Goose Fat Roast Potatoes

A step by step guide to making the crispiest goose fat roast potatoes at home. They’re super fluffy on the inside, have loads of flavour and are easier than you’d think.

Follow this easy recipe to make the crispiest roast potatoes at home with perfectly fluffy insides and a whole load of flavour! These homemade roast potatoes are just as good as any good restaurant quality ones, if not better. And they’re not difficult to make at all. I’ve broken each step of the process down into easy to follow steps whilst throwing in some handy tips and tricks too. Including which type of potato is best and how to make a simple herb butter to finish your roast potatoes with, to avoid ending up with burnt, bitter herbs.

If you’re new to making roast potatoes, here’s what the process looks like. You peel and chop the potatoes, soak for at least an hour in cold water, par boil then rough up the outsides and finally, roast in hot fat. Super easy stuff right?! I coat my potatoes in a mix of semolina and cornflour before roasting as well, which is a simple way to make them even crispier.

If you’re looking for the perfect side dish to serve with your Sunday roast, Thanksgiving feast or Christmas dinner, this is the recipe for you! You can even prepare them ahead of time if you like, to get ahead on the prep during the holidays.

For more side dishes to try, take a look at our collection of sides! And for a main course to serve with these roast potatoes, check out our collection of dinner recipes. Here you’ll find roasted meats, festive centrepieces and lots more.

Ingredients For Goose Fat Roast Potatoes

• Potatoes – For the best roast potatoes, you’ll want to use a floury potato. I’d recommend using Maris Pipers but King Edwards, Yukon Golds or Russet potatoes would work as well.
• Chicken Stock Cube – Par boiling the potatoes in chicken stock adds extra flavour. If you’d prefer to leave this out, par boil in salted water instead.
• Goose Fat – Using goose fat is key when making super crispy, flavourful roasties. If you haven’t got goose fat, duck or beef fat would work as well. Or you can use just vegetable oil if you wanted your roast potatoes to be vegetarian.
• Vegetable Oil – Using vegetable oil as well helps crisp the potatoes up. Goose fat is fairly expensive, so it keeps costs down if you use a mix of fats.
• Butter – Adding butter to our roast potatoes adds flavour and richness. Both unsalted and salted butter will work here. Just keep in mind which type of butter has been used to how much seasoning you add.
• Garlic – A classic roast potato flavouring. We’re using a whole bulb of garlic for this recipe.
• Herbs – We’re using a mix of hard herbs to flavour our potatoes. Rosemary, thyme and sage are added at the very end of the cooking process, in the form of a herb butter.
• Semolina and Cornflour – Coating the potatoes in a mix of fine semolina & cornflour before roasting makes them even crispier! This is my favourite trick to making extra crispy potatoes.

How To Make The CRISPIEST Roast Potatoes

Want to make the crispiest roast potatoes? Here’s some simple tips and tricks…

• Par boil your potatoes – This roughs the outside of the potatoes up which crisps up nicely in the oven. It also gives the inside a super fluffy texture!
• Preheat your oven – This is crucial! Make sure to give your oven plenty of time to heat up.
• Use goose, duck or beef fat – These types of fats have a high smoking point which means we can cook the potatoes at a higher temperature.
• Heat the fats up – By heating the fat up before adding the potatoes, we are kick starting the cooking process.
• Use a floury potato – I think Maris Piper potatoes are the best for roasting but King Edwards or Russet potatoes are some other good choices.

Why Goose Fat Is Best For Roast Potatoes

Using goose (or duck or beef) fat is the secret to making the crispiest roast potatoes. These types of animal fats have a high smoke point, meaning that we can cook the potatoes at a higher temperature. They also have a rich, meaty flavour which works fantastically with the flavours from the potatoes, garlic and herbs. If you wanted your roast potatoes to be vegetarian, you can use just vegetable oil but if you do eat meat and want the best roast potatoes ever, this is the secret!

How To Prevent Herbs Burning When Roasting Potatoes

If you’ve ever made roast potatoes and ended up with burnt herbs, I’ve got the perfect solution! To avoid burnt herbs, you make a herb butter with a mix of hard herbs (rosemary, thyme and sage) then coat the potatoes with this b utter during the last 10-15 minutes of cooking. This stops the herbs overcooking and turning bitter and adds extra flavour to your roast potatoes too.

How To Make Goose Fat Roast Potatoes

Here’s how to make the crispiest roast potatoes with the fluffiest insides and loads of flavour! I coat my roasties with a seasoned semolina and cornflour mix and finish with a simple herb butter at the end, to prevent the herbs from burning.

