The CRISPIEST Roast Potatoes (with make ahead instructions)
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This is my go-to crispy roast potato recipe that leaves you with a crispy golden outside and a fluffy and tender middle. This recipe provides loads of flavour and allows preparing roast potatoes in advance (the night before or the week before).
Versatile and easy to follow, this recipe includes make-ahead instructions and freeze instructions to make any holiday or gathering stress-free. With the potatoes prepared in advance, you’ll have more time to spend with your family and friends!
Why you’ll love this recipe
Fluffy inside- The best part about preparing roast potatoes in advance is you can still expect a deliciously fluffy inside with this recipe.
Crispy outside – Using cornflour and hot oil helps create the crispiest exterior on these make-ahead roast potatoes.
Versatile seasoning – I’ve included simple seasoning on these roasties so you can easily adjust it to your preferences.
Freezer-friendly –You can keep these potatoes in the freezer for about one month.
Easy make-ahead recipe – Par-roast or parboil the potatoes the night before (or the day before Christmas/holidays). Then, you can pop them in the oven to finish cooking.
Great for a crowd – This recipe is easy to double or triple for larger groups.
Serve these roasties with your Christmas Dinner.
Preparing Roast Potatoes In Advance
Here are a few ways you can begin preparing roast potatoes in advance to help cut down on time the day of cooking.
Cutting potatoes – One of the easiest ways to minimize cooking time is by cutting potatoes beforehand. If you plan on prepping the potatoes one day before, leave them whole and peel them. Then, store the peeled potatoes in the fridge in cool water. If you want to chop the potatoes as well, wait until 12 hours before (they should not sit in the fridge for longer). Store them in cool water until you’re ready to cook them.
Parboiling – You can also save time by boiling potatoes beforehand. Then, keep the boiled potatoes in the fridge for 1-2 days before roasting. Follow the instructions below until step two. Then, once cooled, put the potatoes in the fridge with a cling wrap cover.
Par-Roasting – You can also half-roast these yummy potatoes ahead of time, so they’ll only need to cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Bake them in the oven for 20 minutes, then let them cool. Cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate them overnight. Finish them in the oven the next day.
Can you freeze roast potatoes ahead of time and reheat?
Yes! When preparing roast potatoes in advance for freezing, I recommend keeping them raw. Place the potatoes on a baking tray in the freezer (ensure plenty of space between each potato) and let them harden for about an hour. Then, pack them in an airtight container or baggie and freeze them for up to a month. There’s no need to defrost the potatoes. Simply put them in a pot with water to begin the parboiling process.
How To Keep Roasted Potatoes Crispy After Cooking and Storing
If you want to make this roast potatoes day before recipe and keep the potatoes crispy, ensure you put them in hot oil before baking them. This will help the potatoes stay crispy. If you’re preparing roast potatoes in advance and find they have gone soggy in the fridge. You can pop them in the oven for another 15-20 minutes so they re-crisp up.
Choosing the Right Potato
Another important factor when preparing roast potatoes in advance is selecting the right type of potato. Some options are drier or denser, so they won’t provide a fluffy interior when cooked. I recommend options like Maris Piper or King Edward’s for this recipe.
Choosing the Right Fat
The key to preparing roast potatoes in advance is using the right fat/oil. It’s essential to use options with a high smoke point so they don’t smoke and create a burnt flavour in your crispy roasted potatoes. Some great options (that also add a lot of flavour) are duck/goose fat. You can use options like rapeseed, avocado, safflower, or sunflower oil if you’re vegan. Skip olive oil, as it has a lower smoke point.
Ingredients
Potatoes – Using the right type of potato is necessary for the best oven-roasted potatoes. I recommend maris piper potatoes. Though, you can use any variety with a fluffy interior when cooked.
Cornflour – This is one of the essential ingredients when preparing roast potatoes in advance. It helps create a crispy exterior on the potatoes. Cornstarch will also help create a crispy outside.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Serve Crispy Roast Potatoes
My favourite part about this yummy potato recipe is that the seasoning is versatile. So, while preparing roast potatoes in advance, consider the mains and sides you’re serving it with. For example, if you’re prepping them with roast chicken, use the same seasoning on both dishes.
These crispy potatoes are great alongside gammon, duck, fish, beef, pork, etc. You can even turn them into sides for sandwiches, breakfast dishes, and more.
Variations/ Adaptations
Here are a few ways to turn this dish into your own while preparing roast potatoes in advance! You can use a different fat/oil than the recipe calls for. Use duck or goose fat for a bolder flavour or you can also add different seasonings, like fresh thyme or rosemary. Or, mix in some chopped veggies like onions, squash, etc.
Serve with Brussel Sprouts with Bacon (Pan-Fried & Easy!), Honey-Roasted Carrots & Parsnips and some Creamed Cabbage.
How to make the Crispiest roast potatoes
Tip: if you have the oven space (not essential if you don’t), follow this method using two trays so that the roasties can have enough space to crispy up.
Preheat the oven to 200°C FAN/ 220°C Conventional/ 390°F
Begin the roastie journey by peeling all of the potatoes. As long as you have a glass of wine and some tunes, this process won’t be too painful. If you’re peeling these ahead of time, place in a bowl with cold water.
- Once you’ve peeled the tates, roughly chop them into quarters and for smaller potatoes, into halves (Image 1).
