I made roast potatoes last night! I love the shake-it-in-the-pot trick - I'll have to use that next time. My secret was to roast them, um, underneath a chicken. Or around the sides. I put the chicken in when I started boiling the potatoes, and then threw the potatoes in the baking pan when they were parboiled. Because the only thing better than making potatoes with duck fat is making potatoes with chicken deliciousness seeping in, right?

Ah, the old shaky pan method - I think it's the preferred method for most Brits when it comes to roast potatoes. So much so that it never even crossed my mind that you might roast them without shaking...!

A few years back Cook's Illustrated published a recipe for roasted potatoes that simplifies it with one less step. Once you have tossed the cut potatoes in your fat of choice and sasoned them with herbs, salt and pepper, place them in a non-stick baking dish and cover tightly with foil. Into the hot oven for 12 minutes or so to have them cook in their own moisture without browning. Then remove the foil, put them back in the oven and proceed to brown them on the cut sides as in your recipe. I think you'll like this way of cooking them, too. With one less pot to clean. JB

I made these on Sunday with some Goose Fat I smuggled in from the UK. Fred loves them. It's the British way of doing them, for sure. I can't personally attribute them to Pascale, though, In CA they are known as "Sam's potatoes", but really, it is Delia Smith to whom we all have to be indebted, I think.

I'd never heard this tip before, thanks for sharing! TTK - that's a great acronym :)

How interesting! I am also someone who loves the simplistic, and I don't aspire to be told I shoudl open my own restaurant. Mastering the basics could last a lifetime.

I'm with Sam, Delia and Nigella (not the seeds). Goose fat every time. The best I ever had were cooked with the fat from a couple of jars of confit d'oie.

What temperature should one use of a standard oven? I've heard of, much less seen, an oven whose temperature gradations are anything less than 25 degrees each. Therefore, the only options are 400F or 425F.

We always roast our potatoes under the broiler. They get crispy on the outside and stay creamy on the inside.

Oh I'll have to try these. My current method is to follow the New Best Recipes baked French fry recipe and simply use potato wedges instead. It does involve roasting the quartered potatoes. But half the time they are covered to help them get soft and delicious on the inside - probably the same thing the boiling does for your version. Then finish them off by uncovering and browning. I feel a side by side recipe trial coming on!

Great new trick! - I can't wait to try it!

I have also found that if you smash the parboiled potatoes slightly with the palm of your hand (so that the skin splits but the potatoes stay whole) and then roast in a very high oven (475-500) in a decent amount of olive oil or duck fat, you get a similar effect - crusty and crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside! (I like to squeeze a little lemon and sprinkle some Maldon on top as well!)

I love potatoes.

That is the way i have been doing roast potatoes for a long time now since Darina Allen enlightened us here in the south of Ireland, in Cork! I parboil the quantity, shake them in a sieve, and place them in hot goose fat or oil and roast them for 20 mins or so depending on size.My fan oven does them at 180/200 degrees c.

Wait, no rosemary? I think that might be sacrilege!

I think the "truc" of shaking the pan must be a typically British thing, as I wouldn't dream of trying to roast potatoes without! My mother sometimes sprinkles hers with flour, too, but I don't.

This is indeed the best way to go - they look delightful. Heston Blumenthal has a recipe in 'In Search of Perfection' which is similar - but he boils his for 20 minutes first, trying to get them as fuzzy as possible. He sometimes sprinkles flour on them too. And the choice of fat makes a big difference - olive oil is fine, but duck or goose fat is sublime.

Mmmmm splendid crust. Fabulous.

These are simply the best I've ever had! Thank you!

