Roast potatoes always come out the oven crispy and tasty if cooked with 1 simple item

There is no better part of a Sunday dinner that roast potatoes, but they can become overly greasy and limp if not cooked properly. Not everbody knows potatoes contain a lot of water, and cooking them in the oven can be tricky as they often begin to release steam rather than roast.

This can result in soft potatoes still covered in oil, but I have recently found out there is easy way to get mouthwatering roasties that have the perfect crunch - all you need is come cornflour. That might seem bizarre, but cornflour is extremely absorbent, and will soak up any moisture on the skin of the potatoes to ensure they come out the oven perfectly crispy. Cornstarch also thickens up once it has exposed to water, which will help caramelise to help the skin become the perfect golden-brown colour.

This simple cooking technique is often used for frying chicken, but after testing it, I have discovered it also gives potatoes a superior crackly crust that no other ingredient can match.

How to make the perfect crispy roast potatoes

You will need:

• Four potatoes
• One tablespoon of cornflour
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
  

Method:

First, I always wash and peel the potatoes, then chop them into evenly sized pieces. I then put them in a pot, cover them with salted water, and boil them for 20 minutes or until they were tender enough to pierce with a fork.

It is crucial to boil the potatoes before roasting them as this softens the exterior, leading to a crispier result when they are cooking in the oven.

Once the potatoes have been boiled, I drain them using a colander, and then give it a shake to roughen up the potato edges and then leave them to rest for 10 minutes.

The act of shaking the potatoes creates more edges, which will crisp up beautifully during cooking. Allowing them to rest also helps them dry them out which will also help prevent any steam.

While the potatoes were resting, I add some oil into a baking tray and place a empty tray into the oven. I then let the tray heat up at 200C until the oil begins to sizzle.

This step ensures that the potatoes start to sear instantly when they touch the tray, which stops them from soaking up excess oil and becoming oily.

As the tray is heating, I then place the potatoes in a bowl, add the cornflour, and toss them until they were fully coated.

I then carefully remove the tray from the oven, add the potatoes, and let them roast in the oven for 25 to 35 minutes. Around the 20-minute open the oven and flip them over with a spatula.

The potatoes emerged from the oven crispy, golden, and perfectly crunchy. I seasoned them with salt and pepper, but you can also add fresh herbs or butter if you prefer.