# Herb Roasted Potatoes in the Oven

> Potatoes come out crisp outside and fluffy inside through one step most people skip: **parboil for 10 minutes, then shake them in the pan** so the surface roughens. That rough surface is what crisps in the oven.

**American Cuisine · 70 min · 5 servings · 230 kcal per serving**

Roast potatoes go with anything, and the commonest complaint is that they come out soft with no crunch. The fix is a step from the English kitchen that is centuries old.

## Ingredients

- 1.5 kg — potatoes
- 0.25 cup — olive oil
- 1 tbsp — coarse salt
- 1 tsp — bicarbonate of soda
- 6 cloves — garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp — chopped rosemary
- 1 tsp — dried thyme
- 1 tsp — smoked paprika
- 0.5 tsp — black pepper
- 1 bunch — parsley

## Method

1. **Cut evenly** — Peel the potatoes and cut them into **even 4 cm pieces**. Different sizes mean some burn while others stay raw.
2. **Short parboil** — Boil them in salted water with **a teaspoon of bicarbonate** for **only 10 minutes**. The bicarbonate raises the alkalinity, which breaks down the potato surface and greatly increases the crisping.
3. **Steam dry** — Drain them and leave them in the colander for **3 minutes** so the steam escapes. A wet surface never crisps in the oven.
4. **The shake** — Return them to the dry pan, put the lid on and **shake hard five times**. The surface will be rough and slightly mashed — that is what becomes the crisp crust.
5. **Hot tray** — Heat the oven to **220°C with a tray of oil inside for 10 minutes**. Potatoes hitting hot oil start crisping from the first second.
6. **Roast with space** — Spread the potatoes in **a single layer with gaps between them** and roast for **35 minutes**, turning once halfway. Crowded, they steam instead of crisping.
7. **Herbs at the end** — Mix the garlic, rosemary and thyme with a spoonful of oil and toss them through in the last **5 minutes**. Garlic added at the start burns and turns bitter.

## Tips

- The shake after parboiling is the key step — the rough surface is what crisps.
- A teaspoon of bicarbonate in the boiling water noticeably increases the crunch.
- Hot tray and hot oil, with the potatoes in a single layer with gaps.
- Garlic and herbs in the last 5 minutes — from the start they burn and turn bitter.

## FAQ

### Why do my potatoes not crisp?
You did not parboil and shake them before roasting, or the tray was crowded. Boil for 10 minutes and shake them in the pan to rough up the surface, and spread them with gaps on a preheated tray.

### What does the bicarbonate do?
It raises the alkalinity of the boiling water, which breaks down the starch on the potato surface into a pasty layer. That layer turns into a golden, crisp crust in the oven.

### Can I use an air fryer?
Yes, and the result is excellent: same parboil and shake, then 190°C for 25 minutes, shaking every 8 minutes. Herbs and garlic in the last 4 minutes, exactly as in the oven.

---

Source: https://hanakoleah.com/en/american-cuisine/herb-roasted-potatoes-in-the-oven
Edited by: Marwa Mohamed
Last updated: 2026-09-13