Cole's Crispy Crunchy Roasted Potatoes
Cole’s version
Cole's Crispy Crunchy Roasted Potatoes
Ingredients
- 900 g (2 lb) Idaho/Russet potatoes, peeled or unpeeled — dealer's choice
- 120 mL (1/2 cup) olive oil, using enough of the infused oil to coat the potatoes
- Half a head of garlic, minced
- 22 mL (1 1/2 tbsp) red chilli flakes
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Ketchup and Frank's hot sauce, to serve if you like
Directions
- Cut the potatoes into small, even dice. Rinse until the water runs clear, then dry them.
- Preheat the oven to convection bake at 220°C (425°F).
- Gently warm the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the garlic and chilli flakes and let them steep for 10–15 minutes. Keep the heat low; you want to infuse the oil, not fry the garlic.
- Toss the potatoes with enough of the oil, garlic, and chilli mixture to coat them evenly. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
- Spread the potatoes out on parchment-lined baking sheets. I usually use two; crowding the potatoes makes them steam instead of roast.
- Roast until brown and crispy, around 40 minutes, mixing once or twice along the way.
- Serve with whatever condiments you like. I prefer ketchup and Frank's.
The above recipe is my own, so if the directions suck I apologize.
I have been making this recipe for the last 5+ years. It is extremely simple to make and has a large margin for error. Served with roast chicken, steak, or any other time you would eat potatoes. You will not be disappointed.
What makes them work
Warm garlic and chilli oil, an even dice, and enough room on the pan. Nothing complicated. If the potatoes are piled on top of each other they will steam instead of getting that crispy brown colour.
The walkthrough
When steeping the garlic and red chili flakes make sure not to make it too hot! If you overheat the oil you will fry the garlic; this is a traditional Thai garnish that I would highly recommend in other contexts.
Liberally salt and pepper the potatoes, they always need more seasoning than you think. Pour the oil mixture over the potatoes just enough to coat them. If there’s left over oil, save it for another recipe!
Try and spread them out as much as possible; I usually use two baking sheets. If they are too close together they will steam when releasing moisture instead or roasting to a delicious crispy brown colour.
Mix once or twice over the cooking time - the more uniform your cutting the better. In the past I had some very small pieces and larger ones and it causes them to cook at different rates and likely burn. As you can see from my picture below there was a rogue long boy in the middle; always room for improvement.
Verdict
Serve it up with whatever condiments you like; I prefer ketchup and Frank’s but whatever tickles your fancy. Try it, eat it, enjoy it.
