Roast potatoes with crispy sage
Golden, crispy roast potatoes seasoned with fresh sage leaves that fry to a crisp in the oven. The potatoes are crunchy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside (due to the boiling technique). A simple and delicious side dish for any meal.
Achieving the perfect roast potatoes requires a few key techniques. Here are some top tips for making them the best they can be:
1. Choose the Right Potato
- Starchy potatoes : are ideal for roasting because they become fluffy on the inside.
- I prefer to use baby potatoes (halved) and keep the skin on.
2. Parboil Before Roasting
- Boil the potatoes in salted water until just tender (about 8-10 minutes). Don’t fully cook them, just parboiling helps to soften the edges. Adding a small bit of bicarb soda to the water helps get an even fluffier potato.
3. Rough Up the Edges
- After draining, gently shake the pot or use a fork to roughen up the surface of the potatoes. This extra texture leads to crispier edges.
4. Use Plenty of Oil
- Go big with the oil: Use a generous amount of oil. This ensures a crispy crust.
- Preheat the oil in the roasting pan in the oven before adding the potatoes. This step gives an immediate sizzle when the potatoes hit the pan, helping to seal the outside and start the crisping process.
5. Season Generously
- Add fresh herbs like sage, rosemary or thyme halfway through roasting for extra flavour, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt just before serving.
6. Don’t Overcrowd the Pan
- Arrange the potatoes in a single layer, giving them enough space to crisp up on all sides. If they’re too close together, they’ll steam instead of roast.
7. Turn the Potatoes
- Flip the potatoes halfway through roasting to ensure an even golden brown on all sides. A gentle turn helps them crisp all over. I turn my potatoes 2-3 times once the crispy exterior has formed. If you turn the too potatoes early, they will break apart.
8. Roast at High Heat
- Roast at a high temperature, ideally between 200-215°C. This helps to get that golden, crispy crust while keeping the interior fluffy.
Ingredients
Potatoes
Herb Oil
Extra
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 215 degrees C conventional or 200 degrees C fan forced.
Wash and peel the potatoes (optional – I prefer the skin on) and cut them into halves (if using baby potatoes). The more evenly sized they are, the more evenly they’ll cook.
- Place a pot of water on the stove and boil. Once almost boiling, add your potatoes and bicarb soda carefully (be careful of the hot water splatters), reduce the heat and simmer for about 8-10 minutes, or until the potatoes are just tender but not fully cooked. You want them slightly underdone for the perfect texture when roasting.
- Whilst the potatoes are boiling, pour the olive oil into large baking tray or roasting pan and place in the oven to heat up.
- Drain the potatoes well and let them sit in the colander for a minute to steam off excess moisture. Then, gently toss the potatoes around in the colander or shake them to roughen up the edges (This rough texture helps create a crispy crust)
- Carefully remove the hot tray from the oven. Add the roughened potatoes to the hot pan, spreading them out in a single layer. Use a spatula to toss them gently in the hot oil to ensure they’re evenly coated.
- Roast for about 35 minutes, remove the tray and turn the potatoes, place the pale sides down into the oil (the crispiest bits will be the faced down sides, so you want all sides to have a turn faced down). If they are sticking, be gentle and turn the potatoes carefully – they won’t stick once they form a crispy skin. Turn them again in another 15 minutes.
- While the potatoes are roasting, chop and minced the garlic and sage and add into a small bowl. Cover with the olive oil and salt. Mix well so the herbs are covered completely in oil.
- When the potatoes are almost perfectly golden and crispy all over, remove them from the oven. Pour the herb oil evenly over the potatoes and toss.
- Add the baking tray back into the oven for a final 10 minutes until the sage has turned crispy and the potatoes are perfectly golden. (total cook time is around 1hr and 10minutes – turned 2-3 times). Depending on the oven this time will vary, keep a close eye on the potatoes.
- Remove the baking tray from the oven, rest for a few minutes then pour the potatoes into a serving dish or mixing bowl. Toss the extra herb salt or flaky salt on top and serve hot with your favourite main course.
- Try to time these potatoes perfectly for the best result.
- You can also make these ahead by parboiling the potatoes a day in advance and roasting them just before serving for a quicker prep.
roast potatoes, potatoes, christmas recipes, side dish
