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The Crispiest Potatoes at Home — Simple Trick That Works

The baking-soda parboil trick that gives roast potatoes a shatteringly crisp crust and fluffy middle, every single time.

By Hana MoriOctober 6, 20266 min readSides Jump to recipe ↓
The Crispiest Potatoes at Home — Simple Trick That Works

If your roast potatoes come out pale or soggy, the fix is one teaspoon of baking soda. Parboiling potatoes in alkaline water roughens their surface into a starchy paste that fries into an incredibly crunchy crust in the oven.

The simple trick, explained

Baking soda raises the pH of the water, which breaks down the pectin on the outside of the potato. When you shake the drained potatoes, that softened surface turns into a thick, starchy coating. In hot fat, that coating becomes a glass-like crust while the inside stays fluffy.

Three rules for maximum crunch

  1. Choose starchy potatoes. Yukon Gold or Russet (Maris Piper in the UK) give the best contrast.
  2. Steam-dry them. Let the drained potatoes sit for 2–3 minutes — dry surfaces crisp, wet ones steam.
  3. Preheat the fat. Put the oil in the tray and heat it in the oven first so the potatoes sizzle on contact.
Flavour upgrade

Warm the oil with crushed garlic and rosemary, strain it, and toss the herbs back in during the last 5 minutes so they don't burn.

Serving ideas

Serve with roast chicken, steak, or a fried egg on top for brunch. Leftovers re-crisp beautifully in an air fryer at 200°C for 5 minutes.

The recipe

Extra-Crispy Roast Potatoes

Prep10 min
Cook50 min
Serves4
LevelEasy

Ingredients

Tap to tick off as you go.

  • 1.2 kg Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 4 cm chunks
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbsp salt (for the water)
  • 80 ml olive oil, duck fat or ghee
  • 4 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • Flaky salt and black pepper
  • Chopped parsley, to finish

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 230°C (450°F). Put the oil in a large roasting tray and heat it in the oven.
  2. Add potatoes to a pot of cold water with the salt and baking soda. Bring to a boil and cook 8–10 minutes until the edges are just soft.
  3. Drain and let steam-dry for 2–3 minutes, then shake vigorously in the colander to rough up the surfaces.
  4. Carefully tip the potatoes into the hot oil, turning to coat. Sprinkle with smoked paprika.
  5. Roast 20 minutes, flip, add garlic and rosemary, then roast another 20–25 minutes until deep golden.
  6. Season with flaky salt and pepper, scatter with parsley and serve hot.