The Ultimate Roast Potatoes

RECIPE

Crisp, golden edges, fluffy centres and plenty of crunch: the best roast potatoes come down to a few simple techniques done properly. From choosing the right potato to parboiling, roughing up the edges and roasting in hot fat, here's how to get every stage right.

 

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Update note: This recipe was originally published in March 2026, and has been updated in November 2026 with revised instructions, additional cooking tips and advice on potato varieties, roasting fats and flavourings.

 

Photograph: Alex Bayev (Adobe Stock)

 

There are few things more satisfying than a properly made roast potato. They're the part of Sunday lunch most likely to disappear first, and the bit everyone quietly hopes there will be plenty of. I've never understood treating them as an afterthought. When they're good, they're every bit as deserving of attention as whatever else is in the centre of the table.

 

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Why You'll Love This Recipe

There's nothing particularly fussy about this recipe. It uses just three basic ingredients, with optional garlic and herbs if you fancy adding a little extra flavour. The aim isn't to reinvent the roast potato, but to make a really good version of something that's already rather wonderful.

 

Although I've written the recipe using goose fat, there are plenty of alternatives, including beef dripping, duck fat and vegetable oils. I'll explain how the different fats affect the finished potatoes, along with which varieties are worth looking for when you're shopping.

 

Perhaps most importantly, roast potatoes belong with almost everything. Serve them with roast chicken, beef or lamb, or swap the goose fat for a suitable vegetable oil to accompany a vegetarian centrepiece. They're also excellent alongside my traditional steak and ale pie when you fancy something crisp instead of the usual mash, especially with plenty of extra gravy on the table.

 

What Makes Great Roast Potatoes?

Great roast potatoes begin long before they go into the oven. The variety matters: floury potatoes such as Maris Piper soften beautifully during parboiling, developing the slightly crumbly surface that will eventually turn golden and crisp. Waxy potatoes can certainly be roasted, but they won't give quite the same fluffy-centred result.

 

Parboiling is about more than simply giving the potatoes a head start. You want the outside to soften enough that, once drained and shaken in the pan, the edges become rough and floury. Those little ridges and craggy bits create more surface area for the hot fat to work its magic. It's the difference between a pleasant roast potato and one with a really satisfying crunch.

 

The temperature of the fat matters too. Whether you're using goose fat, beef dripping or a good roasting oil, it should be properly hot before the potatoes go into the tin. That initial sizzle helps the roughed-up surfaces begin crisping straight away. I'll look at the different fats, and the flavours they bring, in the next section.

 

Finally, give your potatoes some breathing room. If the roasting tin is overcrowded, they'll steam rather than roast, and no amount of hope or turning will rescue them from that fate. A little space between the pieces makes a remarkable difference.

 

Photograph: Georgina Ingham

 

The Best Fat for Roast Potatoes

The fat you choose affects the flavour of your roast potatoes, although no single fat has a monopoly on crispness. A floury potato, properly roughed-up edges and a hot roasting tin matter just as much. The best choice often comes down to what you're serving alongside them.

 

Goose fat is perhaps the classic choice for a traditional British roast dinner. It gives the potatoes a rich, savoury flavour and a beautifully crisp finish without overwhelming them. If you want roast potatoes that feel quietly luxurious, goose fat is hard to beat.

 

Beef dripping is another excellent option, particularly alongside roast beef. It has a more pronounced savoury flavour than goose fat and produces wonderfully golden potatoes. It's a good choice when you want the potatoes to have a little more character of their own.

 

Duck fat works much like goose fat, giving roast potatoes a rich flavour and a satisfyingly crisp exterior. Either is a good choice for a special Sunday lunch, and I wouldn't go out of my way to buy one if I already had the other.

 

Chicken fat, or schmaltz, is particularly good when you're roasting a chicken. Using some of the rendered fat from the bird gives the potatoes a lovely savoury flavour and helps bring the meal together. Just make sure you have enough fat to coat the potatoes properly.

