes on the site Serious Eats. They suggest adding baking soda (bi-carb soda) to the water you boil your potatoes in to help them go crispy in the oven.

OK. I thought it sounded a bit weird, but let's give it a go. The baking soda makes the water alkaline, which helps to break down the surface of the potatoes, apparently.

O. M. G. So good.

Trust me, these extra crispy roasted potatoes are seriously good. I hosted Christmas at my house this year, and I served these roast potatoes - they are that good.

How to make roast potatoes crispy in the oven - step by step

• Bring a pot of water to the boil then add baking soda and potatoes. Boil for approx 20 mins, or until soft.
• Drain, then return the potatoes to the hot pot and give them a good mix to roughen them up - see Image 1.
• Heat olive oil in a roasting pan in the oven, then add roughened potatoes and mix well (and carefully!) to coat.
• Roast for between 1 hour and 1 ¼ hours. Give them another good mix to coat about every 15 minutes or so until they are crispy, adding in the rosemary & garlic in the last half-hour.
• Sprinkle with salt and serve.

Then you should have something that looks like this - see Image 2.

Can you pick which one I had my eye on to taste test the final result? That smaller one right in the middle had my name written all over it, and it didn't disappoint. It was lucky to make it to the photo shoot!

Mmmm.......crispy roasted potato goodness. 

These potatoes are so crunchy and crisp, everything a perfect oven roasted potato should be.

Extra tips for making extra crispy oven roasted potatoes

• The best variety of potato to use for this recipe needs to be "starchy" or "floury" - here in Australia most of the major supermarkets sell dirt brushed potatoes (sebago) which is what I used.
• I find that approx 130, 140 (ish) grams per potato is just the right size, and I serve 2 potatoes per person - my extra crispy oven roasted potatoes have calories that don't count! I just wish I could choose where on my body the calories will go - my ankles are pretty thin, that would be a great start!
• If the potatoes break up a bit when you are roughening them up, that's ok - as you can see from Image 2 above the smaller ones get lovely and super crunchy!

Looking for more potato ideas?

Chicken Mornay Baked Potatoes

Mini Potato Stacks

Warm Mustard Potato Salad

Spinach Mashed Potatoes

Lee-Ann ♥

📖 Recipe

Extra Crispy Potatoes

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Extra Crispy Oven Roasted Potatoes - crispy and crunchy baked potatoes, glass-like on the outside but fluffy in the middle.

Print Pin Rate

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Serving: 4 servings

Calories: 401kcal

Author: Lee-Ann Grace

Ingredients

• 1 kg potatoes (2 lbs) approx 8 see notes
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary (optional)
• 4 unpeeled garlic cloves - flattened slightly (optional)
• salt to taste
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda / bicarbonate of soda see notes

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 210c/410f.
• Bring a large pot of water to boil, then add bicarb soda - it will fizz a little.
• While the water is coming to the boil, peel your potatoes.
• Carefully add the potatoes, and boil for 20 mins or until very soft. 
• When the potatoes have about 10 minutes to go, pour the oil into a metal roasting tin, and place in the oven to heat.
• When potatoes are soft, drain well then return to the pot. Give them a mix around in the pot to rough them up, if they break apart a bit that's fine too.
• Carefully add potatoes to now-heated oil, and turn well to coat them completely.
• Bake for 1 - 1 ¼ hours, tossing again about every 15 mins (add rosemary and garlic cloves with approx 15 - 30 minutes to go if using). 
• Discard rosemary and garlic, add salt to taste and serve immediately.

Notes

• The variety of potato to use for this recipe needs to be "starchy" or "floury" - here in Australia most of the major supermarkets sell dirt brushed potatoes (sebago) which is what I used. 
• I find that potatoes weighing approx 130, 140 (ish) grams per potato is just the right size, and I serve 2 potatoes per person. Extra crispy potatoes have calories that don't count!
• If the potatoes break up a bit when you are roughening them up, that's ok - as you can see the smaller ones get lovely and super crunchy!
• Baking soda and bi-carb soda or bicarbonate of soda are the same, it just depends what country you live in!

*Please note that the amount of calories per serve is provided as a guide only, as ingredients and cooking methods can vary greatly*

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Serving: 0g | Calories: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 0g | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 0mg | Potassium: 0mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin A: 0IU | Vitamin C: 0mg | Calcium: 0mg | Iron: 0mg