Crispy Roasted Potatoes

by Robin Miller on July 5, 2026

Undeniably crispy with a fluffy center, these are the best oven roasted potatoes you will ever eat. One simple ingredient and an easy culinary hack, and your roasted potatoes are forever changed.

This recipe was written for the Arizona Republic.

I think we can all agree, there’s something about crispy potatoes that brings us to our knees. Consider the French fry – golden and crispy on the outside, creamy and smooth in the middle. You can thank the deep fryer for that. Sadly, when it comes to oven-roasted potatoes, that ideal commingling of crispy and creamy is often elusive. The exterior of roasted spuds leans towards chewy-crisp, and the flesh is “tender”, not soft and buttery.

Until now. I have a trick for achieving French fry characteristics from oven-roasted potatoes!

One simple ingredient, likely already in your pantry, and one easy technique will guarantee crisp-and-creamy potatoes every time. It all boils down to basic chemistry and a little roughing up. I’ll explain; and I’ll throw in some important tips to make sure you achieve roasted potato perfection.

Choose the right potato. For the ultimate crispy exterior and fluffy interior, choose Russet potatoes. One of the tricks to getting the crispy crust is “roughing up” the potatoes after they’ve been par boiled. The softened potatoes are then placed in a bowl and given a vigorous toss to allow the exterior to mash a bit. It’s this soft, paste-like exterior that gets the crispiest when roasted. You can’t achieve the same result with Yukon gold potatoes, which would be my second choice if that’s all you have.
Cut your potatoes into big chunks. As mentioned above, these potatoes get a bit roughed up before roasting. If your potatoes are cut into small chunks, they’ll fall apart when tossed around in a bowl. Aim for 2- to 3-inch chunks. That typically means cutting a Russet potato into 6 or 8 equal chunks. Another benefit of bigger chunks? More of that velvety, creamy interior.

Add baking soda to your water. This is where the chemistry comes in. When you add baking soda to your boiling water, you create an alkaline solution, one that breaks down the pectin in the potatoes and pushes the starch to the surface. It’s the starch that browns up in the oven and creates that cherished, satisfying crunch. Also salt your water as instructed below, this helps season the potatoes from the inside out.
Start your potatoes in boiling water. Most potato recipes that involve boiling water instruct you to add the potatoes to cold water before bringing the water to a boil. This serves a purpose – starting potatoes in cold water ensures that the exteriors don’t get mushy before the center is fork-tender. A great tip for potato salad. However, in this recipe, we want the exterior of each chunk to get mushy! That starchy slurry on the outside of the potatoes is what crisps up in the oven.

Shake the pan during roasting. For the first 20 minutes of roasting, we leave the potatoes alone. This guarantees a crispy bottom surface and creates a sturdier chunk for flipping. After that (the remaining 20 to 25 minutes), it’s important to shake the pan a few times to ensure each side gets crisp and nothing sticks to the pan.
Consider the optional sauce. Take note, these crispy oven-roasted potatoes need no festooning. They’re perfectly fabulous on their own. But I’m wildly obsessed with my version of the sauce for Spanish potatoes. Also known as “patatas bravas” (and patatas a la brava, and papas bravas), Spanish potatoes are fried white potatoes that are served with a spicy, mayo-based sauce. Since we’re making crispy potatoes, I highly encourage you to make this quick-and-easy dip for serving on the side. My satiny sauce is a blend of mayonnaise, hot sauce, garlic, and sweet and smoked paprika. It’s sweet, smoky, and fiery, and the perfect addition to these potatoes (and many other things). Pro tip: You can adjust the heat level in the sauce. I used 2 to 3 dashes of hot sauce, but you can use more or less to suit your tastes.

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