 

For a plant-based alternative, olive oil works well too, although it brings a different flavour to the finished dish. Choose an olive oil suitable for roasting at high temperatures and avoid letting it smoke. A neutral oil such as sunflower or rapeseed is another reliable option, particularly if you'd rather let the flavour of the potatoes take centre stage.

 

If you're using fat from a roast, I'd keep the watery pan juices separate. They can soften the crisp edges you've worked so hard to achieve. Save those juices for the gravy, where they'll be put to much better use.

 

Best Potatoes for Roasting

Maris Piper is my first choice for roast potatoes, and with good reason. Its floury texture makes it ideal for parboiling and roughing up, giving you those wonderfully crisp edges and soft, fluffy centres. King Edward is another excellent option, while in Ireland, floury varieties such as Kerr's Pink and Golden Wonder make particularly good roast potatoes too.

 

The Royal Horticultural Society's guide to potato varieties is a useful reference if you'd like to understand how different types behave in the kitchen.

 

For readers in the US, Russet potatoes are a good alternative because of their floury texture. Yukon Gold also roast well, although their slightly waxier, creamier flesh generally produces a different result, with less of that dramatic fluffy-centred contrast.

 

I always peel my potatoes for roasting. Leaving the skins on is perfectly fine for a rustic traybake or everyday roasted potatoes, but I prefer the more traditional approach for a proper Sunday roast. Peeled potatoes are easier to rough up after parboiling, giving the hot fat plenty of those craggy surfaces to work on.

 

If you're shopping without a particular variety in mind, look for potatoes described as floury or suitable for roasting. All-rounder potatoes can still produce a perfectly enjoyable result, but they're less likely to deliver that wonderfully crisp exterior and cloud-like middle that make a really good roast potato worth the effort.

 

Photograph: Peter Schad (Unsplash)

 

Recipe Tips for Perfectly Crispy Roast Potatoes

Watch the potatoes, not just the clock. Five minutes of parboiling is a useful starting point, but the exact time will depend on the variety and size of your potatoes. The edges should be beginning to soften while the centres remain firm enough to hold together. If they're still completely solid, give them another minute or two.

 

Let the steam escape. After draining and roughing up the potatoes, leave them uncovered for a few minutes so excess moisture can evaporate. A drier surface will crisp more readily in the oven, whereas potatoes that are still wet are more likely to steam.

 

Don't turn them too soon. Give the potatoes time to develop a golden crust before trying to move them. If they're sticking to the roasting tin, they may need a little longer. Turn them carefully, preserving as many of those wonderfully craggy edges as possible.

 

Season to taste before serving. The potatoes have already been parboiled in salted water, but a final sprinkle of sea salt while they're still hot can make all the difference. Taste one first, though; nobody wants a beautifully crisp potato that's too salty to enjoy.

 

Photograph: Georgina Ingham

 

The Ultimate Roast Potatoes

Floury potatoes, a little rough handling and properly hot fat are the foundations of a really good roast potato. This is my method for achieving deeply golden, crunchy edges and soft, fluffy centres, ready to catch every last bit of gravy.

 

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: Approximately 50 minutes

Total time: Approximately 1 hour 5 minutes

Serves: 4

 

Ingredients

1 kg Maris Piper potatoes

100 g goose fat

Salt, for the cooking water and to finish

 

Method

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into evenly sized pieces. I usually cut each potato into three, trimming off each end so that you have two angled pieces and a wedge-like centre. The aim isn't perfect uniformity, but plenty of edges that will crisp up beautifully in the oven.

2. Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan / Gas Mark 7).

3. Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil. Add the potatoes and parboil for approximately 5 minutes, until the edges are beginning to soften but the pieces still hold their shape. Depending on the size and variety, they may need another minute or two.

4. Drain the potatoes thoroughly, then return them to the empty pan. Put the lid on firmly and give the pan a good shake to rough up the edges. You want a slightly battered, floury surface, not potatoes that are falling apart.

5. Remove the lid and leave the potatoes to steam-dry for a few minutes. This allows excess moisture to evaporate and helps the surfaces crisp during roasting.