I also apsire to be the kind of cook who is trusted to put a delicious and well rounded meal on the table! The kind of cook all my friends look forward to coming over for dinner ;)

Shaking is a must! Goose fat is truly exceptional... do you want to know one more secret to make them extra crunchy?! Read about the main course here.
Who doesn't love roast potatoes, I ask you? :))

Hello Clotilde,
I am not surprised to see so many comments here - so soon! Well-roasted potatoes are heaven-on-earth, but few can do this well. My neighbors, (British), are true gourmet potato connoisseurs. They have been tutoring me on the subject, and I am an enthusiastic student! So thank you for this post, by the time I have a garden full of fresh spuds, I will hopefully be a roasting expert !
All the best to you,
Michaela

The Portuguese have a potato method, which though not roasted, is delicious. They are called "batatas a murro" or smashed potatoes. Boil small potatoes in their jackets until done. Remove and cool. Flatten them with your palm, not too flat. The potato skin will break, of course. Heat a little olive oil and brown the potatoes on both sides until crusty. Sprinkle with sea salt.

OK, so here's the lowdown from someone whose roast potatoes ALWAYS elicit gasps of delight:
Parboil potatoes. If they are floury potatoes, parboil until they are just fluffy on the outside. If they are more waxy they'll need a little bit longer. Drain, shake well in the pan and leave to steam for a bit. If the potatoes are waxy and don't rough up when you shake them, add a sprinkling of flour (and a bit of parmesan for added crisp). Heat some goose fat in a roasting dish until very hot. Olive oil works too, but you might want to add some garlic cloves and rosemary for extra flavour. When the fat is really hot, add the potatoes, and stir to coat them well with hot fat. Return to a very hot oven for about an hour. Half way through cooking you can take them out and squash the potatoes down with a masher. This increases the surface area, giving you more crunchy crispness.
NB: while potatoes will roast well in the same pan as a chicken, if you put them on a rack above a roast they will steam rather than roast, so if you don't have space in the chicken pan, it's better to roast them in the top oven if you have one.

My father does this basically your way --- but instead of a roasting pan he uses a cast iron skillet. Preheat the iron before you put in the shaken potatoes, toss in fat, season then pop in oven as normal. A nice crust forms on the bottoms as well as the tops. Also nice with a bit of garlic and rosemary.

Hi Clotilde,

the nature of the end product sounds like french fries (crusty on the outside and fluffy on the inside), so i was thinking whether they could be prepared in the same manner: baked at 325F and then quickly fried at 375F, all in oil?

In addition,before putting the dish in the oven, if you add rosemary and garlic slices (or even better garlic flavoured oil to prevent burnt garlic pieces), it will make your potatoes taste heavenly!

Here, I parboil, and drain in a plastic sieve: that roughens the surfaces enough. Then back into the pot with a dash of olive oil (or duck/goose fat), stir around so that the oil coats the potatoes, and into the oven, either with the roast or (if space/sauce does not permit) in their own dish. Increasing the surface area for roasting is the only way.

I do exactly this, but...

When the fat in the baking sheet is hot, I pour it onto the shaken potatoes in the saucepan. This means you can shake the potatoes about a second time, ensuring they are truly covered in the fat, before returning them to the baking sheet.

Hungry just thinking about it.

Another Brit here who uses this method, and a variant which I think works even better: instead of shaking in the pan, drain the parboiled potatoes in a plastic colander (one with big holes), and then shake the potatoes in the colander. The potatoes get seriously beaten up, but shouldn't fall apart.

I cannot remember the name of the potato we had for roast at christmas, but they were fantastic, and did not need shaking at all. They were the best roast potatoes I have ever made. Crispy on the outside and soooo soft in the middle.

Thanks for sharing! I can't wait to try this method, though, as an Italian, I find British roasties always a bit overcooked for my tastes. My fault, I know.. By the way, a Claudia Roden's tip I just discovered: mix hot from the oven baked potatoes with a chopped coriander and lemon juice, and serve cold as an appetizer (if you can wait for them to cool). Sounds a bit unusual, but the result is addictive!

I had never heard the " shaking-in-the-pan" before... Thanks for sharing this trick; I'll definitively give it a try soon. But yes, goose or duck fat work REALLY well...

The German technique is to cook the whole potatoes in water, then slice, then roast. It's the same principal, in that it gives you a rough edge that will get nice and browned, but this British version sounds easier!

