These best ever roast potatoes are perfectly golden and crispy on the outside, while staying light and fluffy in the middle. Whether you're making a Sunday roast, Christmas dinner or simply want the ultimate side dish, this method delivers perfect roast potatoes every time using just a handful of simple ingredients.
The secret isn't expensive ingredients or lots of oil, it's all in the technique. Parboiling the potatoes in stock adds incredible flavour, while roughing up the edges creates those irresistible crispy bits once roasted. They can be cooked in either the oven or an air fryer, making them easy to fit into whatever kitchen setup you have. Once you've tried this method, you'll never want to make roast potatoes any other way.
Calories in Roast Potatoes
This recipe serves 5 and is 169 calories per serving.
If you're looking for more recipes by calories, you'll find plenty of options grouped by calorie range here: Slimming Eats Low Calorie Recipes
If you're following a calorie-controlled diet or a healthy eating plan, it's important to calculate your daily calorie needs using a reliable calorie calculator. The calorie counts provided are estimates and can vary depending on the exact ingredients and portion sizes you use. Using your own calculations helps ensure you're meeting your individual needs. A calorie calculator can help you make informed choices and stay on track with your goals.
See the recipe card for full nutritional estimation.
Ingredients Notes
To make this recipe you will need the following ingredients:
- Russet Potatoes: Russets are my preferred choice as they're a floury potato that gives beautifully crispy outsides and fluffy centres. Maris Piper, King Edward or any similar floury potato will also work well.
- Sea Salt: Season the potatoes generously before roasting to really bring out their flavour.
- Chicken or Vegetable Stock: Parboiling the potatoes in stock instead of water adds incredible flavour and is one of the key steps to making these roast potatoes extra delicious. Use vegetable stock to keep the recipe vegetarian.
- Cooking Oil Spray: I like to use avocado oil spray because of its high smoke point, but any cooking oil spray suitable for high-temperature cooking will work. Tossing the potatoes in the spray oil before roasting helps coat them evenly and achieve that perfect golden, crispy finish.
Once you've gathered all the ingredients and prepared them accordingly, you're all set to create this easy and delightful recipe.
See the recipe card for specific quantities and instructions.
Tips for Cooking Roast Potatoes
Here are my tips for making the best ever roast potatoes:
- Choose a floury potato: Floury varieties, such as Russets, roast up beautifully with crispy edges and fluffy centres.
- Parboil in stock: Cooking the potatoes in stock instead of plain water adds an amazing depth of flavour right from the start.
- Rough up the edges: Once drained, give the potatoes a shake in a metal sieve or colander. Those rough edges are what become deliciously crispy in the oven.
- Coat evenly with oil: Toss the potatoes in a bowl with the spray oil first, then spray them once they're on the tray too. This helps coat every potato evenly.
- Season generously: A good sprinkling of sea salt before roasting makes all the difference.
- Don't overcrowd the tray: Leave plenty of space between the potatoes. If they're too close together, they'll steam instead of roast and won't crisp up properly.
- Use a hot tray: Adding the potatoes to a preheated baking tray helps them start crisping up immediately.
- Turn halfway through cooking: This helps all sides become evenly golden and crispy.
- Air fryer or oven: These roast potatoes work brilliantly in either, so use whichever method suits you best.
Serving Suggestions
These best ever roast potatoes are a must-have for any roast dinner, but they're just as delicious served alongside all kinds of meals throughout the week.
- Serve with a traditional Sunday roast of roast beef, chicken, turkey, pork or lamb.
- Pair with Yorkshire puddings, homemade gravy, stuffing, roast vegetables and all your favourite roast dinner trimmings.
- Add plenty of vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, green beans, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower cheese or peas.
- They're the perfect side dish for steak, grilled chicken, pork chops, sausages or meatloaf.
- Serve alongside BBQ favourites, including burgers, ribs, grilled chicken or kebabs.
- Pair with grilled or baked fish for an easy family dinner.
