Roast Potatoes are a fairly recent invention as far as food history goes. Cooks have been putting potatoes near a fire for centuries, but the trick of parboiling them first, then roughing up the outside before they hit a hot tray, only became common kitchen wisdom in the last hundred years or so. It is less a recipe than a piece of technique: batter the surface of a half-cooked potato enough and that ragged starch turns into a shattering crust once it meets real heat.
We roast ours in a hot bath of Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil rather than butter. Butter browns and catches long before a tray gets hot enough to crisp a potato properly, so it never gets a look in here – the oil takes the heat, the potato takes the crunch.
Get the technique right once and it barely changes from tray to tray. Here is how we do it.
Roast Potatoes
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan).
- Peel the potatoes and cut into even, fist-sized chunks. Rinse under cold water to remove excess surface starch.
- Put the potatoes into a large pot of salted water with the bicarbonate of soda. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are just starting to soften.
- Drain well in a colander and leave for a minute or two to steam-dry. Give the colander a firm shake so the potato edges rough up and fluff.
- Pour the Wilson's Extra Virgin Olive Oil into a large roasting tray and place it in the hot oven for 5 minutes, until the oil is shimmering hot.
- Carefully tip the potatoes into the hot oil (it will spit) and turn them with a spoon to coat every side.
- Roast for 20 minutes, then turn the potatoes over. Tuck in the garlic and rosemary if using.
- Roast for a further 25-30 minutes, turning once more, until deep golden and crisp on every edge.
- Season with flaky salt as soon as they come out of the oven, while the oil is still hot enough for it to stick.
Notes
We Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Roast Potatoes live or die on how hot the fat is the moment the potatoes land in it. A tray of Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil heated until it shimmers can take a 220°C oven without smoking or turning bitter, which means the outside of the potato starts crisping the second it touches the tray rather than slowly steaming its way there.
It also gets right into every rough edge you created when you shook up the colander. Those torn, fluffy bits of potato are what turn deep gold and shatter under a fork, and they need a fat that can flow into every crack rather than just sitting on the surface.
No butter means no burnt milk solids on the tray either – just clean, even colour on every potato.
Our Tips
Choose a floury potato – a starchy variety falls apart slightly at the edges when parboiled, which is exactly what you want for crunch.
Don’t skip the bicarbonate of soda – a pinch in the parboiling water raises the pH slightly and helps break down the potato surface even further.
Rough them up properly – a firm shake in the colander until the edges look slightly mashed is not a mistake, it’s the whole point.
Heat the oil before the potatoes go in – five minutes in a hot oven until it shimmers means the crust starts forming immediately.
Give them space on the tray – overcrowded potatoes steam each other instead of crisping, so use two trays if you need to.
Salt them the moment they come out – salt sticks best while the oil is still hot and glossy on the surface.
How We Serve It
These sit alongside just about anything that comes out of an oven or off a braai. A roast chicken and a pile of these is a proper Sunday plate, but they are just as at home next to grilled boerewors or a piece of pan-fried fish on a weeknight.
A small bowl of mayonnaise or aioli on the side turns them into the main event on their own, which is not a bad way to spend a Thursday evening.
However you plate them, get them to the table quickly. That first-out-of-the-oven crunch does not last long.
More Ways to Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Once you’ve got a bottle of Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil open, it earns its keep well beyond a roasting tray.
Other roast vegetables — carrots, butternut and parsnip all crisp up the same way in a hot tray of oil.
A quick pasta supper — it’s the whole base of our Spaghetti with Garlic and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Jacket potatoes — rubbed into the skin before baking, the way it works in our 4 Brilliant Jacket Potato Fillings.
Salad dressings — whisked with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt, it needs almost nothing else.
Bread on the table — poured into a shallow dish with a scrape of black pepper for dipping.
The Good Stuff About These Roast Potatoes
“Extra virgin” is a grade, not just a name on the label. It means the oil was extracted mechanically, using pressure alone, with no heat or chemical solvents, and that it falls below a strict acidity threshold. That process is what preserves the peppery, slightly grassy character extra virgin oils are known for, and why one holds its own against a hot tray of potatoes rather than disappearing into them.
Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil is Halaal and Kosher certified, and suitable for vegan, vegetarian and Hindu diets. It comes in 250ml, 500ml, 750ml, 1L and 5L bottles, with case options for anyone stocking up.
Store it in a cool, dark place and it will keep for up to two years, ready for the next tray whenever it’s needed.
Ways to Change It Up
Add garlic and rosemary – tuck bruised cloves and a few sprigs in among the potatoes for the last 25 minutes of roasting.
Turn up the heat – swap in Wilson’s Peri-Peri Flavoured Oil for the final toss to send them out spicy.
Dust with semolina – tossed through with the potatoes before roasting, it adds an extra layer of crunch.
Use the air fryer – parboiled and oiled potatoes crisp up in about 25 minutes at 200°C, shaken once halfway.
Try sweet potato – the same parboil-and-rough-up method works, just cut the boiling time by a few minutes.
Finish with herbs – a scatter of chopped parsley or thyme leaves straight after salting adds colour and freshness.
Questions You Might Have
What’s the best potato for Roast Potatoes?
A floury variety works best. In South Africa, Up To Date potatoes or a Mnandi variety both parboil and crisp up well.
Why aren’t my roast potatoes crisping up?
Usually it’s one of two things: the oil wasn’t hot enough when the potatoes went in, or they weren’t roughed up enough after parboiling. Both steps matter as much as the oven temperature.
Can I parboil the potatoes ahead of time?
Yes. Parboil and rough them up, then cool and keep covered in the fridge for up to a day before roasting fresh in hot oil.
Can I freeze Roast Potatoes?
Cooked and cooled roast potatoes freeze well for up to two months. Reheat from frozen on a hot tray rather than defrosting first, so they crisp back up instead of going soft.
Can I make these in an air fryer?
Yes. Parboil and rough up the potatoes as usual, toss in oil, then air fry at 200°C for about 25 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through.
Why use olive oil instead of butter?
Butter’s milk solids catch and burn well before a tray gets hot enough to crisp a potato properly. Olive oil can take that heat without turning bitter, so the crust forms cleanly.
Where can I buy Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil?
It’s available to order directly from oliveoil.co.za and at leading retailers across South Africa.
Ready to Make This?
Get the oil hot, get the potatoes in, and let the tray do the rest.
More From Our Kitchen
4 Brilliant Jacket Potato Fillings — Cheesy Onion Soup — Wholesome Minestrone Soup — All Recipes
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