You've Been Salting Your Roasted Potatoes Wrong This Whole Time
Potatoes are perhaps the single most ubiquitous side-dish ingredient. Whether they're mashed, fried, roasted, scalloped, baked, made into gnocchi, or prepared in a multitude of other ways, they're always delicious. The juxtaposition of uber-crispy exterior and creamy-smooth interior is sought after by many a home cook. One super-popular (and easy) method is roasting, which usually involves merely tossing some small, round potatoes (or even larger potatoes that have been cut into chunks) with oil, seasonings, and herbs and throwing them into the oven for a good 45 minutes or so. This is certainly a surefire approach, but if you want to really make the absolute best roasted potatoes, there are a few additional tips to keep in mind.
As far as ingredients, you can't go wrong with any garlic and/or herb-infused oil or animal fat — and lots of salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Chicken or duck fat in the place of a neutral oil is also an excellent swap for a real flavor boost. The Sun mentions a few particular techniques to ensure the crispiest, most flavorful roasted potatoes imaginable: par-boiling the potatoes, slightly crushing them, chilling the potatoes in the refrigerator prior to roasting, and salting the potatoes only after they've finished cooking. Parboiling the potatoes ensures a more evenly cooked potato, and chilling allows the moisture to be removed from the potato prior to roasting.
Tips for perfectly crispy oven-roasted potatoes
In addition, Serious Eats notes that "parboiling the potatoes in alkaline water breaks down their surfaces," which results in more "surface area and crunch." In addition, slightly crushing the potatoes after they've parboiled offers little nooks and crannies that'll crisp up beautifully in the oven. "Salt draws moisture from the inside of the potato to the surface," states The Sun, which is the exact opposite of what we want in a super crispy potato, so it's paramount to only salt after the potatoes have roasted. Don't skimp on the salt — potatoes require lots of it to be perfectly seasoned. Any type of salt is fine, but kosher is preferred.
Next time you're looking for an incredibly crispy and delicious potato side, try this method. If you abide by all of these tips, you're bound to make one of the best potato dishes you've ever had. Who needs restaurants? Your kitchen is about to serve up some A+ oven-roasted potatoes. They're also a fantastic side for a holiday meal.