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These English Roast Potatoes have the most delicious golden crunchy exterior with a creamy potato inside. These roasties are made by parboiling the potatoes then roasting the potatoes in the oven in a shallow pan with plenty of oil. I dare you to try to eat just one! Step-by-step photos teach you how to make these British roasted potatoes.
Whether it's baked potato, mashed potato, french fries, or roast potatoes, I will take them all. These English roast potatoes are the epitome of my childhood. We only had them on special occasions and my dad would fight us for the last ones.
These potatoes are not deep-fried, instead, they are shallow fried in a roasting pan in fat in the oven. To start though you'll parboil the potatoes.
Par boiling the potatoes means you partly cook them, so they don't boil as long as you would for making mashed potatoes.
Let's get to the recipe.
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- Ingredients
- Instructions
- Recipes that go with English Roast Potatoes
- FAQ
Ingredients
- Potatoes. I prefer to use either Russet or Yukon Goldpotatoes. Don't miss my roasted fingerling potatoes and salt and vinegar smashed potatoes.
- Oil. You'll want to use an oil with a high smoke point, I usually use avocado oil, vegetable oil, or olive oil. Some people like to use Duck fat to cook the potatoes, for Christmas time it's an extra special treat!! Depending on your roasting pan size you might need a little more oil.
- Spices. I like to keep it simple and just use salt and pepper, some recipes call for garlic or rosemary. If you want to use rosemary I suggest tossing the potatoes in the rosemary after they're done.
The key is getting the hot fat bubbling before you add the potatoes. Then you'll be rotating the potatoes so the edges on all sides get golden brown and crunchy.
Instructions
To start, we are going to parboil the potatoes. You'll need to bring a large pot of water to a roaring boil. I find it fastest to boil an electric kettle to fill the large heavy-bottomed pot. You can also just add cold water to the pot and boil it that way, but using a kettle is much quicker. You just want to bring the water to a boil before the potatoes are added. I always salt my water, I use ½ teaspoon of salt.
Next, you'll need to peel and chop the potatoes.
I like to start with chopping the two ends of the potatoes off, slice the large middle section in half lengthwise, then chop those in half or thirds depending on the size of the potato. Ideally, you are looking for a piece of potato that is two-three bites worth, nothing larger.I store the potatoes in a bowl of cool water to prevent them from browning.
Once the water has comes to a boil add the potatoes and immediately set the timer for ten minutes to parboil the potatoes. Turn the oven on to 425F/218C to preheat while your potatoes are cooking and place a largeroasting panwith 2oz-4oz (¼-1/2 cup) of oil inside the oven to warm up while the oven preheats. Adding the potatoes to the hot oil will help with making that crunchy skin.
Once the potatoes have parboiled take them out and drain the potatoes in a colander. Shake the potatoes for 30 seconds to a minute to rough them up. If your oven is still preheating, just let the potatoes rest until your oven has reached the proper temperature.
Carefully take the hot pan out of the oven and add the potatoes. Place in a single layer, giving them plenty of room to not touch each other, be careful not to splash the oil.
Roast the potatoes for 20 minutes then carefully flip the potatoes, let cook another 15 then rotate again. Taking your time flipping the potatoes so they roast on each side in the oven is what makes them English roast potatoes.
Roast the potatoes for another 15 and rotate again, after another 15 minutes the potatoes should be quite golden brown and have thick roasted skin all around, you may cook longer if desired, towards the end keep an eye on the potatoes! The total time the potatoes will be cooking in the oven will range from 50--65 minutes.
I hope you enjoy these perfect roast potatoes! Don't miss these British Pork Pies.
Recipes that go with English Roast Potatoes
I love roasted carrots you can't beat carrots and potatoes with just about any meat!
If you're making a roast dinner then you'll need to try some Yorkshire puddings too!
My Ribeye Roast is delicious and so juicy!
Cauliflower cheese is my absolute favorite.
FAQ
Can you make roast potatoes ahead of time?
Roast potatoes are best eaten right away but leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
How do you reheat roast potatoes?
Reheat the potatoes in the oven at 350F/180C or re-crisp them in a skillet over medium heat.
What potatoes are best for English-style roast potatoes?
Russet or Yukon Gold Potatoes.
What kind of fat should I use for roast potatoes?
Olive oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil, or duck fat.
Can I prepare the potatoes ahead of time?
You can peel and chop the potatoes and store them in a large container covered with water in the fridge for up to two days.
★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!
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English Roast Potatoes
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
4.9 from 18 reviews
These English Roast Potatoes have the most delicious golden crunchy exterior with a creamy potato inside. These roasties are made by parboiling the potatoes then roasted in the oven in a shallow pan with plenty of oil. I dare you to try to eat just one! Step-by-step photos teach you how to make these British roasted potatoes.
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 Servings 1x
Ingredients
Units Scale
- 2.5lb Potatoes, Russet or Yukon Gold
- 2oz-4oz (¼-½ Cup) Oil, or enough to cover the bottom of roasting pan (Need a high smoking point, I use Avocado Oil)
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Pepper
Instructions
- Boil a kettle to fill a large heavy-bottomed pot with water to boil the potatoes in. You can also just add water to the pot and boil it that way but using a kettle is much quicker. Add ½ teaspoon of salt to the water.
- Peel and chop the potatoes. See the pictures in the post to see how I chop the potatoes. First, chop the two ends of the potatoes off, slice the large middle section in half lengthwise then chop those in halves depending on the size of the potato. Ideally, you are looking for a piece of potato that is two-three bites worth, nothing larger.
- Once the water is boiling add the potatoes and parboil the potatoes for 10 minutes. Turn the oven on to 425F to preheat while your potatoes are cooking and place a large roasting pan with 2oz of oil inside the oven to warm up while the oven preheats.
- Once the potatoes have been parboiled take them out and drain them in a colander. Shake the potatoes in the colander to rough them up for 30 seconds to a minute (see the photo in the post). If your oven is still preheating just let the potatoes rest until your oven has reached the proper temperature.
- Carefully take the hot pan out of the oven and add the potatoes, place in a single layer, giving them plenty of room to not touch each other, and be careful not to splash the oil. Roast for 20 minutes then carefully flip the potatoes, let cook another 15 then rotate again, let cook another 15 and rotate again, after another 15 minutes the potatoes should be quite golden brown and have thick roasted skin, you may cook longer if desired. Let the potatoes cool for five minutes before serving. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Roast potatoes are best eaten right away but leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
If cooking the potatoes with many other things in the oven prepare to cook the potatoes for longer.
If they aren't browning dark enough you can increase oven temperature to 450F.
Reheat the potatoes in the oven at 350F/180C or re-crisp them in a skillet over medium heat.
- Author: Elizabeth Waterson I Confessions of a Baking Queen
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes
- Category: Side
- Method: Roast
- Cuisine: English
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