Roast potatoes are most people’s favourite side dish at a roast Sunday dinner, and nothing is more disappointing than if they come out of the oven soft and soggy.

Maria Koutsogiannia, a cook and founder of Food by Maria has shared that the best way to make mouthwatering crispy potatoes is to add one special ingredient to them.

She said: “For this recipe, I made crispy roasted potatoes which are so crunchy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside. It has taken me years to try and figure this out, and I finally found the trick to nailing that perfect potato consistency.

“My secret weapon for nailing that consistency? Boiling and baking soda. More on that below but DO NOT skip these steps. I promise you that you’ll thank me later.”

It may sound bizarre, but boiling potatoes in water seasoned with baking soda will make them crisper as it will break down the potato skin to make it rougher.

If the skin texture is rough and has more ridges, more air will escape the potatoes when they are cooking, making them crispier and golden.

Maria added: “The baking soda makes the water alkaline which helps break down the surface of the potatoes and helps get that crispiness you want once you add them to the oven.”

How to make crispier roast potatoes 

You will need:

• Six medium-sized russet potatoes
• One tablespoon of baking soda
• Three tablespoons of garlic cloves
• One tablespoon of butter
• One teaspoon of onion powder
• Three tablespoons of fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper

Recipe:

To begin, place a large pot on the stove and fill it with water. Add two tablespoons of salt and one tablespoon of baking soda.

Add the potatoes and boil them for 10 minutes. While the potatoes are boiling, preheat the oven to 220C and prepare a roasting tray by lining it with baking paper.

Once the potatoes are cooked, pour away the water and place them in a big bowl. Add one teaspoon of salt, pepper, and onion powder as well as the garlic cloves and butter.

Gently stir the potatoes and other ingredients together until everything is thoroughly mixed.

Place the potatoes in the roasting tray cut-side down and make sure none of the potatoes are overlapping. You may need two roasting trays depending on how many potatoes you are roasting.

Put the potatoes in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. When the time is up, flip them over and add the thyme to them.

Cook for another 20 minutes or until the potatoes are crispy and perfect.

Your mouthwatering golden roast potatoes will then be ready to serve.