Incorporating just one straightforward ingredient into roast potatoes ensures you achieve perfectly crispy exteriors whilst maintaining fluffy interiors, according to a culinary expert. His technique has become enormously popular on social media, with countless home cooks attempting it themselves.
Chef Oli Brandon, recognised as @theptchef on TikTok, revealed his method for creating what he describes as “the best roast potatoes”. In the clip, he takes a bite of one of the completed potatoes and characterises the sound as “the sound of the best roast potatoes you’ve ever had”. His recipe has already accumulated over half a million likes and been shared more than 100,000 times.
Oli reveals that the secret lies in incorporating a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda into the water while boiling the potatoes.
In his detailed tutorial, he explained: “Put one teaspoon of baking soda and salt into boiling water and cook your potatoes until fork tender but not falling apart.”
The bicarbonate of soda assists in breaking down pectin, drawing starch to the surface so the potatoes achieve a beautiful crisp and develop a rich golden hue.
Once the potatoes are prepared, Oli drains them and roughens them up.
He proceeds: “Next, finely chop rosemary and garlic and add to a pan with lots of olive oil. Toast these until lightly golden brown and then drain the oil off all over the potatoes.”
The remaining fragments of rosemary and garlic are reserved for later incorporation. Using the freshly infused oil, he lavishly coats the potatoes before popping them in the oven.
“Make sure you spread that oil all over the potatoes, add salt and pepper and then bake them at 180°C for 20 minutes,” he instructed. “Turn them over and bake them for another 20 to 30 minutes or until super crispy.”
Once the potatoes are perfectly roasted, he tosses them in a bowl with the toasted garlic and rosemary. He recommends adding a final sprinkle of salt before thoroughly mixing everything.
Viewers were quick to react, with many expressing an immediate desire to try out the recipe. One viewer, Emily, commented: “It’s 11pm and you’ve got me craving roast potatoes.”
Another user, Libby, chimed in: “Never craved something so much in my life.”
Those who tried the recipe themselves were equally effusive. Aleena enthused: “I made these today, and all I can say is that these are the best roast potatoes I’ve ever had in my life, and I would definitely recommend them.”
Another user even compared them favourably to family favourites. They declared: “I made these the other day and they were so nice, better than my mum’s, and that’s saying something.”
