The Best
Roast
Potatoes.
Golden. Shatteringly crispy.
Fluffy inside. Absolutely devastating.
Why This Recipe Changes Everything
Most roast potato recipes lie to you. They promise "extra crispy" and deliver… fine. Soft. Forgettable. The kind of potatoes you push around your plate while wondering if this is all there is.
This recipe does not do that. After years of obsessive testing, the secrets come down to three non-negotiables: the right potato, a proper parboil with baking soda, and screaming-hot fat. Get these right, and you'll produce potatoes with a crust so shatteringly crisp it cracks like a crème brûlée, with an impossibly fluffy, cloud-like interior beneath.
These are Sunday-lunch potatoes. Holiday potatoes. The potatoes people talk about for years.
What You'll Need
The Method
Preheat your oven to 240°C / 220°C fan / Gas 9. Place your goose fat in a large, heavy roasting tin — a dark metal tin or cast iron is ideal — and put it in the oven to heat while you prep the potatoes. The fat must be shimmering and smoking-hot when the potatoes hit it.
Peel the potatoes and cut into large, even chunks — roughly golf-ball sized. Larger pieces mean more contrast between the crunchy outside and fluffy inside. Smaller pieces go entirely crunchy, which some people love. Your call, make it with intention.
Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold salted water and add the bicarbonate of soda. Bring to a boil and cook for exactly 8–10 minutes — you want them just starting to soften at the edges but still firm in the centre. The bicarb raises the pH, breaking down the surface of the potato into a thick, starchy paste.
Drain the potatoes thoroughly. Return them to the saucepan, cover with the lid, and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Remove the lid and let them steam dry for 2 minutes — excess moisture is the enemy of crispiness. The surface should look rough, ragged, and gloriously paste-coated.
Carefully remove the roasting tin from the oven. Working quickly, tip the potatoes into the hot fat — they should sizzle aggressively on contact. Use tongs or a large spoon to turn each piece, coating it completely in hot fat. Add the halved garlic head and rosemary sprigs around the potatoes. Season with salt.
Roast at 240°C for 25 minutes until the undersides are deeply golden. Carefully turn every potato using tongs — take your time, they deserve it. Reduce heat to 200°C and roast for a further 30–40 minutes, turning once more at the halfway point, until each potato is uniformly golden and extraordinary on all sides.
Remove from the oven. Transfer to a warm serving dish immediately — never let them sit in the fat or they'll steam and go soggy. Scatter over a generous pinch of flaky sea salt. Squeeze the soft, caramelised garlic from its papery skin over the top if desired. Serve immediately. Accept all compliments.
The Secrets of the Masters
Always use a high-starch, floury potato. Maris Piper, King Edward, or Russet are your options. Waxy potatoes (Charlotte, new potatoes) will not crisp the same way. This is non-negotiable.
Parboil and shake the potatoes up to 24 hours ahead. Store in the fridge uncovered — the air-drying makes them even crispier. Then just bring the fat to temp and roast as normal on the day.
Potatoes must have space between them. Overcrowding creates steam, and steam creates soft, sad potatoes. Use two tins if needed. Never, ever pile them up.
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