9 ways to boast the crunchiest roast spuds

There are a million reasons to love a potato, here are nine of the best.

Exceptionally good potatoes. Credit: Kitti Gould

--- The Cook Up with Adam Liaw airs weeknights at 7pm on SBS Food (Ch.33). All episodes are available anytime on SBS On Demand. ---

It is a truth universally acknowledged that you can never cook too many roast potatoes. No matter how towering the pile of golden, crunchy spuds, it will always be demolished in minutes.

That's why you'll hardly ever find a recipe for "leftover roast potatoes", because such a thing simply does not exist. If ever leftovers are needed, the only wise thing to do is to lock those potatoes down before you even serve. Hide the key.

It's worth making twice what you need because roasting the potatoes first enhances so many potato dishes. Take gnocchi for instance.

"If you roast the potatoes rather than boiling them, you can actually add less flour and they become even more pillowy," says Adam Liaw on The Cook Up. He advises using a waxy, rather than floury potato for this purpose. "Essentially, the more flour you add, more starch, the less fluffy it will be."

Take note that waxy roast potatoes like Kifler, Dutch Cream or Red rascal may be the preference for gnocchi, but for straight roasties, you'll want to pick a floury potato like King Edward, Maris Piper or Coliban. That's because these varieties are lower in water content, so they absorb more of the oil and become fluffier and crunchier when roasted.

A good all-round potato like Desiree, Golden Delight or Sebago will also serve you well. These keep their shape well, but will still crisp up on the outside and turn delightfully soft on the inside.

As for the technique to create the "perfect" roast potatoes - well, every cook has their preferred tried-and-true technique. Fortunately they are happy to share their secrets, so let's get roasting!

Add a little bicarb

The more "fluffy bits" you can add to your potatoes before roasting, the more "crunchy bits" you'll get to munch on. Credit: Kitti Gould

Adam's top tip for creating exceptionally good potatoes is to parboil them and add bicarbonate of soda to the cooking water. "This technique creates the ideal rough texture that crisps up beautifully during roasting, making for an incredibly satisfying bite – fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside," he says.

Dry things out

Extra-crunchy golden spuds are completely irresistible. Credit: Petrina Tinslay

Sally Courtney also recommends parboiling, but also wants you to drain her rosemary roast potatoes after boiling until they are dry. It might help to pat with a clean kitchen towel to really get the moisture off them. The drier the potato when it goes into the oven, the crisper the outside when it comes out.

Add a fridge stopover

For maximum crisp, cook your tatties separately from the rest of your meat and veggies. Source: SBS

Another Adam tip is to boil your spuds the day before, then slip them uncovered into the fridge for an overnight pit stop. They'll completely dry out this way, resulting in roast potatoes so crunchy they crack.

Choose your fat wisely

These crispy-edged roast spuds are a potato lover's dream. Credit: Norton

For potatoes that are "crispier than a French fry", Kenji López-Alt recommends using duck fat. It's a rich, thick fat with a high smoke point that's absorbed well by the potato. If you can't get your hands on duck fat, use chicken or turkey fat - or bacon fat if that's what you've got. If animals are off the agenda, olive oil will still do the trick, but Kenji reckons you won't achieve the same level of crispiness.

Break them up

Snap, crackle, crunch. Credit: Tammi Kwok

Naturally Heston Blumenthal has some unique hacks for rendering your roastie. For him, it's not a matter of 'par-boiling' before baking, but rather boiling completely until the spuds are almost failing apart. If they do fall apart, all the merrier, because the more edges you pop into the oven, the edgier the resulting roast potatoes.

Spice things up

A zing of spice keeps roast potato lovers coming back for more. Credit: Alan Benson

Cut them small and spice them well and you'll have a tater dish worthy of a crowd. Batata harra adds plenty of garlic, coriander, cayenne and lemon juice to bring big Lebanese flavour to your standard roast potato side.

Mix it around

Add some boldness to your tubers for a bake you'll make again and again. Credit: Adam Liaw

The beauty of roast potatoes is that they complement so many other flavours. Gen Fricker makes hers a tomatoey, anchovy affair using Julia Busuttil Nishimura's recipe, but feel free to experiment.

Infusion injection

Salt and vinegar potatoes are seriously satisfying. Plan on making a double batch.

If you've ever scoffed through a packet of salt and vinegar chips, you'll already know how good vinegar and potatoes work together. Heidi Sze took this concept and pre-boiled her potatoes in vinegar before roasting. The tartness of the vinegar cuts through the creaminess of the potato all the way through.

Make it cheesy

A bowl of music to our ears. Credit: Mary's Kitchen Crush

Mary Berg swears by adding parmesan and breadcrumbs for added roastie crunch and we're here for it. With crunch like this, this dish is eating and entertainment in one.