Crispy Roast Potatoes

Last week as Americans went to the polls, recipes for foods to relieve stress abounded on every news site and cooking blog that I visited. Featured favorites ranged from savory babka to lasagne with homemade pasta, chicken soup, macaroni and cheese and everyone’s favorite comfort food, tomato soup and grilled cheese. These are all very worthy suggestions but I didn’t notice anyone mention my favorite stress buster: potatoes. Making roasted potatoes isn’t something that really requires a recipe, but consistently making golden crisped chunks of potatoes with a soft, creamy interior, is another matter. With the method developed by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, chief culinary consultant of Serious Eats, we can enjoy perfectly roasted potatoes every time. A variation of this recipe can also be found in Cook’s Illustrated magazine, published in November 2009.

Crispy Roast Potatoes

Applying a little bit of food science to a very simple recipe helps to achieve delectably browned, crunchy, potatoes with soft, silky interiors.
• Parsimmering the potatoes (bringing the potatoes to a boil and then reducing the heat to simmer) before roasting them, allows the potatoes to release lots of amylose, a starch that promotes browning and crisping on the surface of the potato.
• Cutting the potatoes into large chunks helps maximize the difference in texture between the inside and outside of the potatoes.
• Baking soda added to the cooking water, is alkaline, which causes pectin, the potatoes’ “cellular glue” to break down, resulting in more surface area and greater crunch.
• And finally, roughing up the potatoes after they are boiled and drained causes a layer of mashed up potato to form on the outside of each chunk, further enhancing the surface crispiness of the potatoes, when roasted.

Are you rethinking the way that you roast potatoes? I hope so. And be sure to invite some company when you make these spuds. Otherwise you may find yourself polishing off the entire recipe in one sitting on your own. I’m not confessing to anything.

Assemble your ingredients. Preheat the oven to 425 F. (400 F. if using convection). Peel the potatoes and slice them into slightly larger chunks, depending on the size of the potato, quarters, sixths or eighths. Bring the water to a boil and add the salt and baking soda. Add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook until they can be pierced with a knife easily, between 5 and 10 minutes.

While the potatoes are boiling, mince the garlic and rosemary. Heat the oil in a small skillet and add the minced garlic and rosemary. Add a few grinds of pepper. Cook stirring until the garlic turns golden. Keep an eye on the pan. The garlic burns easily. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the contents of the pan over a bowl. Reserve the oil, and toasted garlic and rosemary mixture, separately.

When the potatoes are ready, drain and let them rest in the hot pot for 30 seconds to dry them. Add the infused oil to the pot, and add salt and pepper to taste. Stir the potatoes with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to rough them up a bit. A coating of starchy paste should form on the surface of the potatoes. Transfer the potatoes to a large baking sheet that has been lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Place the pan in the oven and roast the potatoes for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and flip the potatoes with a spatula. Return the pan to the oven and continue to roast the potatoes for another 30-40 minutes. Keep your eye on the potatoes in the last 15 minutes. They should be a beautiful shade of golden brown when ready.

Transfer the potatoes to a serving dish (that’s if you can restrain yourself from eating them right off the baking sheet). Add the reserved toasted garlic and rosemary mixture. Season with more salt and pepper if desired and serve.

Print Recipe

Crispy Roast Potatoes

Vegetables and Sides

By J. Kenji López-Alt, Serious Eats, Cook's Illustrated – Serves: 4 (hah!)

Prep Time: 15 minutes – Cooking Time: 60 – Total Time: 75 minutes

Golden crisped chunks of potatoes with a soft, creamy interior, coated with garlic infused olive oil and seasoned with toasted garlic and rosemary

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes (about 8 potatoes), peeled and cut into quarters, sixths, or eighths, depending on their size
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Small handful rosemary leaves, finely chopped
• 3 medium cloves of garlic, minced
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 425 F. or 400 F. if using convection. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

2

Heat 2 quarts or 2 litres of water in a large pot over high heat until boiling. Add 2 tablespoons of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the pot with the potatoes. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook until a knife pierces the interior of the potato with little resistance, between 5 and 10 minutes.

3

While the potatoes are cooking, heat the olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic, chopped rosemary and a few grinds of pepper. Cook the garlic stirring constantly until it just starts to turn golden. Immediately strain the oil through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl and set aside. Set aside the toasted garlic and rosemary separately.

4

When the potatoes are cooked, drain the cooking water and return the potatoes to the pot. This allows the moisture on the potatoes to dry. Allow the potatoes to rest for 30 seconds. Add the garlic infused oil to the cooking pot and stir with a wooden spoon, roughing up the potatoes a little until a thick starchy paste coats the potatoes. Season to taste with a little more salt and pepper if you like.

5

Transfer the potatoes to your prepared baking sheet and spread them out evenly. Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast the potatoes for 20 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and flip the potato chunks using a spatula. Return the baking sheet to the oven and roast the potatoes for another 30-40 minutes until they are golden brown. Keep your eye on the potatoes during the last 15 minutes of baking.

6

Transfer the potatoes to your serving dish and add the toasted garlic/rosemary mixture. Taste and season with salt if necessary. Serve immediately for the best flavor and texture.

Notes

Serve fresh and try to share.