For Extra Crispy Roasted Potatoes, Don't Forget These 2 Tips

There are a million and one ways to make potatoes, from mashed to hashed, which is exactly what makes this versatile tuber a great ingredient. While there is no wrong way to eat a potato (except raw), few bites can compete with a perfectly crispy roasted potato that's crunchy on the outside but tender on the inside. Sadly, it's not always easy to get that crispiness right, so we spoke to chef Marcus Samuelsson during the New York City Wine & Food Fest about how to achieve this desired texture.

Samuelsson's first advice is to use smaller potatoes. "I love a fingerling just because it has a nuttiness to it. And if you slice it up, it doesn't have to cook that long. Russet would work, too. Just [don't use] too big potatoes," he says. It's not that larger potatoes aren't good for other dishes. As the chef points out, "I love my big Idahos and things like that for mashes and for other dishes, but for a nutty, beautiful roasted potato, you want to cut things smaller."

His second piece of advice: Don't peel the potatoes before you roast them. This isn't just great for extra crispiness, but for adding flavor. "I would say keep the skin on no matter what you do. For me, the skin is really what adds that earthiness to the dish. And all the good stuff in the potatoes is in the skin," declares Samuelsson.

Some people claim that soaking potatoes in an ice water bath before cooking helps to create a crispier flavor. However, Marcus Samuelsson thinks people should skip this step, as he doesn't believe that it makes much of a difference. "Anything you do with potatoes comes down to how you start. So you don't have to soak. It's all about rinsing," he declares.

Instead, he recommends a simple recipe: "You can use a blend of olive oil, butter and garlic. You can even finish with some cheese on top and it gets really crispy. Just straight in the pan starting on lower heat and then eventually turn it up in the end a little bit higher just to get that charred nice crisp on it." Samuelsson's suggestion proves that the simplest recipes are often the best ones.

You can also try adding onion soup mix to your roasted potatoes for added texture and flavor. And if you're a sucker for large potatoes, keep them to make roasted potatoes cottage fries, which need larger varieties and still provide that delicious crispiness. In either case, make sure that you keep the skin so that your potatoes are as crispy as can be.