I Tried the Roasted Potato Recipe That Crashed Ina Garten’s Website (2024)

FAQs

Should you boil potatoes before roasting? ›

Do I have to boil potatoes before roasting? Not necessary but this can help get the perfect consistency and crispiness. Make sure you boil them but leave them a bit al dente and they will crisp up perfectly in the oven.

Wash the potatoes and place them directly on the oven baking rack. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until very tender when pierced with a skewer. When the potatoes are done, cut them down the middle and squeeze both ends. Place a slice of butter in the middle of the potato, sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve hot.

Preheat an air fryer to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Rub potatoes with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parsley. Place potatoes in the air fryer basket. Cook in the preheated air fryer until potatoes are soft, 40 to 50 minutes, depending on potato size.

1. Roasting raw potatoes. Simply tossing raw potatoes into the pan before roasting will guarantee tough results because the high water content will steam out over the course of a long cooking time.

Yes! Soak the potatoes in cold water to remove the excess starch from the outside of the potato. There are a few reasons why you want to remove that starch (it makes the potatoes burn, it keeps them from crisping up, it turns to sugar) but all you really need to remember is to soak them at least one hour.

The potatoes cook on the inside when you parboil, so the baking time is basically crisping them up to perfection, which we do at a high oven temperature. If the potatoes are raw, when you use a high temperature, the outside of the potatoes will burn before the inside cooks.

But one of the reasons why restaurant baked potatoes taste so good is because kitchens know that using wire racks or oven grates allows all sides of the spuds to be exposed to hot air. Using a sheet pan or even foil only increases the likelihood that your potatoes will not be cooked evenly.

Some say wrapping baked potatoes in aluminum foil helps them cook faster (aluminum conducts heat, then traps it), and it does keep them hot for longer once they come out of the oven, which is why we think restaurants use this method. Wrapping potatoes will also give you a softer, steamed skin, if that's what you like.

Rub the skin with vegetable oil. Sprinkle with salt. Pierce the skin of the potato in several places with the tines of a fork. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the sides are soft when pressed.

Crispy outside and fluffy inside, an air fryer baked potato is the BEST way to cook potatoes. Faster than the oven and perfect for toppings!

What happens if you don t soak potatoes before air frying? ›

I wouldn't bother doing potatoes from the raw state, without soaking. It will take about a half an hour and the texture won't be nearly as rewarding. They just don't get very crispy without that cold soak.

Once you've washed your spuds you need to dry them thoroughly. If you don't then excess moisture can seep into your potato while it's being cooked and result in a soggy skin.

Preheat the fat. While the potatoes parboil, add the oil or butter to the roasting pan, transfer it to the warm oven, and heat it for about 5 minutes before adding the potatoes. This allows the outside of the potatoes to crisp up nicely and not just absorb the cold fat when you put them in the oven.

Don't crowd the pan: Once you add your potatoes to the baking sheet — very important — be sure that they are laying in an even, single layer. If they are overlapping on top of each other, the potatoes on the bottom won't have the chance to get as crispy. So go for an even layer and try not to completely crowd the pan.

First things first, it's important to not overcrowd the tray, with Curtis saying: “you can't put too many potatoes in the tray because they will steam. You want them to be dry, and that's how you get them crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside.”

Parboiling helps soften the potato insides before the roasting begins, so you won't be tempted to burn the outsides in exchange for less undercooked insides. Boil the potato chunks for eight to 10 minutes—they won't be fully cooked, but they'll be ready for the next step.

A general rule of thumb is to parboil potatoes until they are fork-tender but not falling apart, this can range anywhere from 15 minutes for small potatoes to 25-30 minutes for large whole potatoes.

Boil them the day before or up to five days before, so they completely dry out and absorb the fat better. Once they are cooked, drain them thoroughly, then leave them on a cooling rack so that they can fully dry out on all sides. Refridgerating them overnight is a bonus.

First things first, it's important to not overcrowd the tray, with Curtis saying: “you can't put too many potatoes in the tray because they will steam. You want them to be dry, and that's how you get them crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside.”