Easy roast potatoes – the world’s greatest!

Enjoy the crisp golden crust and soft, fluffy inside of a perfect roast potato. This easy roast potatoes recipe makes perfect roasties every time!

How would you describe the perfect roast potato? For me, it must be soft and fluffy inside, crispy and golden outside. And not too big, so the ratio of crusty outer and steam-fluffed inner is just right.

I learned how to make perfect roast potatoes from my Mum, who made them week-in, week-out for Friday night dinners when I was a child. Her technique has been passed on and carried around the world by me and my brothers.

And now, I am bestowing her wisdom on you. You too can make perfect roast potatoes EASILY, simply by following this very well tried and tested recipe.

Legendary spuds

There’s a joke in our house that my DH only married me for the roast potatoes. At least, I think it’s a joke. I am called upon to produce a tray of these legendary roast potatoes with ridiculous frequency. 

Ingredients for perfect roast potatoes

This delicious roast potato recipe couldn’t be much easier, and only requires three ingredients! Sure, you can make your roasted potatoes fancier by adding optional seasonings, but if you’ve got these three key items, you’re all set. To make these easy roast potatoes you will need:

• Floury potatoes – such as Maris Piper, Desiree or King Edward
• Vegetable oil – I usually use sunflower oil, olive oil, or a mixture of the two
• Coarse salt – I love flaky Maldon salt, but use whichever you prefer

That’s it!

Other seasonings that you might like to experiment with include rosemary, garlic powder, black pepper, or blends like hawaij or baharat. But they are totally optional and not required for my Mum’s perfect roast spuds.

Tools and utensils

You will need some basic kitchen equipment to make roast potatoes. Most importantly, you will need an oven! You will also need:

• chopping board
• potato peeler
• sharp knife
• saucepan with lid
• roasting tin or pyrex baking dish
• basting brush

I expect that most reasonably equipped kitchens will have all of those items. If you don’t have a basting brush you can use a spoon in a pinch and still have great results.

I used to always use a roasting tin for these potatoes, but recently I’ve started to use a pyrex baking dish instead. The main difference is that I can put the pyrex dish directly onto the table, and don’t need to decant the potatoes from the tin into a serving dish!

This is not only easier, it also keeps the roast potatoes hotter and is less likely to break their gorgeous golden crusts before serving.

Roast potatoes – a healthy option?

I’ll admit it’s a bit odd to think of roasties as a health food (err, they aren’t!) but they do have a reasonable nutritional profile.

A serving of these delicious roast potatoes provides you with around a quarter of your daily fibre intake, as well as a good dose of vitamin C and plenty of vitamin B6. You’ll also get 5g of healthy plant-based protein.

Which just shows that ALL foods, in moderation, have their place in a healthy diet!

Steps to making perfect roast potatoes

There are a few steps to follow if you want perfect roasties every time. However none of them are very hard, or even very time consuming. Once you’ve mastered these few basic stages, you’ll be able to make easy roast potatoes on auto-pilot! I know I do…

To make perfect roast potatoes:

1. Put oil in a roasting dish and preheat it in the oven.
2. Peel your potatoes, rinse them, and cut them into chunks.
3. Place the chunks of potato in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 4 minutes to parboil the potatoes.
4. Drain the parboiled potatoes, shake them up, and tip them carefully into the hot oil.
5. Brush all over with the oil, sprinkle with salt, then return to the oven.
6. Roast until golden and gorgeous, then serve!

It’s not completely necessary to shake up the parboiled potatoes, but I do recommend it. Shaking them in the pan roughs up the outside and helps to create that gorgeous golden crust that is the mark of a great roastie. You can skip the shaking, but honestly, your roast potatoes just won’t be as good. It’s definitely 30 seconds well spent!

How many potatoes will you need?

I usually estimate around 200-300g (7-10 ounces) of potatoes per person. However if in doubt, make extra! These tasty roast potatoes are so good that people will eat more than you might expect. Even my daughter Kipper has been known to put away a substantial adult-sized portion, despite not being a substantial adult.

What to serve with roast potatoes

We usually have our roast potatoes as part of Friday night dinner. Since I have the oven on anyway, I usually cook some other roast vegetables too. For instance, these roasted carrots with orange and ginger are delicious, as is this roasted hasselback squash with rosemary and chilli.

These easy roast potatoes are a great accompaniment to any substantial main dish. We usually have fish, like this oven-baked cod with sun-dried tomato and herbs, or this tasty dry-rubbed roasted salmon. You could also serve them with a hearty veggie main, such as these spectacular stuffed aubergines, or this gorgeous mushroom and vegetable bourguignon.

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📖 Recipe

Perfect easy roast potatoes

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Golden, crispy roast poatoes that are crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside – perfect!

5 from 6 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 4 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 19 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine British

Servings 4

Calories 284 kcal

Equipment

• vegetable peeler
• saucepan
• Sharp knife
• chopping board
• Baking dish large enough to hold your potatoes in a single layer
• basting brush

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 2-3 tablespoon vegetable oil (I use sunflower)
• 1-2 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
• 1 kg floury potatoes e.g. Maris piper
• pinch flaky salt

Instructions

 

• 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil (I use sunflower), 1-2 tbsp olive oil (optional)
  Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Put the vegetable oil and olive oil if using into a roasting tin or baking dish and put in the oven to heat up.
• 1 kg (2 ⅕ lb) floury potatoes e.g. Maris piper
  Peel the potatoes. Rinse well and cut into 4-6 cm (approx. 2 inch) chunks. Place in a saucepan and cover with cold water.
• Bring the potatoes to the boil and cook for 4 minutes. Drain the potatoes well. Return to the pan, hold the lid tightly in place, and shake the potatoes in the pan for a few seconds until they are roughed up and fluffy.
• Remove the baking dish of hot oil from the oven. VERY CAREFULLY, tip the potatoes into the hot oil – the oil will sizzle and spit so be careful. Use a basting brush to turn the potaotes in the oil and brush them all over.
• pinch flaky salt
  Jiggle the dish to get the potatoes into as close to a single layer as possible. Sprinkle over the flaky salt if using, then return the dish to the oven.
• Roast the potatoes at 180°C (350°F) for about an hour until golden, crispy and delicious!

Notes

Once cooked, these delicious roast potatoes can be kept warm in a low/medium oven for up to an hour. Cover loosely with a piece of foil if they are getting too brown.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Perfect easy roast potatoes

Amount per Serving

Calories

284

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

11

g

17

%

Saturated Fat

 

6

g

38

%

Sodium

 

15

mg

1

%

Potassium

 

1053

mg

30

%

Carbohydrates

 

44

g

15

%

Fiber

 

6

g

25

%

Sugar

 

2

g

2

%

Protein

 

5

g

10

%

Vitamin A

 

5

IU

0

%

Vitamin C

 

49

mg

59

%

Calcium

 

30

mg

3

%

Iron

 

2

mg

11

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword potato, vegan

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More delicious potato recipes

If you love crispy potatoes as much as my family does, you’ll probably also enjoy the following recipes:

• Scalloped potato roast with garlic and rosemary
• Greek lemon roast potatoes
• Garlic and herb potato wedges
• Roasted baby potatoes with mushrooms and onions
• Crispy potato kugel hearts

This recipe was originally published in October 2014. It was updated in March 2021.