Perfect Roast Potatoes – Crispy, Crunchy and Pillowy-Soft Inside

Parboiled potatoes are fluffed, dusted with polenta, and roasted in hot fat until golden and crackling. The insides stay soft and pillowy, while the outside develops an irresistible crunch. Simple steps, well-seasoned – and hard not to eat straight from the tray.

Beautiful old-fashioned vegetable dish with the lid off to show crispy crunchy roast potatoes

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 35

Parboiling time 5

Total Time 45

Course Dinner, Main, Side Dish

Cuisine British Home Cooking

Servings people

Calories 203

Ingredients

Ingredients for Steps 1 and 2

1 kilo white potatoes | look for ones that specify they are good for roasting
75 g coconut oil | deodorised

Ingredients for Step 3

50 g polenta
1 pinch salt

Instructions

1. Pre-heat the oven and prepare the potatoes

Put the coconut oil in the roasting tray, put the tray onto the middle shelf of the oven, and put the oven on to preheat 220℃ / 200℃ fan.
1 kilo white potatoes, 75 g coconut oil
Peel the potatoes and chop into chunks that are roughly the same size.
At the same time, boil a kettle of water, ready for parboiling (next step)

2. Parboil the potatoes

Add the contents of the kettle into a large saucepan, add a pinch of salt, put the lid on and get the water on a rolling boil.
When the water is boiling, add the chunks of potato carefully to the water; leave the lid off and bring to the boil again. Boil for 3 minutes. You are NOT cooking the potato.
Drain the potato properly in a sieve; ideally leave the potato in the sieve for a few minutes to drain off all the water and to allow the potatoes to dry.

3. Prepare the parboiled potatoes for the oven

Tip the drier potatoes from the sieve back into the saucepan and put the lid on. Gently shake the potatoes so that the surfaces rough up a bit.
50 g polenta, 1 pinch salt
Then tip them into a mixing bowl. Sprinkle the polenta and salt over the top and toss about to coat the potatoes. Add more polenta if you need to.
The combination of roughed up edges + polenta + hot oil = crunchy crispy potato.

4. Roast in the oven

Ensure that the oven is at the right temperature and then bring the hot roasting tray out of the oven. Using tongs and being as quick as you can, add the potatoes to the hot oil. Just put them in, don't worry about coating in oil.
As soon as possible but without rushing (there's hot fat about), put the roasting tray back in the oven for 10 minutes. Then, bring it out again, and turn the potatoes in the oil. Put it back in for 10 minutes. Then bring it out again, and turn.
Important note: open and close the oven door slowly. This will help keep the oven temperature up.
When all the sides are golden brown and firm, it's time to take them out of the oven. If you put a lid on them now, they will steam and soften. So it's best to roast just before you eat them.
You could serve dressed with crunchy sea salt.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 203kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 1gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 10mgPotassium: 18mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 0.1gVitamin A: 27IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 0.5mgIron: 0.1mg

Nutritional values are estimates only and will vary depending on specific ingredients used. Nutrition is per serving. Information is for the main recipe, not optional accompaniments.