Roast potatoes are a very popular addition to Sunday Dinner here in the UK. Traditionally they are drenched in fat and crisped to perfection. My favourite method however is to create delicious roasties out of baby potatoes, with the skins still on. Using baby potatoes means each little potato can keep on the entirety of its skin. Keeping on the skin not only looks aesthetically pleasing, but it also means you get to eat more of their goodness. And the best part is, we can still make them crispy!
The tiniest amount of oil for baby roast potatoes
The lightest touch of oil (rather than drenching them in fat) makes them healthier. As you can see, they still go crispy too. Magic!
For 1kg (about 2lb) of baby potatoes, I am using about 2 to 3 teaspoons of oil. This is super minimal to keep them as healthy as possible. The oil helps to dissipate the salt and warming spices when tossing the potatoes prior to roasting. Once cooked, the potatoes do not feel greasy.
They taste incredible without the need for excess oil!
How to get baby roast potatoes crispy?
When roasted, these baby roasties have a gorgeous blend of crispy on the edges and soft in the middle.
To start with we need to boil the baby potatoes.
Before they go in the oven for roasting we are going to use a little trick to increase the surface area. We press them down ever so gently, either with our hand, a potato masher, or the bottom of a cup. This means pressing JUST enough to break open the skin and crush them slightly.
My favourite method is using my hand to press down ever so gently…
However, if they are piping hot then use a potato masher of the bottom of a jar or cup. Pressing GENTLY to pop the skins slightly. We don’t want mashed potatoes 😂
What this pressing does, is let some of the warming spices, salt, pepper permeate into each potato. This technique also creates some ragged edges that will go extra crispy. Yay!
Coating roasties with a hint of warming spices
I use smoked paprika and ground coriander to toss them in. This along with the sea salt and a generous twist of black pepper helps to create a thin layer of deliciousness. This method works remarkably well.
Baby roast potatoes with gravy
In case you are looking for a great gravy recipe, here is the gravy I use when I serve these potatoes…
Baby Roast Potatoes With The Skins On
This is a healthier take on crispy baby roast potatoes. We keep them healthy by using the tiniest amount of oil. They are dressed with a couple of warming spices and roasted to perfection. Absolutely delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 kg baby potatoes
- Large twist black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2-3 teaspoons sesame oil (or any oil)
Instructions
- Make sure that your baby roast potatoes are clean. Cut off any bits that are not good before boiling them in water.
- They are boiled when you can pierce a fork through the potatoes. Cooking time will be around 15 minutes, although this will be less if your baby potatoes are extra tiny.
- Once boiled, drain off the water thoroughly.
- You can leave them to cool down and then roast them later. If you are in a hurry then move on to the next step right away.
- The next step is to 'pop' or break the skins on the potatoes SLIGHTLY. This allows extra surface area for crisping up. It also lets the spices permeate into the potatoes.
- The best way to break them is to gently press them down with the pads of your fingers. If they are still piping hot, use a potato masher or the bottom of a jar to press them instead. Be careful not to crush too fiercely. Press GENTLY so that you only slightly crush whilst breaking the skin as in this photo...
- Put the potatoes onto a baking tray.
- Sprinkle on the salt, pepper, ground coriander, and smoked paprika.
- Add a drizzle of oil.
- Toss everything in. The best way to do this is with your hands. You can, however, use a spoon instead, but hands are recommended to ensure even coating of the spices and less breaking of potatoes. You may experience more breakage of potatoes if you use a spoon.
- Put them into a pre-heated oven for around 45 minutes. Use a hot temperature such as 200 - 220C on a fan oven (400F - 430F). This intense roasting heat allows for more crispiness. Ovens vary so adjust according to whether yours is highly efficient or not.
- Shake the tray once or twice during the roasting period.
- The roast potatoes are ready when they start to crisp up.
- Serve immediately with a roast dinner. They also serve nicely cold with salad or other meals if you have leftovers.
Pin baby roast potatoes with the skins on for later…
These were utterly fabulous! My family adored them. Thank you!
Yay – delighted to hear it Miriyam 🙂