6. Meanwhile, put the goose fat into a large roasting tin and place it in the oven until the fat is properly hot.

7. Carefully add the potatoes to the hot fat, turning them so they're coated all over. Spread them out in a single layer, leaving enough space between the pieces for them to roast rather than steam. Take care, as the hot fat may spit.

8. Roast for approximately 45 minutes, turning carefully once halfway through, until the potatoes are deeply golden and crisp. If they need a little longer, leave them in the oven and check regularly rather than relying entirely on the clock.

9. Lift the potatoes from the tin with a slotted spoon, allowing excess fat to drain away. Taste, add a final sprinkle of salt if needed, and serve immediately while they're at their crispiest.

 

Flavouring Your Roast Potatoes

There's absolutely nothing wrong with keeping roast potatoes simple. Good potatoes, properly hot fat and a little salt are often all you need. But if you fancy adding another layer of flavour, a few carefully chosen extras can make them even better.

 

Garlic: Add a few lightly crushed, unpeeled garlic cloves to the roasting tin during the final 10–15 minutes. They'll perfume the fat without overwhelming the potatoes. Keep an eye on them, though, as garlic can burn quickly in a hot oven and turn unpleasantly bitter.

 

Rosemary and thyme: Both work beautifully with roast potatoes. Add a couple of fresh sprigs towards the end of roasting, rather than at the beginning, when the leaves are more likely to scorch. Rosemary brings a wonderfully fragrant, slightly piney flavour, while thyme is a little more subtle.

 

A little extra seasoning: Freshly ground black pepper is an easy addition, while a little finely grated lemon zest scattered over the potatoes just before serving can brighten an otherwise rich roast dinner. Neither needs to go into the hot fat.

 

Personally, I'm rather fond of garlic and rosemary, but I wouldn't add so much that they compete with the potatoes themselves. The crisp, golden edges should still be the star of the show.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Why aren't my roast potatoes getting crispy?

Excess moisture is often the culprit. Make sure the potatoes have been drained thoroughly and allowed to steam-dry before roasting. The fat should be properly hot, and the potatoes need enough space in the tin to brown rather than steam. If they're still pale towards the end of cooking, give them a little longer, checking regularly so they don't burn.

 

Do I need to parboil roast potatoes first?

Not for every style of roasted potato, but I strongly recommend it for the classic British roast dinner version. Parboiling softens the outside, allowing you to rough up the edges and create a crisp, craggy crust while keeping the middle fluffy.

 

What is the best fat for roast potatoes?

Goose fat is my favourite for a traditional roast dinner, but beef dripping, duck fat and chicken fat all work beautifully. Olive oil, sunflower oil and rapeseed oil are good plant-based alternatives. The most important thing is to heat your chosen fat properly and avoid overcrowding the tin.

 

What are the best potatoes for roasting?

Maris Piper and King Edward are excellent choices in the UK, while Kerr's Pink and Golden Wonder are particularly good options in Ireland. In the US, Russet potatoes are a useful floury alternative. Look for a variety that softens around the edges when parboiled but still holds its shape.

 

Can I make roast potatoes ahead of time?

Yes. You can peel, parboil and rough up the potatoes ahead of time, then allow them to steam-dry. If you're not roasting them shortly afterwards, cool them promptly and refrigerate within two hours, in line with Food Standards Agency guidance. When you're ready to cook, transfer them to a properly heated roasting tin with hot fat. For the best texture, serve the finished potatoes straight from the oven.

 

Should I peel potatoes for roasting?

It's a matter of preference, but I always peel mine for a traditional roast dinner. Removing the skins makes it easier to rough up the surface after parboiling, helping to create those lovely crisp edges. Skin-on potatoes work well for a more rustic style of roasting.

 

Final Thoughts

There is nothing particularly complicated about good roast potatoes, but there is a world of difference between potatoes that are merely roasted and potatoes that are properly crisp, fluffy and worth reaching for first. A little care and patience go a long way, and the results are well worth the effort.

 

After all, if there is a true heart of the Sunday roast, I suspect it might just be the potatoes. And life's too short to settle for pale, apologetic ones.

 

 

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