- Pop into a large saucepan with heavily salted cold water. When it starts to simmer, set a timer for 8-10 minutes, until fork tender (Image 2).
3. Drain the potatoes and place them back into the saucepan. Season generously with salt and add 2 tbsp of cornflour. Close the lid and give them a good shake to rough up the exterior (Image 3).
4. Meanwhile, add a generous amount of rapeseed oil to a baking tray (it’s Christmas) so that the base of the tray is filled to a depth of 1cm. Pop in the oven with the chicken for 10 minutes while the potatoes are simmering (Image 4).
Remove the oil from the oven. To make sure the oil is hot enough, you can add one potato and see if it sizzle and pops (careful to not splash yourself).
5. Transfer the tates into the hot oil, pour them away from you and move your body back so that you don’t splash yourself with the hot oil. Pls don’t get splashed, it will not be fun. When they stop spitting, use a spoon so that the oil coats the potatoes. Pop in the oven for 20 minutes.
6. After 20 minutes, rotate the potatoes and add a few sprigs of thyme into the tray to infuse into the potatoes. Cook for 20-30 minutes more, or until golden and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove from the oil and season with more salt and pepp.
Tips for the best result
Don’t cut the potatoes too early. You can cut the potatoes the day before for easy roast potatoes, but ensure you aren’t cutting them more than 12 hours ahead of time. Otherwise, they’ll turn brown.
Use cornflour as a coating. As mentioned, the key to perfect roast potatoes is a cornflour coating. Don’t skip this step, or you may have a not-so-crispy outside.
Adjust the seasoning to your preferences. Use fresh herbs, seasoning blends, spice mixes, etc., to create potatoes that taste good to you and your family. Keep the other dishes you’re making in mind while preparing roast potatoes in advance so you don’t have competing flavours.
Try these additional recipes to use up extra potatoes: Lemon and Thyme Chicken Thigh Tray Bake, Vegan Roast Dinner, or Spiced Chicken and Cauliflower Tray Bake.
FAQs
Yes, when preparing roast potatoes in advance, you can cut them ahead of time. Ensure you do not cut them earlier than 12 hours before cooking them. Store them in cool water in the fridge.
Yes, you can refrigerate potatoes before you roast them. Once you have par-boiled or par-roasted the potatoes, let them cool. Then, store them in the fridge for 1-2 days and finish cooking them in the oven.
There may be a few reasons why your potatoes aren’t crispy. If you aren’t pre-cooking roast potatoes in a pot with water, they will likely not be as crispy. Additionally, they will turn out soggy if you don’t use hot oil when cooking them in the oven.
If you don’t pre-cook roast potatoes, they may not be as soft inside and crispy outside. They will also need to cook in the oven longer.
Pair these yummy roast potatoes with holiday favourites like Slow Cooker Gammon Joint, Simple Honey Roasted Carrots & Parsnips, or Fluffy Yorkshire Puddings.
If you tried this the crispiest roast potatoes recipe, it would be mean so much to me if you could leave a review & a star rating to let me know how you found it! I love hearing about your experiences – it motivates me to keep creating more and more recipes for you guys 💛 Let’s get cooking! – Mimi x
The CRISPIEST Roast Potatoes (with make ahead instructions)
Ingredients
- 2 kg potatoes (Maris Piper preferred) (£1.29)
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- Salt
- Lots of rapeseed oil
Method
Tip: if you have the oven space (not essential if you don’t), follow this method using two trays so that the roasties can have enough space to crispy up.
Preheat the oven to 200°C FAN/ 220°C Conventional/ 390°F
- Begin the roastie journey by peeling all of the potatoes. As long as you have a glass of wine and some tunes, this process won’t be too painful. If you’re peeling these ahead of time, place in a bowl with cold water.
- Once you’ve peeled the tates, roughly chop them into quarters and for smaller potatoes, into halves. Pop into a large saucepan with heavily salted cold water. When it starts to simmer, set a timer for 8-10 minutes, until fork tender.
- Meanwhile, add a generous amount of rapeseed oil to a baking tray (it’s Christmas) so that the base of the tray is filled to a depth of 1cm. Pop in the oven with the chicken for 10 minutes while the potatoes are simmering.
- Drain the potatoes and place them back into the saucepan. Season generously with salt and add 2 tbsp of cornflour. Close the lid and give them a good shake to rough up the exterior.
- Remove the oil from the oven. To make sure the oil is hot enough, you can add one potato and see if it sizzle and pops (careful to not splash yourself).
- Transfer the tates into the hot oil, pour them away from you and move your body back so that you don’t splash yourself with the hot oil. Pls don’t get splashed, it will not be fun. When they stop spitting, use a spoon so that the oil coats the potatoes. Pop in the oven for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, rotate the potatoes and add a few sprigs of thyme into the tray to infuse into the potatoes. Cook for 20-30 minutes more, or until golden and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove from the oil and season with more salt and pepp.
Notes
- Don't peel and cut the potatoes too early (no more than 12 hours) before roasting to prevent browning. Ensure you soak in cold water.
- Apply a crucial cornflour coating for a crispy exterior on your roast potatoes.
- Personalise the seasoning with fresh herbs and spices, considering overall meal flavours.
Nutrition
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