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If you are looking for a foolproof way to make proper British roast potatoes, this is the recipe you need. These are my roasted white potatoes with rosemary, and they are so delicious. Crispy, golden exterior with a fluffy, soft interior, tossed with rosemary, they are exactly what a proper roasted potato should be.
In terms of potato varieties, I would always recommend a Maris Piper or King Edward potato if you’re in the UK. Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes are a good choice if you’re in the US. You want a floury, medium-large potato to achieve the crisp outside and fluffy inside. I used rosemary here but actually, thyme, sage or bay work too.
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe:
- Crispy on the outside, soft inside – they have the perfect texture.
- The recipe uses basic, affordable ingredients you’re likely to have at home.
- You can pair with any meats, fish or other mains for a delicious side dish.
- The recipe has extensive detail to make it a foolproof recipe.
Ingredients:
Full recipe can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, just scroll down!
White potatoes – choose a medium/large, floury white potato, such as Maris Piper or Yukon, for the best texture. Small potatoes are less floury and don’t roast in the same way.
Vegetable oil – a flavourless, neutral oil with a high smoke point. Don’t use your best olive oil; it’s a waste here when it’s being roasted so hot.
Fresh rosemary – to add flavour to these roasted white potatoes, use rosemary.
Flakey salt – I don’t usually list salt here, but for a good roast potato, you really NEED salt. Lots of it. Don’t be shy. I use Maldon.
Substitutions and Variations:
Goose fat – using goose fat to roast potatoes is a really luxurious and delicious way to achieve thick, crisp exteriors and fluffy interiors. You can find it in jars at big supermarkets.
Herbs – thyme, sage or bay are good swaps if you prefer that or have them to hand.
Lemon rosemary potatoes – when adding the rosemary, add strips of lemon peel to the potatoes and toss together. Finish with some lemon zest when out of the oven.
Parmesan rosemary potatoes – once nearly finished, grate over a generous layer of Parmesan and place back in the oven for 5 mins to crisp it up.
Spicy roasted white potatoes – add chilli flakes or big chunks of fresh red chilli at the same time as the rosemary to add a spicy kick. Cayenne pepper would be delicious too with these rosemary roasted potatoes.
Here’s how to make roasted potatoes with rosemary:
Here’s a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe at the bottom of the page for detailed instructions.
ONE: Preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan/400f. Peel the potatoes and chop into similar size pieces, around 2 inches/5cm big. You want large chunks so most potatoes you can just cut into quarters, depending on size.
TWO: Add the potatoes to a large saucepan, cover with cold water and season heavily with salt. Bring to the boil, turn down and simmer for 10 minutes.
THREE: In the base of a large baking tray with edges or roasting tin, pour in a generous layer of oil. You want a thin layer to coat the whole bottom of the tray. Place in the oven to heat up.
FOUR: Drain the potatoes into a colander and let stand and steam dry for 5 minutes. Then shake the colander to fluff up the edges of the potatoes.
FIVE: Remove the hot oil from the oven and very carefully (you don’t want the oil to splatter on you), add the fluffed-up, boiled potatoes. Season heavily with salt, then add the garlic and rosemary. Toss to coat the potatoes in oil and place in the oven for 25 minutes.
SIX: Remove from the oven, toss again and then place back in the oven for 20-30 minutes until totally golden and crisp. Season with more flakey salt and serve.
Cooking Tips:
Get the oil really hot – pre-heating the oil in the oven is really important. It means the crisping process starts as soon as the potatoes hit the tray and stops them from absorbing too much oil. This means you get the crisp edges without the potato becoming logged with oil.
Fluff the edges – the craggy edges are what crisp up so nicely in the oven. You’re not trying to break them apart when you’re fluffing, just slightly rough up the outside so more surface area can crisp.
Don’t stress about parboiling – parboiling can make people panic at the two steps, but it is important for the fluffy centre. But you don’t need to worry too much about timings. If they are a little overdone, they will still be delicious after roasting. They may just break apart a little more.
Give them space on the tray – if you crowd the potatoes together, they will end up steaming.
Make ahead – if you want to get ahead, you could
- Chop the potatoes in the day and cover with cold water (to stop browning). Dry them really well before roasting. Then parboil and roast when ready.
- Parboil the potatoes ahead and let them steam dry in a colander. Fluff the edges, then cover. When ready, heat the oil and roast as normal.
Frequently Asked Questions
For perfect fluffy, crispy roast potatoes, here’s what to do:
– Heat the oil first so crisping starts as soon as it hits the tray.
– Parboil for 10 minutes to ensure fluffy centres.
– Rough up the edges by shaking the potatoes in a colander or bowl. This creates craggy edges that crisp up.
– Give them space on the tray. Crowd the potatoes together, and they will end up steaming.
– Roast in a really hot oven and turn them at least once.
I always make roast potatoes to go alongside a tarragon roast chicken but it would also be delicious with roast beef, roast pork, grilled fish, a range of barbecued meats – whatever you like. The world is your oyster!
You can do but I wouldn’t recommend it unless in a pinch. Vegetable (or sunflower or canola) oil has a high smoke point, which means it can withstand the heat and gives you better browning.
Olive oil at a really high heat can turn bitter and doesn’t allow for the same crispiness level. It’s also expensive and the flavour is lost when roasting anyway, so it’s a better choice to choose an inexpensive oil.
Other recipes you might enjoy:
If you like this recipe for roasted rosemary potatoes, you might also like my other easy sides. Try my sticky red cabbage, maple roasted carrots or Brussels sprout gratin for other sides that work well on a Sunday roast.
If you tried this recipe with Roasted White Potatoes with Rosemary or any other recipe on the site, please do leave a rating or comment and let us know how it went!
Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary
Ingredients
- 1 kg white potatoes, e.g. Maris Piper or Yukon
- Vegetable oil, or goose fat
- 3 rosemary sprigs
- 3 garlic cloves, skin on, smashed open
- Flakey salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan/400f.
- Peel the potatoes and chop into similar size pieces, around 2 inches/5cm big. You want large chunks so most potatoes you can just cut into quarters, depending on size.
- Add the potatoes to a large saucepan, cover with cold water and season heavily with salt. Bring to the boil, turn down and simmer for 10 minutes.
- In the base of a large baking tray with edges or roasting tin, pour in a generous layer of oil. You want a thin layer to coat the whole bottom of the tray. Place in the oven to heat up.
- Drain the potatoes into a colander and let stand and steam dry for 5 minutes. Then shake the colander to fluff up the edges of the potatoes.
- Remove the hot oil from the oven and very carefully (you don’t want the oil to splatter on you), add the fluffed-up, boiled potatoes. Season heavily with salt, then add the garlic and rosemary. Toss to coat the potatoes in oil and place in the oven for 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, toss again and then place back in the oven for 20-30 minutes until totally golden and crisp.
- Season with more flakey salt and serve.
Notes
- Chop the potatoes in the day and cover with cold water (to stop browning). Dry them really well before roasting. Then parboil and roast when ready.
- Parboil the potatoes ahead and let them steam dry in a colander. Fluff the edges then cover. When ready, heat the oil and roast as normal.
