How to make roast potatoes

Christmas dinner or Sunday lunches just aren't the same without roast potatoes. 

Get this dinner staple right with our top tips and recipe ideas from famous chefs, including Jamie Oliver and Delia Smith.

If you're looking for a tried-and-tested shortcut, take a look at our taste test results which reveal the best ready-made premium frozen roast potatoes.

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5 tricks for crispy roast potatoes

There are few things more disappointing than a soggy roast potato with no crisp. To ensure the crunchiest tattie, make sure to follow these tricks:

1. Pre-heat the oil Putting your boiled potatoes into very hot oil ensures a crispier exterior. Put them in cold oil and they'll just soak it up, leading to a greasy, soggy spud.
2. Shake them up Once your potatoes are par-boiled, give them a good shake to fluff up the outside. This will help them crisp up nicely in the oven.
3. Choose the right kind of potatoes When it comes to roasting, not all potatoes are created equal. See the best roasting potatoes below.
4. Coat them in flour or cornflour before roasting After fluffing up your potatoes, you may find that lightly coating them in flour or cornflour helps create a crunchy shell.
5. Give them plenty of room in the tray Your potatoes won't crisp up if they're on top of each other. Try to space them out in the tray or pan, and give them the occasional shake while cooking to achieve even browning.

Which potatoes roast best?

The best potatoes to roast are floury or starchy potatoes, such as Maris Pipers, King Edwards and Desiree potatoes (red-skinned). 

You'll want to avoid more 'waxy' potatoes, such as Jersey Royals or Charlottes, as these hold together better when steamed or boiled, but don't have as much of a fluffy exterior to crisp up.

Want to grow your own? Discover how to grow potatoes and the best varieties for roasting from our gardening trials

How to prepare roast potatoes

First, peel the potatoes and remove any roots sprouting from them. Then cut them so they're all a roughly even size. 

Par-boil the potatoes before roasting to ensure they're fluffy on the inside. Pop them into a pan of already boiling water and add a pinch of salt. 

How long you boil them for varies from recipe to recipe – it's usually between five and 15 minutes. If you're cooking a lot of potatoes and they're fairly large in size, it would be nearer 15 minutes. 

Keep an eye on your potatoes. You'll want to make sure they're a little fluffy on the outside, but not quite cooked all the way through. 

Once you have drained them, leave them to dry in their own steam for a few minutes, then shake them in a metal colander to fluff them up even more. Some recipes also suggest adding a little flour to them. 

A recipe from Nigella Lawson suggests covering them in semolina instead of flour and making sure the potatoes are slightly mashed on the outside, so there is lots of surface to crisp up.

Oven temperature and timings for roast potatoes

The temperature you set your oven to – and the amount of time you cook the potatoes for – varies from recipe to recipe. Generally speaking, temperatures and times are as follows:

• 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4 – cook for an hour and 20 minutes to an hour 25 minutes.
• 190ºC/375ºF/gas mark 5 – one hour and 10 minutes to one hour 15 minutes.
• 200ºC/400ºF/gas mark 6 – 40 minutes to an hour. 
• 250°C/500ºF/gas mark 9 – as little as 30 minutes.

Get the fat or oil nice and hot before you put the potatoes in. Once you have, make sure your potatoes are totally coated. Also, don't layer the potatoes in the tray or pan – make sure they have a little space between them. 

After cooking the potatoes for 30 minutes, Jamie Oliver suggests using a potato masher to slightly flatten the potatoes – the more of them that touches the pan, the more there is to get crisp.

Roast potatoes in the air fryer

For a speedier spud, you might want to consider roasting them in your air fryer.

You can put them in raw with oil and seasonings if you're in a rush, but as with normal roast potatoes, you'll get a fluffier interior if you boil them first.

Pop them in your air fryer and turn the temperature to at least 200ºC – you may want to select your model's 'roast' setting if it has one – and cook for between 20 to 30 minutes. Toss them around a few times during cooking.

One helpful tip is to use an air fryer liner tray insert to help keep the potatoes in contact with the oil at all times. Otherwise, you may find the oil will just seem down into the drip tray, and you'll end up with a dry roastie.

Find out which are the best air fryers from our independent tests

Can I roast potatoes in olive oil, butter or coconut oil?

If you're not keen on cooking your potatoes in meat fat, then there are alternatives. You can use olive oil, unsalted butter or coconut oil. 

Why cook roast potatoes in duck or goose fat?

A lot of recipes recommend roasting potatoes in duck or goose fat. Both have a high smoking point of around 190ºC/375ºF. This means the fat can get extremely hot before you add the potatoes, which will help them crisp up. 

Some people also say that it makes a real difference to the flavour, too. Goose and duck fat aren't the only fats you can use. Delia Smith uses the fat from anything she is cooking and Heston Blumenthal says he swears by beef fat.

Be careful not to add too much as it will make the potatoes soggy.

Find out what are the best frozen roast potatoes available at your local supermarket

Roast potato seasoning ideas

There's no need to over-complicate things, as a simple roast potato is already delicious. But if you want to add something a little extra, herbs and garlic are a solid place to start that can really elevate your roasties.

Thyme, sage, rosemary or parsley are all great options.

Roast potato recipes from top chefs

Can roast potatoes be made in advance, reheated or frozen?

If you're tight on oven space, or time, you can boil the potatoes in advance, such as the day before, and then put them in the oven on Christmas Day.

Jamie Oliver also says you can put them in the roasting pan and cover them with the oil or fat you want to use the day before. Simply cover them with cling film or foil and put in the fridge.

Mary Berry goes one step further, saying you can even start them roasting for 20 to 30 minutes, or until they are pale gold. After removing any excess fat or oil, allow to cool and then put in the fridge overnight. On Christmas Day, heat on the same temperature for around 30 minutes.

You can also freeze roast potatoes, either prepared and ready to cook, or already roasted. 

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