Anytime I see “roasted potatoes” on a menu I sigh a little. I usually find roasted potatoes to be somewhat mushy and not crispy at all. Well, after reading dozens of recipes on how to make Crispy Roasted Potatoes, I figured out what restaurants are doing wrong. Making crispy roasted potatoes, is a three step process: first, parboil the potatoes; second, rough them up a little bit; third, cook them in very hot oil. You will be heating the oil as the oven preheats, before you even peel the first potato. This allows for the oil to get very hot and crisp the potatoes as soon as they go into the pan. This results in potatoes that are as crispy as french fries on the outside and soft in the middle. Every time I make these, Ethan has to stop me from eating them all before we can serve them. While I use a little garlic powder to season the flour, but feel free to use what ever seasoning you like.
A quick note about the kind of oil to use. Use an oil with a high smoking point like canola, sunflower, or olive oil. If using olive oil, do not use extra virgin as it has a lower smoking point.
Ingredients
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes
Salt
Directions
1. Pour the oil into a large roasting pan, that will easily fit all the potatoes in a single layer. Put the pan in the oven and preheat the oven to 425F.
2. Add the flour and garlic powder to a resealable plastic bag. Shake well to mix and set aside.
3. Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Place the potatoes into a large saucepan and add enough hot water to just cover them. Add a little salt, place on the stove and bring to a boil. As soon as the water begins to boil, set a timer for 5 minutes. You do not want to over cook the potatoes or they will fall apart during the next steps. After 5 minutes, drain the potatoes and return to the pan. Cover the pan with a lid and shake well for 30 seconds. You want the sides of the potatoes to get roughed up.
4. Carefully transfer the potatoes to the bad with the seasoned flour. Seal the bag and shake well to evenly coat the potatoes.
5. Remove the pan from the oven and add the potatoes to the hot pan. They will splatter, so be very careful. Toss the potatoes around the oil so they are evenly coated and in a single layer. Return the pan to the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, toss the potatoes with a spatula, and return the pan to the oven for another 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and give the potatoes another toss. Return the pan to the oven and roast for 20 more minutes. Total roasting time is 50 minutes.
6. After the final 20 minutes, remove the pan from the oven. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Season with salt and serve right away.
