All You Need For The Crispiest Roasted Potatoes Is Egg Whites
Roasted potatoes are, in theory, easy to make. Just toss them in some oil, add your spices and flavorings, and throw them in a hot oven, right? Wrong. So many things can go wrong with trying to roast potatoes that make them mushy and soggy instead of crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Crowd the potatoes in the pan too much and they'll steam instead of roast. Cut them in different sizes and some pieces will be burned before the others are even cooked partway. To say nothing of the seasonings sliding right off the potatoes and into the cooking oil.
That's why the pursuit of perfectly crispy roasted potatoes might seem like an impossible dream, but it's anything but that. The most important ingredient in crispy potatoes — after the potatoes, of course — is something you probably have hanging out in your fridge right now. Enter the secret hero: egg whites.
The egg white solution
Celebrated restaurateur and chef, Dan Kluger, swears by brushing small new potatoes with egg whites before seasoning and roasting them. The technique, which he shares in his cookbook, "Chasing Flavor: Techniques and Recipes to Cook Fearlessly" (via Epicurious), bathes the small potatoes (Kluger recommends tiny new ones with the thinnest skin possible, so they cook and crisp quickly) in egg whites and then seasoning.
The egg whites not only make the skin crispy but help the seasonings stick to the potatoes — a true two-way hack that makes texture and flavor pop. Just whip the egg whites (which you can do by hand or with electric egg beaters or a stand mixer if you prefer modern conveniences) until they are foamy, then coat the potatoes with the foamy egg whites, strain the excess whites, and season the potatoes. Throw the spuds on a baking sheet and roast until they are crispy and crunchy roasted potato perfection.
Hot potato IRL
This egg white technique is genius in that it's simple to make, uses up egg whites (because extra egg whites deserve more love than just being turned into scrambles), and helps ensure that the much sought-after crispy roasted potato is within home cooks' grasps. You don't need any fancy kitchen equipment and you don't need experience with advanced cooking methods. Just follow this technique, pull the potatoes out of the oven when they are done (about 20 minutes if they are really small with thin skins), and then have fun with the seasonings.
Go from simple salt and pepper to the earthiness of cumin and fennel to any spicy seasoning your chili-loving heart can handle. Go all in on dipping sauces as well; maybe a homemade aioli to use up those egg yolks or just the pan juices from a perfectly roasted chicken. After all, a roasted potato this crispy can stand up to any and all condiments and other side dishes.