Perfectly crisp on the outside and fluffy within, these Rosemary & Garlic Roast Potatoes are absolutely amazing. The garlic and rosemary elevate these roasties so you’ll have people requesting them with all meals – not just roast dinners!
which potatoes are best for roast potatoes?
The main goal for a good roast potato is a crisp exterior with a super fluffy interior. To get that, you need to start with the right potato.
In the UK, the best options are Maris Piper and King Edward potatoes. It helps that these are also the most commonly found potatoes so you shouldn’t have any problems finding them.
If you look for any potato variety considered an ‘all rounder’ such as estima, melody or marfona then you can’t go wrong.
If you’re in the US, Yukon Gold potatoes will work really well.
which rosemary & garlic to use
I use fresh rosemary because I don’t think you can beat it’s flavour. The rosemary won’t look as vibrante at the end of the cooking time so don’t panic. But by then it has done it’s job of imparting flavour and you can discard it.
If you only have dried rosemary you can use it, but I would use half the amount as if you were using fresh.
You don’t need to peel your garlic cloves for this recipe which is amazing for me because I hate peeling garlic. Obviously you can do if you want to.
The garlic releases it’s flavour into the oil which coats the potatoes to create the most delicious roast potatoes. I wouldn’t recommend using anything other than fresh garlic for this recipe.
If you would prefer roasties without any additional flavourings, my Simple Air Fryer Roast Potatoes are for you!
Do you have to parboil your potatoes?
I have always parboiled my potatoes when making roast potatoes. It’s the way my Mum taught me and I really do think it makes a difference.
Parboiling the potatoes helps provide the deliciously crisp crust that we all want. If you don’t parboil your potatoes the fat won’t be able to get into the cracks and you won’t get the crispness.
So in my opinion parboiling is an essential step to a good roast potato and is worth the extra step.
tips for the best roast potatoes
Even though these Rosemary & Garlic Roast Potatoes are simple, there are a few tips to ensure they are as delicious as they can be.
Cut your potatoes into irregular shapes
I can’t remember which TV chef told me to do this years ago, but it has stuck with me. The idea is to cut them into irregular shapes so there is more surface area which means more potato to get crispy.
Do you get the theme here? Everything we do is for ultimate crispiness!
Parboiling your potatoes
We’ve already been over this, but yes it is essential in my opinion! But don’t cook the potatoes too long.
You want the potatoes to be soft enough so you can insert a sharp knife with a little resistance. You don’t want them to be completely cooked through and starting to fall apart.
It is important to try and cut your potatoes into even pieces so they cook at the same time.
Chuff your potatoes
I don’t know if that is the technical term, but it’s what my Mum always referred to it as. Chuffing the potatoes is roughing up the edges to ensure the fat can crisp them up perfectly.
I do this by tossing the parboiled potatoes in a colander quite vigorously so the edges get bashed up.
This along with the parboiling will help create deliciously crisp roast potatoes.
Get your oil nice and hot
Just before you drain your potatoes, put your tray with oil into the oven. You want to get the oil nice and hot so that they start crisping up straight away.
This also helps them to absorb less oil. We’re looking for crisp roast potatoes, not oily potatoes. I often see people making roast potatoes and there is a pool of oil in the tin. I think is is unnecessary and you only need enough to coat the potatoes well; they don’t need to be swimming in the oil.
You do really need to make sure you are careful when adding the potatoes to the hot oil. The oil can very easily splash to make sure you stand well back. I even like to wear oven gloves just to protect my hands from any splashes.
It is not so important that you get the potatoes into the oil within ten seconds that you don’t take proper precautions around the hot oil.
If you’d prefer to use even less oil, check out my Air Fryer Rosemary & Garlic Roast Potatoes.
Leave your potatoes to steam dry
Before you put the potatoes into the hot oil, make sure you let them steam dry. Wet potatoes won’t crisp up as well. Any extra moisture is likely to cause the oil to spit which you don’t want.
All you need to do is to leave them sitting in the colander for a few minutes to dry and then you’re good to go.
reheating & storing the potatoes
If you want to get ahead you can make these roast potatoes earlier in the day, or even the day before. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge until you are ready to reheat them.
Reheating them couldn’t be easier. If you’re planning on turning your oven on, you can reheat them for around 10 minutes in the oven. Alternatively you could reheat them in the air fryer for 5-7 minutes.
If you wanted to get ahead you could par boil the potatoes and store them in the fridge ready to cook later.
what to serve rosemary & garlic roast potatoes with
The most obvious way to serve these roast potatoes is as part of roast dinner. The flavour of these potatoes would be the perfect addition to any meat you are serving. The following would be delicious:
- Air Fryer Roast Beef
- Simple Air Fryer Whole Roast Chicken
- Cranberry, Bacon & Sausage Meat Stuffing
- Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Garlic
- Air Fryer Roast Carrots
- Air Fryer Pigs in Blankets
- Roasted Air Fryer Parsnips
- Creamed Savoy Cabbage
But a roast dinner isn’t the only way you can enjoy these potatoes! They’d be perfect served alongside my Slow Cooker Beef & Ale Stew, Slow Cooker Pork & Mustard Stew and Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole.
Any meal where you would usually serve potatoes and rosemary and garlic would compliment the rest of the dish would be ideal for these roast potatoes.
Other recipes you might like
- Air Fryer Herby Potatoes
- Air Fryer Parmentier Potatoes
- Thyme & Brie Potatoes
- Air Fryer Hasselback Potatoes
- Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes
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Rosemary & Garlic Roast Potatoes
Perfectly crisp on the outside and fluffy within, these Rosemary & Garlic Roast Potatoes are absolutely amazing. The garlic and rosemary elevate these roasties so you'll have people requesting them with all meals – not just roast dinners!
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg potatoes
- 4 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 6 cloves garlic unpeeled
Instructions
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Peel 1.5kg potatoes and cut into large chunks. Add to a large pan
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Preheat your oven to 190°C (fan assisted, 210°C non fan assisted)
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Par boil the potatoes for 7 minutes or until you can insert the tip of a sharp knife
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Just before your potatoes are par boiled, add 4 tbsp sunflower oil to a roasting tin and put in the oven for 5-10 mins until the oil is smoking hot
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Drain the potatoes thoroughly in a colander
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Toss the potatoes in the colander to rough up the edges. Leave the potatoes to steam dry for a few minutes until your oil is hot
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Carefully and quickly add the potatoes to the hot oil along with 2 tsp sea salt, 4 sprigs fresh rosemary and 6 cloves of garlic
TAKE CARE WITH THE HOT OIL
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Turn the potatoes quickly but carefully in the oil before putting the tray back in the oven
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Cook the potatoes for up to 1 hour, turning every 20 minutes or so until crisp and golden
Recipe Notes
TAKE CARE WHEN ADDING THE POTATOES TO THE HOT OIL.
Nutritional information is given as a guide only and may vary.
Chloe says
Total flavour bomb! Came out beautifully.
Amy says
Rosemary is one of my favourite herbs and your recipe created the most wonderful flavoured roast potatoes I think I’ve ever had. Definitely making these again.