On the Huffington Post I saw a video of The Food Lab presenting “The Best Roasted Potatoes ever.” I remember The American Test Kitchen did potatoes in a similar way. I tried it and got a good but slightly different result. In both recipes the potatoes get parboiled with a small amount of baking soda that breaks down the surface of the potato to like mashed. When the mashed gets roasted a crispy coating forms. The recipe is pretty easy and straight forward. I think the crust will differ depending on how long you parboil. The potatoes come out with a really nice crust and are filled with creamy soft potatoes almost like mashed.

Ingredients for about 8 generous servings

3 lbs poatoes

1 oz salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 quarts water

5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves – finely chopped

handful rosemary

salt

pepper

handful parsley

optional (my addition was just a tiny squirt of non-stick spray that I rubbed on very slightly because I don’t use non stick pans)

Directions

Get your pot with water, salt and baking soda. Add peeled potatoes cut in very large chunks and parboil till knife tender.

While potatoes are parboiling. heat up the olive oil with rosemary and garlic add some salt and pepper. Once heated drain…but save the herbs. (unless you use dry like I did…..then toss the used dried herbs)

Drain potatoes and let them steam and add the seasoned oil to them. Season the potatoes with some salt and pepper. Shake the potatoes around to gently bust up the surface of the potatoes.This makes your crust.

 

Set your oven to 450 degree F or 400 bake if you have a convection oven and place the potatoes on a pan leaving some space around each potato.

Put them in the oven for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes turn each potato over and put them back in the oven.

Let the potatoes go for another 20 minutes and pull them out of the oven.

Decide if you want to go another 10 minutes or not.

Add fresh parsley and saved fresh herbs to the potatoes.

Enjoy.

The potatoes have a nice crisp coating and are moist and creamy inside. The potatoes are Forking Delicious!

Thanks to The Food Lab and The Huffington Post for presenting a video of this recipe.