Roast potatoes are the ultimate comfort food accompaniment, whether served alongside pork chops during the week or prepared for a Sunday roast. Making homemade roast potatoes is relatively straightforward, but they can turn out limp, soggy and oily if not prepared with the proper ingredients.
The Secret to Perfect Crispiness
Potatoes inherently hold substantial water content which converts to steam during oven cooking. If this dampness remains on the exterior, the oil cannot achieve proper crispiness. However, Lindsay, a cook and creator of The Tasteful Pantry, has revealed an incredibly straightforward method to guarantee potatoes that are crunchy every time without fail: simply coat them with semolina.
Lindsay stated: "Semolina adds a gentle grainy texture that crisps up beautifully in the oven, giving the kind of crunch that ordinary roast potatoes rarely achieve. It's the perfect trick if you've ever struggled to get that ideal roast - crispy exterior, tender interior, and just enough spice to keep things interesting."
Why Semolina Works
Semolina is a grain typically employed for making pasta, bread or even pizza dough, but it is also utilised in roasting fish and potatoes as it is renowned for creating a perfectly crispy skin. It possesses a very coarse texture, meaning it will still perform excellently on potatoes and is also highly absorbent, enabling it to draw considerable moisture from the surface. This helps keep the potatoes as dry as possible during oven cooking, so they do not steam up and cook better in the oil. Using semolina simply prevents the potatoes from becoming soggy and will also begin to toast in the oven, resulting in a perfect caramelised skin with lots of crunchy edges.
How to Make Crispier Roast Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1kg of potatoes
- 120ml of oil (sunflower, vegetable, or rapeseed recommended, or solid fats like goose fat or beef drippings)
- Two tablespoons of semolina
- One teaspoon of salt
- Half a teaspoon of garlic powder
- Half a teaspoon of onion powder
- Half a teaspoon of oregano
- Half a teaspoon of paprika
- A quarter teaspoon of pepper
Method
- Preheat the oven to 210°C, ensuring you have a deep roasting dish large enough to accommodate all potatoes in a single layer.
- Pour your chosen oil into the dish and place it in the oven for 10 minutes. It is essential the oil reaches a high temperature before adding the potatoes, as this forms a crust and achieves a crispier exterior.
- Meanwhile, peel and halve the potatoes. Transfer them into a large pot of cold water and bring to the boil. Allow them to cook for approximately 10 minutes until fork-tender yet still firm in the centre.
- Drain the potatoes thoroughly, then return them to the empty pot. Without applying any heat, use a fork or tongs to gently toss the potatoes around. This slightly roughens the surface, creating additional edges once transferred to the oven, ultimately producing an exceptionally crispy exterior.
- Next, combine the semolina, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, paprika and pepper in a small bowl. Scatter the semolina mixture over the potatoes, then shake the pot to ensure they are thoroughly coated.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven, then carefully add the potatoes. Using a pair of tongs, turn the potatoes so every side is covered in oil, then tip any leftover seasoning from the pot into the dish.
- Roast the potatoes in the oven for 20 minutes. Once the time is up, flip them over and cook for a further 10 minutes. When you remove the potatoes from the oven they should be sizzling, deep golden brown and with a wonderfully satisfying crispy skin.
