Cooking roast potatoes can be a lengthy task. They need to be baked for at least one hour until they turn crispy, which is why many home cooks have turned to savvy recipes that achieve a crunchy exterior in less time. Part-boiling spuds with baking soda and vinegar are among the most popular methods, as is “chuffing”, where you shake air-dried potatoes after they’ve been boiled.

Piping hot oil is another quick way to crisp up roasties, but there’s a danger that they will turn soggy if you boil them or coat the oil incorrectly. Experts at Good Food say lakclustre roast potatoes will be “a thing of the past” with a “clever” recipe that uses an extra ingredient. There’s no need for vinegar, flour, cornstarch or baking soda, but you will need butter.

There’s no danger in spending hours cooking roast potatoes only to find them soggy or too soft.

This recipe promises roasties with “a fluffy middle and golden, crisp exterior” in one hour and 35 minutes, including preparation time.

Good Food members have given the recipe five stars, with one commenting: “Absolutely delicious, the best roast potatoes I’ve ever made.” A second noted: “Fantastic, crispy potatoes! I’ve never been able to get them crispy like this before.”

Crunchy roast potatoes recipe

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg Maris Piper potatoes, cut into quarters, peelings reserved
• Four tbsp rapeseed oil
• 50g butter
• Half a bunch of lemon thyme
• Six garlic cloves, lightly bashed
• One tbsp sea salt

How to cook roast potatoes

A hot oven is essential for all kinds of roast potatoes, regardless of what you’re cooking them in.

First, heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 8, then add the oil to a large flameproof baking tray and place it in the oven to heat up.

Fill a large saucepan with salted water and bring it to the boil on the hob. Add the chopped potatoes and the peelings, which add extra flavour, and leave to simmer for eight to 10 minutes.

Carefully drain the cooked potatoes in a colander and discard the peelings. Allow the spuds to steam-dry for 15 minutes in the colander, then return the potatoes to the pan, put the lid on, and gently shake to lightly rough up the edges.

Remove the tray of oil from the oven and place it directly on the hob over a medium heat. Carefully add the butter to the hot oil and, using tongs, add the potatoes to the tray, one by one.

Slowly turn them in the fat as you add them to the tray, leaving a little space between them.

Reduce the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Place the lemon thyme and garlic amongst the potatoes, then sprinkle with sea salt.

Allow the potatoes to cook in the oven for one hour, turning every once in a while, until golden and crisp.