The Crowding Mistake You May Be Making With Roasted Potatoes
What makes roasted potatoes so delicious is that you get several tasty flavors and textures when you munch on these bite-sized delights. You first taste a delectably crispy and salty potato skin, followed by a mushy and creamy potato interior that's absolutely scrumptious. And whether you eat them as a snack, or pair them in a classic meat and potatoes combo, roasted potatoes are sure to deliver a satisfying meal. Roasted potatoes are also fairly simple to make in the oven. However, your roasted potatoes will not be as texturally delicious as they ought to be if you overcrowd the potatoes on your baking sheet before you put them in the oven.
If you dump a bunch of potatoes onto your baking sheet in a big pile with the potatoes all on top of each other, they will roast unevenly, which can leave you with a dissatisfying side dish or snack. Instead, when preparing your preheated baking sheet with your potatoes, spread all of the potatoes with enough room between each of the potatoes so that your oven will thoroughly roast all of the potatoes to delicious crispiness (you should also boil them first to get the crispiest roasted potatoes).
Overcrowding your potatoes on your baking sheet affects how they crisp up in oil
A roasted potatoes recipe will call for you to oil your potatoes before roasting them because the oil helps the potatoes become deliciously crispy. The best oils to use for roasted potatoes are oils with subtle flavors and high smoke points because they will fare well when you set your oven to high heat while roasting. Light olive oil, canola, and grapeseed oil all fit this criteria.
If you lump all of your oiled potatoes together and on top of each other before roasting them, that will affect the oil's ability to impact the texture of your potatoes. Jeff Baker, Michelin starred Executive Development Chef at Farmison & Co., explained to Mirror Online what will happen if you don't space out your oiled potatoes sufficiently before roasting them. Baker said, "The potatoes need the space to crisp up in the oil or you run the risk of them becoming soggy as they sit in the oil."
Toss your potatoes, but keep them spread so that they roast evenly
Before you roast your potatoes, you should also soak them in ice water for ultra-crispy roasted potatoes. Creating a single layer of your spread potatoes on your preheated baking sheet before you roast them isn't the only time that you'll need to make sure you don't overcrowd them to ensure a crispy texture. After 20 minutes of baking in the oven when your potatoes have crisped up a bit, it will be time for you to toss your potatoes so that all sides of the potatoes roast evenly and develop that crispiness.
You can either shake the pan so that the potatoes flip on their own, or you can use a spatula to flip each individual potato, which you should do after every 25 minutes of roasting in the oven. Make sure that when all of your potatoes have been flipped that none are on top of any of the others. Keep enough space between each potato so that they continue to roast evenly. Once they're done roasting, enjoy those crunchy pieces of deliciousness.