English Roast Potatoes (2024)

Published: Jun 10, 2020 · by Elizabeth Waterson · This post may contain affiliate links, which may pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting Confessions of a Baking Queen!

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These English Roast Potatoes have the most delicious golden crunchy exterior with a creamy potato inside. These roasties are made by parboiling the potatoes then roasting the potatoes in the oven in a shallow pan with plenty of oil. I dare you to try to eat just one! Step-by-step photos teach you how to make these British roasted potatoes.

Whether it's baked potato, mashed potato, french fries, or roast potatoes, I will take them all. These English roast potatoes are the epitome of my childhood. We only had them on special occasions and my dad would fight us for the last ones.

These potatoes are not deep-fried, instead, they are shallow fried in a roasting pan in fat in the oven. To start though you'll parboil the potatoes.

Par boiling the potatoes means you partly cook them, so they don't boil as long as you would for making mashed potatoes.

Let's get to the recipe.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Recipes that go with English Roast Potatoes
FAQ

Ingredients

Potatoes. I prefer to use either Russet or Yukon Goldpotatoes. Don't miss my roasted fingerling potatoes and salt and vinegar smashed potatoes.
Oil. You'll want to use an oil with a high smoke point, I usually use avocado oil, vegetable oil, or olive oil. Some people like to use Duck fat to cook the potatoes, for Christmas time it's an extra special treat!! Depending on your roasting pan size you might need a little more oil.
Spices. I like to keep it simple and just use salt and pepper, some recipes call for garlic or rosemary. If you want to use rosemary I suggest tossing the potatoes in the rosemary after they're done.

The key is getting the hot fat bubbling before you add the potatoes. Then you'll be rotating the potatoes so the edges on all sides get golden brown and crunchy.

Instructions

To start, we are going to parboil the potatoes. You'll need to bring a large pot of water to a roaring boil. I find it fastest to boil an electric kettle to fill the large heavy-bottomed pot. You can also just add cold water to the pot and boil it that way, but using a kettle is much quicker. You just want to bring the water to a boil before the potatoes are added. I always salt my water, I use ½ teaspoon of salt.

Next, you'll need to peel and chop the potatoes.

I like to start with chopping the two ends of the potatoes off, slice the large middle section in half lengthwise, then chop those in half or thirds depending on the size of the potato. Ideally, you are looking for a piece of potato that is two-three bites worth, nothing larger.I store the potatoes in a bowl of cool water to prevent them from browning.

Once the water has comes to a boil add the potatoes and immediately set the timer for ten minutes to parboil the potatoes. Turn the oven on to 425F/218C to preheat while your potatoes are cooking and place a largeroasting panwith 2oz-4oz (¼-1/2 cup) of oil inside the oven to warm up while the oven preheats. Adding the potatoes to the hot oil will help with making that crunchy skin.

Once the potatoes have parboiled take them out and drain the potatoes in a colander. Shake the potatoes for 30 seconds to a minute to rough them up. If your oven is still preheating, just let the potatoes rest until your oven has reached the proper temperature.

Carefully take the hot pan out of the oven and add the potatoes. Place in a single layer, giving them plenty of room to not touch each other, be careful not to splash the oil.

Roast the potatoes for 20 minutes then carefully flip the potatoes, let cook another 15 then rotate again. Taking your time flipping the potatoes so they roast on each side in the oven is what makes them English roast potatoes.

Roast the potatoes for another 15 and rotate again, after another 15 minutes the potatoes should be quite golden brown and have thick roasted skin all around, you may cook longer if desired, towards the end keep an eye on the potatoes! The total time the potatoes will be cooking in the oven will range from 50--65 minutes.

Recipes that go with English Roast Potatoes

I love roasted carrots you can't beat carrots and potatoes with just about any meat!

If you're making a roast dinner then you'll need to try some Yorkshire puddings too!

My Ribeye Roast is delicious and so juicy!

Cauliflower cheese is my absolute favorite.

FAQ

Can you make roast potatoes ahead of time?

Roast potatoes are best eaten right away but leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

How do you reheat roast potatoes?

Reheat the potatoes in the oven at 350F/180C or re-crisp them in a skillet over medium heat.

What potatoes are best for English-style roast potatoes?

Russet or Yukon Gold Potatoes.

What kind of fat should I use for roast potatoes?

Olive oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil, or duck fat.