Crispy Roasted Fingerling Potatoes Recipe - Savory Nothings (2024)

FAQs

Why are my potatoes not getting crispy in the oven? ›

If roasted potatoes lack their crunchy sheen, overcrowding is usually the culprit. Just as overcrowding bacon or mushrooms in a saucepan causes disappointingly mushy results, placing potatoes too close to each other on a baking sheet will prevent them from crisping while they roast.

If you want to make this roast potatoes day before recipe and keep the potatoes crispy, ensure you put them in hot oil before baking them. This will help the potatoes stay crispy. If you're preparing roast potatoes in advance and find they have gone soggy in the fridge.

Meanwhile, the alkaline water helps the exteriors of the potatoes break down more, creating much more of the starchy slurry that leads to an extra-crisp exterior. About a half teaspoon of baking soda for two quarts of water was the right amount.

Do I have to boil potatoes before roasting? Not necessary but this can help get the perfect consistency and crispiness. Make sure you boil them but leave them a bit al dente and they will crisp up perfectly in the oven.

Give them a cold water bath: Once your potatoes are chopped, toss them into a large bowl. Then cover the potatoes completely with cold water and let them soak for at least 30 minutes (or up to overnight). This will help to rinse off the excess starch and help the potatoes crisp up beautifully in the oven.

Parboiling the potatoes allows the outside to get soft enough to rough them up, creating the best surface for crisping. Roughing them up before roasting creates a textured surface that crisps up nicely. Just the right amount of oil makes the roasted potatoes crisp without becoming greasy.

Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes. Cold water is used because hot water would react with the starch activating it, making it harder to separate from the potatoes.

A: This sure sounds a lot like potatoes that have been stored too long, in too cold of an environment before cooking. When potatoes are held below 41°F for too long a period, the starches convert to sugar and it changes the cooking chemistry.

To have a truly marvellous roast potato, one must simply let the potato dry completely after parboiling, before roasting in extremely hot fat.

The acid in the vinegar can also help to slightly break down the surface of the potatoes, aiding in the development of a crispier texture during frying. Additionally, the vinegar can contribute to a golden-brown color on the exterior of the fries.

What is the best roasting potato? ›

While all sorts of potatoes are delicious when roasted in the oven, Yukon Gold potatoes are arguably the best potatoes for roasting for many reasons. Yukon Gold potatoes have the perfect amount of starch, which means they soften well in the oven, while their partially waxy texture helps them maintain their shape.

After closely inspecting the brand of frozen French fries I often buy, I realized that they are coated in a blend of starches to help crisp them up. So, I decided to give the method a shot with roasted potatoes. And it turns out, coating the potatoes with cornstarch is the secret to super crispy roasted potatoes!

Sprinkle your parboiled potatoes with flour. This gives potatoes extra crunch. A tablespoon is all you need! Throw in some whole, unpeeled garlic cloves or a handful of herbs (thyme, sage or rosemary all work well) with the potatoes when adding them to the hot roasting tin.

Boil them the day before or up to five days before, so they completely dry out and absorb the fat better. Once they are cooked, drain them thoroughly, then leave them on a cooling rack so that they can fully dry out on all sides. Refridgerating them overnight is a bonus.

If you're roasting potatoes start-to-finish in the oven, you should always salt them after cooking. This is to avoid drawing out moisture while they cook and making the outer layer leathery.

You don't check the temperature

A temperature between 205F to 212F inside the potatoes mean that they are cooked. If the temperature is below that, the potato may be too hard still inside, and if you go above it, they may become gummy.

Potatoes can react like sponges; too much oil can make your potatoes appear to be soggy. Try placing oil in a spray bottle or using an aerosol to apply the oil to the potatoes. Lastly, ensure that the potatoes are dry before you add the oil.

However, if moisture is trapped inside the skin, it can make the potato quite soggy. Piercing the skin of the potato before cooking creates escape routes for interior moisture. Potatoes that stand for long periods after baking also tend to be soggier than those served immediately.

Baking at a low temperature or not giving it enough time -

The latest recommendations we have are to bake at 425 degrees F for one hour if using a conventional oven. You can lower the temp to 400 degrees F for 50-60 minutes in a convection oven, which cooks a little more evenly and consistently.