Crispiest Oven Roasted Potatoes
I love crispy potatoes but I hate deep frying. So, let’s make the crispiest oven roasted potatoes. I get that deep fried food is delicious, albeit very unhealthy, but I cannot be bothered to deep fry things in batches. I just don't have the patience. Also, deep frying can get super messy, and I sorta hate cleaning up. Adding this into the trauma of deep frying a mushroom and having it explode in the oil definitely does not help either.
Ingredients
- Salt (One pinch for boiling, More for baking. Use as much as you desire)
- ¾ Tsp Baking Soda
- 6 lb Potatoes (Any potato, cut into large chunks like quarters or sixths etc.)
- ¾ C Oil (118ml)
- 4 Tbsp Rosemary (Dried or 4 sprigs, chopped)
- 6 Cloves Garlic (Minced)
- 4 Tbsp Ground Pepper (I used a mix of Black and Sichuan Peppers for a MaLa Spicy Kick, add more if you want)
- 1-2 Dried Chili (Optional, remove the seeds if wanted to control heat. Any peppers will do, I used a Sichuan Chili)
Instructions
- Cut the potatoes into large chunks and place them into a big pot of water, ensuring the water is two inches above the potatoes. Add in one big pinch of Salt and Baking Soda. The Baking Soda will raise the pH of the potatoes which encourages browning in the oven.
- Boil the potatoes for 10-15 minutes until a knife or fork easily pierces the middle of the potato. Then drain and let the potatoes cool down to release steam, 5-10 minutes. This will help prevent sogginess and encourage crispiness when baking
- In a pot, heat up the Oil until some smoke is released and pour over the minced spices to temper. Tempering infuses the flavors into the oil. Alternatively, you can just heat up the oil with the spices in the same container until the garlic is golden brown and the oil is fragrant.
- Strain the oil to remove the spices and pour the oil over the boiled potatoes. Use a spatula to fluff up the potatoes and mix in the oil until each potato is coated with thick potato slurry. The slurry layer will create a super crispy exterior
- Pour the potatoes onto a baking sheet, spread evenly and then generously salt. The potatoes should have ample space, use two baking sheets if needed, (switch baking sheet rack positions half way through baking and increase the time by 5-10 more minutes) Potatoes can handle a lot of salt, so add a little more than normal The salt will draw out the excess water and encourage crispiness. Bake at 450 for about 20 minutes, then flip them and bake for another 20 minutes. This will crisp up all sides so they pop in the mouth. Depending on the amount of baking soda added, you may need to bake a little longer for a deeper golden brown.
- Add in the strained fried spices, more salt if needed, toss and eat.
Notes
Recipe adapted from J. Kenji López-Alt (I’m a huge fan lol)