1. Peel and Cut The Potatoes

The first step is to peel the potatoes then cut them into evenly sized pieces. It’s important to make sure that the potatoes are all the same size so that they cook evenly. If you’re cutting up a large potato, you’ll most likely need to cut it into to three or four pieces. If a potato is small, either cut it in half or just trim the end off. I like my roast potatoes to be around 2″. If they’re too small, they’ll fall apart after you’ve par boiled them. Whereas if the pieces are too big, they won’t be fully cooked and fluffy once roasted.

Once your potatoes are all prepped, you need to give them a good rinse under cold water then leave them to soak for at least an hour. This washes off some of the starch which makes the roast potatoes crispier once they’re cooked.

If you’re planning on prepping your potatoes in advance, they can sit in water for up to 2 days once peeled and chopped up. Make sure to store them in the fridge.

2. Par Boiling

To par boil your potatoes, drain the water out of the pan then replace with fresh. Add in a crumbled up stock pot and a good pinch of salt then cover the pan with a lid and bring the water to the boil over a high heat.

Once the water starts boiling, reduce the heat slightly then simmer the potatoes for 10-15 minutes, until the outsides are starting to soften. The potatoes won’t be fully cooked at this point, just par boiled!

As soon as the potatoes are ready, drain them in a colander, letting them steam dry for 2 minutes.

2(and a half). Heat The Fat Up

Whilst you’re par boiling the potatoes, place a generous amount of goose fat and vegetable oil into a roasting tray then heat up in a oven that has been preheated to 220°c/428°f. I aim for a layer of fat in the tray around 5mm deep.

3. Coat Potatoes In Semolina and Cornflour

Next, you need to prepare the potato coating. To do this, place fine semolina, cornflour, salt and pepper into a bowl then stir to combine. That’s it!

Once well drained, place the par boiled potatoes back into the saucepan then sprinkle over the semolina mix. Pop the saucepan’s lid back on then give it a really good shake. This is why it’s key not to over cook the potatoes when you par boil them, as they’ll break up at this point!

5. Roast The Potatoes

Once par boiled, the potatoes are ready to be roasted. To do this, carefully take the tray out of the oven then transfer the potatoes into the hot fat, using a pair of tongs. Gently toss the potatoes in the hot fat (using tongs), to coat them completely, add in crushed garlic then roast for 40 minutes, turning the potatoes over halfway through. This helps the roast potatoes crisp up on all sides.

5. Pour Over Herb Butter

Whilst your potatoes are roasting, you’ll need to prepare a quick herb butter. To do this melt butter on the stove (or in the microwave) then stir in finely chopped thyme, rosemary and sage.

Once roasted, pour the herb butter all over the potatoes, season again with more salt and pepper then return to the oven and cook for a further 10 minutes.

6. Serve

When your roasties are golden brown & crispy, transfer them to a bowl, hit them with some more sea salt then serve!

What To Serve With Roast Potatoes

When it comes to roast potatoes, you can serve them with almost anything! The classic option would be to serve them with roasted meat, veg, gravy and Yorkshire puddings but they make a great side dish for grilled and barbecued meat as well. Or you can eat them on their own, with a pot of gravy for dipping! These restaurant style goose fat roast potatoes are the perfect addition to a Thanksgiving feast or Christmas dinner…

If you wanted to take these potatoes to another level, you could also top them with grated parmesan, crispy bacon or a mustard & cheese sauce! The possibilities are almost endless. You can use leftover roast potatoes to make a fried potato hash or bubble and squeak.

Even More Roast Potato Tips and Tricks

• Make sure to use a floury variety of potato when roasting, as waxy varieties won’t crisp up as nicely.
• Don’t cut your potatoes too small or they’ll fall apart once par boiled.
• Let you potatoes soak for at least an hour in cold water before you par boil them, to remove excess starch. This is a trick to making the crispiest roast potatoes.
• Toss your par boiled potatoes in cornflour and fine semolina before roasting. This gives each roast potato an extra crispy crust.
• Roast your potatoes in goose fat (or duck fat), for extra flavour and maximum crispiness.
• Roast potatoes take a lot of seasoning so don’t be shy with the salt and pepper!
• Instead of roasting your potatoes with herbs from the beginning, coat the roast potatoes with a herb butter towards the end of their cook. This prevents the herbs from burning and turning bitter.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Side Dishes To Try

• Pigs In Blankets With Honey & Mustard
• Garlic Bread Sausage Stuffing Balls
• Crème Fraîche Mashed Potato
• Goose Fat Yorkshire Puddings
• Garlic & Parmesan Creamed Corn
• Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower Cheese

Watch How To Make This Recipe

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