- Enjoy with slow-cooked meats, casseroles or stews to soak up all those delicious sauces.
- They also make a great accompaniment to vegetarian dishes, such as nut roast, vegetable wellington or mushroom pie.
Storing and Reheating
To Store: Allow the roast potatoes to cool completely, then transfer them to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To Reheat: Reheat in a preheated oven or air fryer until piping hot and crisp again. Avoid microwaving if possible, as they will lose their crispiness.
More Side Dish Recipes
Looking for some more side dish ideas? Check out these:
See more Side Recipes →
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Recipe Card
Best Ever Roast Potatoes
These best ever roast potatoes are perfectly golden and crispy on the outside, light and fluffy in the middle, and the perfect side dish for roast dinners and all your favourite meals.
Ingredients
- 1kg (2.25lbs) of russet potatoes (or similar potatoes)
- 1 teaspoon of coarse sea salt
- 960ml (4 cups) of chicken or vegetable stock
- cooking oil spray (I used avocado)
Instructions
Oven Method:
- Peel potatoes and chop to the desired size.
- Add to a saucepan, just cover with the stock.
- Bring to a boil, then turn off heat, cover and leave for 5 mins.
- Preheat oven to 200c fan, 220c, 425f (gas mark 7)
- Drain and in batches rough up the edges with the metal sieve.
- Add to a bowl. Spray with spray oil, toss, spray again with spray oil, season with sea salt and toss once more.
- Spread out on a large baking tray lined with foil or parchment paper (not too close together), and bake in the oven for approx 40-45 mins until lovely and crisp and golden (take out half way through to rotate).
- Serve and enjoy
Airfryer Method:
- Peel potatoes and chop to the desired size.
- Add to a saucepan, just cover with the stock.
- Bring to a boil, then turn off heat, cover and leave for 5 mins.
- Drain and in batches rough up the edges with the metal sieve.
- Add to a boil spray generously with spray oil, season with the salt and toss to coat.
- Add to a air fryer basket (split between two basket is a dual air fryer) and cook on 200c or 400f for 30 minutes, shake basket half way through cooking time and spray again with spray oil.
- Serve and enjoy
Notes
Please see below for full nutritional info and additional details about recipe:
- Calories - scroll down to nutritional info box
- WW Points and other Slimming or Weight Loss programs - due to plans regularly changing and updating, we recommend calculating with the official tools you get as a member to those plans to ensure accuracy of values.
- Gluten Free/Dairy Free Friendly - use gluten free stock
- Vegetarian Friendly/Vegan Friendly - use vegetable stock
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Nutrition Information
Yield
5Serving Size
1 SERVINGAmount Per Serving Calories 169Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gSodium 604mgCarbohydrates 37gFiber 3gSugar 1gProtein 5g
Nutritional information and values etc are an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only. Ingredients can vary greatly from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information. It is always advised that you calculate by the ingredients you use.
Jess says
I will be trying these along with the roast chicken you posted tonight and can't wait! Love your website for new recipes which keeps me so motivated!
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Enjoy!! - they are so yummy 🙂
Flora says
I can never get a nice crispy skin on my roast potatoes - I will definitely be giving these a go! Thank you for all the great recipe inspiration 🙂
Kira says
Can these be frozen? x
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Hi Kira, once cooked yes they should freeze fine. 🙂
Paul Whitehead says
When putting them in stock is that cold or already boiling ?
Thanks Paul.
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
depends if using a homemade stock or from cubes, if the later, you will need to using boiling to dissolve the cube.
Michael George Duffield says
I can never get these right, maybe the type of potatoes here in Spain.
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
possibly, you need a floury type of potatoes.
Helen says
Hi my air fryer is the same as yours but my potatoes end up like Just a mound of crumbs. Do you remove the rotating paddle before cooking? x
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Nope I leave the paddle in. Sounds like you may be parboiling for too long. Maybe also try a different variety of potato.
Dani says
These were incredible! Thank you 🙂
Linda walker says
Absolutely delicious