Crispy Honey Garlic Roast Potatoes
What makes a good roast dinner? I’d say it is as dependent on a succulent slice of good quality, tender meat as the sides that accompany it. Mum used to lay a bed of carrots, potatoes, pumpkin, whole garlic bulbs and chunky zucchini seasoned lightly with honey and Chinese five-spice powder under a roast pork shoulder. The potatoes were never crispy, they were always fluffy, soft and a little on the greasy side. But the flavour of five-spice and honey with the potatoes is what made my heart sing. Then, I learnt how to make crispy potatoes and it just made sense to take those dreamy potatoes to the next level. Try these crispy, lightly sweet and aromatic potatoes and your heart will sing along with mine.
Total time: 90 minutes
Makes4 servings
Ingredients
- 600 grams (21 oz) high-starch potatoes, skin on, washed (see Tips)
- Salt
- 4 AUS tbsp or 80 ml or 1/3 US cup neutral oil (rice bran, grapeseed, vegetable)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated
- 1 AUS tbsp or 20 ml or 4 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- 2 to 3 AUS tbsp or 60 to 80 ml or ¼ to ⅓ US cup honey
SERVING- 2 AUS tbsp or 8 g or 2 US tbsp + 2 tsp finely sliced fresh chives
DIRECTIONS
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Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F).
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Slice the potatoes into quarters (or halves for smaller potatoes, roughly 4- to 5-cm [1½- to 2-inch] pieces) and rinse twice under cold water to remove any excess starch. Then, place the potatoes in a large pot, cover them with cold water and add two generous pinches of salt. Bring the potatoes to a boil and allow them to boil for 10 to 12 minutes, or until fork-tender.
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Drain the potatoes in a colander or sieve, and once the water has been drained off, shake the colander or sieve to scuff the surfaces of the potato. Then, place the potatoes on a wire rack over a tray or tea towel to cool completely; this may take approximately 15 minutes.
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While the potatoes are cooling, pour the oil into a large roasting tray and place it in the oven to preheat for 10 minutes. Once the oil is very hot and the potatoes are cold, carefully add the potatoes to the oil. Roast for 50 minutes to 1 hour, shaking the tray and turning over the potatoes halfway through.
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While the potatoes roast, mix together the garlic, five-spice powder and honey in a small bowl until well combined. Once the potatoes are roasted and crispy, remove the tray from the oven and drizzle the honey mixture all over the potatoes while still hot. Toss the potatoes to coat evenly. Season with a sprinkling of salt to taste.
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Transfer the potatoes to your serving plate and garnish with chives.
TIPS:
- High-starch potatoes (Maris Piper, King Edward, russet, Burbank varieties) produce a “fluffier” interior while being able to hold a crisp outer layer and are better suited to roasting.
- The potatoes must be cooled completely before roasting, otherwise the moisture from warm potatoes will create steam and make soggy, greasy potatoes.
- Your oven must be preheated, and the oil must be preheated before adding the cold potatoes in order to achieve maximum crispiness.