Constance & Clotilde - I think you are talking past each other a little. The 25 F increments that Constance's oven provides are just a little more than 10 C. But really, unless you have a an oven thermometer in there, I wouldn't count on anything more than 30 C accuracy.

British reader here too and the shake in the pan is a MUST! I also adhere to Nigella Lawson's tip of shaking with a little seasoned flour or semolina to help the crust along.

There is an excellent Guardian article testing out Delia Smith, Nigella Lawson, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Heston Blumenthal's methods.

I think the Brits have spent years mastering the techniques involved in making perfect roast potatoes - I guess the whole 'Sunday roast' thing is our national dish. Floury, rather than waxy, potatoes should be used, and another tip - after bashing them in the colander or pan, leave them to cool until they have stopped steaming, so they go into the hot oil dry. That's a tip I picked up from Nigella Lawson and other food writers, and it works well.

These look wonderful. I am on the quest for the perfect roast potatoes this year also and just discovered how shaking the potatoes in the pan will make them fuzzy which will, in turn make them crispy... I will definitely be trying this recipe...

Yes, the parboil then shake technique is embedded in British cookery now. I have no idea where it came from, but I think I first saw it from Delia Smith, and every TV cook does it now - Nigella Lawson, Heston Blumenthal, Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsey...

It works, but I'm odd and prefer a slightly softer finish, so I tend to do a slight variation where I parboil, then drain in a colander (reserving the liquid for use in gravy-making, if gravy will be made) and dump them into a roasting tin which has not already been filled with hot fat. This tames the crispiness a bit and gets me my preferred result.

Well, mostly. Sometimes I do fancy crispy, so bring on the shaking and the extremely hot oil! I do get nervous doing that when the cat's taking an interest in my cookery though.

Is there another way to do them?!

I've always done them like this and it works every time! You do have to heat the oil up first (I use olive oil with a small nob of butter) and I usually keep the roasting tin on a low/med flame on the hob whilst I put the potatoes in and roll them in the oil to coat them. If I'm cooking meat, I prefer to put the roasties in the small oven so that they go crisp rather than steam!
Enjoy! :)

whoever said "no rosemary" above....i know! how sad...

but the recette looks delicious, all the same. i've never been a huge potato person, but with winter's lousy vegetables getting me down, i may convert...

While my method lacks the fun factor of vigorous pan-shaking (!), my family's roasted potato secret is the convection oven. Tossed with plenty of olive oil, salt, and pepper and convected until golden, they reach that sublime soft-crusty balance!

Wow, I simply love techniques like this. Just a few tweaks and the entire dish changes. I am definitely going to try this out. SHAKE the pan! Who knew?!

Its an art :]

Jillian

I really like potatoes especially if they are mashed and of course, roasted! It has been a childhood favorite!

Now I know what I'll be eating for lunch today!... I have some duck fat left in the fridge, this is going to be delicious :D

Try adding a bit of olive oil & salt when you shake the potatoes. (I don't shake, I just mix it together for a while) Then roast, the salt help to rough up the surface more, and you get a better roasting area. The olive oil adds a little more flavor & helps w/browning.

I use that shake in the pot trick even when I make mashed potatoes. It dries them out nicely. I think you've finally found the perfect roasted potato!

Your first paragraph are my sentiments exactly. I just could not have written it as well as you have. The words flow so well for you. I love good roasted potatoes with a crust and will be eager to try the tip that you have shared with us.

I want some right now!

Great technique! It sometimes still amazes me how sometimes the simplest things make all the difference.

Everyone loves roasted potatoes, but not sure how to make it better. Thanks for the tip!!

I made these last night with sea salt and olive oil and they were divine. Thanks for the tip!

BTW, nobody has mentioned varieties of potatoes for roasting - someone does mention floury potatoes being better than waxy potatoes but many swear by Maris Piper. Personally, I prefer King Edwards.

You've changed my potato-loving world. Thank you! Where, in Paris, can I buy duck fat? What is it called in French?

I never thought about the duck fat...Looking forward to try this as soon as I can find some duck fat...

