FOOD. FLAVOUR. A LITTLE FIRE.
broken sauce
← Kitchen NotesNOTE / 203 MIN READ

Oven craft

Rough edges, crisp potatoes

The crust begins before the roasting tray. Parboil, let the steam escape and gently rough up the edges that will turn golden.

THE PAYOFFRoast potatoes with fluffy centres and crisp irregular edges

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Irregular roast potatoes with crisp roughed edges on a roasting tray
LOOK CLOSELY / LEARN THE DETAILA good Sunday habit

TAKE IT STEP BY STEP

The method.

  1. Cut for even cooking

    Heat the oven to 220°C conventional / 200°C fan. Peel the potatoes and cut into similar chunks about 4–5 cm across. Floury varieties give fluffy edges; waxy salad potatoes behave differently.

  2. Parboil the outside

    Put the potatoes in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for about 8–10 minutes. The outside should soften while the pieces still hold together. Start checking early if the chunks are small.

  3. Dry and roughen

    Drain in a colander and leave for 3–5 minutes so steam escapes. Give the colander a few gentle shakes to scuff the softened edges. Stop before the potatoes crumble into mash.

  4. Coat and spread

    Put the oil in the roasting tray and warm it in the oven for a few minutes. Using oven gloves, carefully add the dry potatoes and turn to coat, keeping water away from the hot oil. Spread in one layer with gaps and season.

  5. Roast until crisp

    Roast for 45–60 minutes, turning after about 25 minutes. Add rosemary towards the end so it does not burn. The potatoes should be deeply golden outside and tender throughout; give larger pieces more time if needed.

WHEN IT GOES SIDEWAYS

A small fix.

The potatoes are pale and greasy

Dry them better and leave more space. Make sure the oven has reached temperature before roasting.

They fall apart in the colander

Parboil a little less next time and shake gently. Use the broken small pieces as crisp scraps rather than trying to rebuild the chunks.

The outside is dark but the centre is firm

Lower the heat slightly and continue cooking. Next time cut more evenly and check the parboiled centre before draining.

Serve directly from the oven. Holding them under a tight lid traps steam and softens the edges.

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THE USEFUL TOOLS

Useful tools for this technique.

Use what you already have. If you need something, these are a few options to consider.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Amazon.com · US store

Nordic Ware Naturals Half Sheet, 2-pack

A broad, shallow tray gives vegetables room to sit in a single layer.

Before you chooseCheck the tray dimensions against your oven; you can use an existing rimmed tray.

View on Amazon.com