Thanks for the tips,
Miles

A few other tips with this method:

- if your oven is fan-forced, turn that on, it helps the browning
- counter-intuitively, the less fat/oil you use, the crispier
- a sprinkle of rosemary over the top is a nice variation

Niall

Oh yum! I love roasted potatoes - well, really, potatoes of nearly any kind:) I'll be roasting some this afternoon!

A lesson to us all, when you need a good recipe for something simple, go to the cultural experts! Thanks Clotilde, for your consistently fabulous blog...I never miss a post!

Thank you for this great recipe, Clotilde. I tried it yesterday night – to fantastic results!! I added two teespoon of olive oil to the saucepan before shaking the potatoes – that worked out great! All the potatoes got covered with oil an the crust turned out perfect. I'll definetely stick to this technique...

This is the way that virtually all Brits make roast potatoes! It also works if, after par boiling, you shake them in a metal colander - that's the way I do it.

Made exactly as you instructed, turned out beautifully. Thanks!

ah yes, the jamie oliver potato fuzz. :) delicious!

Oh, these look wonderful. I love roasted potatoes, and these instructions are great. I'll be trying this out!

These do indeed look perfect. I want some right now! Thanks for the tips and information! I love your blog

oh how i love roasted potatoes. i dont even like fries as much

Clotilde, I followed your recipe a couple of nights ago and they were fantastic! A lovely crunchy crust, and soft and fluffy on the inside. I added a few whole cloves of garlic when I boiled the potatoes, and then roasted the potatoes and the garlic cloves with a couple of fresh bay leaves in olive oil, and they were spectacular! Thanks for the tip.

This is great! I have always been not successful in making a nice roast potatoes...I have to try the shaking technique and the duck fat.

It does seem a British phenomenon. Delia Smith has this method of making the potatoes, with saffron. It is to be found in the US version of "How to Cook" (DK Publishing, 1 volume, from 2001), on pate 186. It is delicious.

I tried this with sweet potatoes and it worked very well -- it needs a little less time in the hot water, though, so that the shaking stage doesn't destroy the potatoes. Say, three minutes instead of five?

Roast potatoes are like mothers milk to me - yes in Australia we learnt well from our british foremothers - I parboil but don't shake mine in the pan as I prefer to leave skins on - I also have them in large chunks and roast them for well over an hour as I love them really crispy - in Australia we also put some pumpkin in the pan - it doesn't need to be peeled or parboiled, just cut into chunks and it is wonderful with a roast dinner

Thank you for a tired & true technique for good simple food.

I did the potatoes exactly like the recipe AND drizzled white truffle olive oil to finish 'em off. So YUMMY!

My wife's uncle (Brit) makes this amazing (best in Canada). I've just started to perfect my own recipe for these wonderful roasted potatoes, but I'm still to match his.

happy cooking

chris...

I do them the same way. I just love the taste.

Another Brit chiming in to say this is how I grew up making them, too - I remember both of my Grandmothers doing this (they would both have learned to cook in the 1920s, so well before Delia!)

As a Brit and fan of Delia, glad that the potato shaking tip seems so successful - I definitely learnt it from Delia so big it up for her

I also cook roast potatoes like this all the time but I like to add one more step - I add a tablespoon or thereabouts of semolina or rice flour or maize flour to the roughened potatoes or spuds as we call them in Ireland and give them one last shake before they go in the hot fat! Yum yum yum!

Yeah, I think your friend's mother-in-law has Jamie Oliver to thank for that one. Old news.

Wowsa! This recipe has revolutionized my roasted potatoes. Who knew such a simple trick could do so much... I actually restrained myself and had some leftovers, and even they were still crispy and delicious the next day! Wahoo! :)

Made these tonight for my 2,5 year old daughter and myself - YUMMY!!! They were fantastic! Thanks for sharing.
Oh, and also, this months'desk top saver is really beautiful. I love the orange and pale blue contrasting colors ;-)

Thank you for posting this recipe! Since you introduced me to the boil-shake-roast technique, I have made these potatoes at least a dozen times. My favorite seasoning for these is smoked Spanish paprika... I would eat the whole pan if not for the thought of my husband's disappointment!