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Have you tried Rosemary Roast Potatoes? Roast potatoes are one of my absolute favourite parts of a Christmas dinner or Sunday roast! Par boiling them with fresh rosemary, roughing them up and roasting them in hot olive oil takes them to the next level: crunchy on the outside and fluffy in the middle. These are very easy with just 4 ingredients, they happen to be gluten free and vegan, and they are the perfect side for my Christmas Nut Roast.
Rosemary Roast Potatoes at a Glance
James's tipPar boil for about 12 minutes until a knife meets a little resistance, then shake them hard in the pot with the lid on. The roughed up edges are what turn crunchy in the hot oil.
Key ingredients
- Maris Piper potatoes
- Olive oil
- Fresh rosemary
- Salt
Why you'll love it
- About 239 kcal a portion
- Crunchy outside, fluffy inside, no goose fat
- Make ahead in three easy stages
Quick summary
These rosemary roast potatoes are par boiled with fresh rosemary sprigs, roughed up in the pot, then roasted in hot olive oil for 90 minutes, turning halfway. 2kg of Maris Pipers serves 8 at about 239 kcal a portion.
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Why this recipe works
Infused with fresh rosemary, making them so fragrant and flavourful, these herb roasted potatoes are a staple for me. Your whole kitchen will smell of fresh herbs and get everyone’s mouth watering.
It’s hard to find someone who isn’t a fan of potatoes so this is one of my go-to recipes whenever we have guests over as well. Made with olive oil instead of goose fat, they suit everyone at the table. Perfectly crunchy on the outside but soft and fluffy on the inside, these herb potatoes complement pretty much any meal!
These rosemary roasted potatoes are so easy to make as they don’t take a ton of ingredients and will quickly be a staple for you as well. In fact, it’s so simple that after a couple of goes, you’ll be able to make it without a recipe.
If you love potatoes as much as me then make sure to check out my Boulangere Potatoes or Hasselback Potatoes for another showstopping Christmas side.
I added this recipe into my 10 Gluten Free & Vegan Christmas Recipes roundup.
Why Make These Rosemary Roast Potatoes
- Super easy: these are incredibly easy roast potatoes to make.
- Crunchy: on the outside and fluffy on the inside just how they should be.
- Comforting: the best side dish for Christmas day or a Sunday roast.
- Perfect for sharing: while you can try to eat these all yourself (I would if I could) these rosemary roasted potatoes serve 8.
- No goose fat needed: lots of roast potatoes use beef dripping or goose fat, but these use olive oil, so they suit everyone at the table (they are naturally gluten free and vegan).
Ingredients to make Rosemary Roast Potatoes
These rosemary roast potatoes only contain 4 ingredients!
- Maris Piper Potatoes: I personally use these as they’re a great all round potato and brilliant when roasted. They’re readily available and go crispy on the outside yet stay fluffy on the inside. King Edwards work well too.
- Olive Oil: This keeps these rosemary roast potatoes vegan friendly. Most recipes contain goose fat or beef drippings.
- Rosemary: The match made in heaven! You can’t beat roasted potatoes infused with rosemary. If you don’t like it you can always switch for thyme. I also use this to add flavour to my Parmentier Potatoes.
- Salt: A little salt goes a long way for these potatoes. Season to taste with it.
Top Tips
- Don’t over boil the potatoes. A trick I use to test is poke with a sharp knife. You want there to be a little restriction whilst going through the potato. If the knife slides through too easily they’re over boiled and if you can’t slide the knife through they aren’t ready.
- Make sure the oil in the baking dish is nice and hot. This means it will sizzle when you add the potatoes and helps them to go crispy.
- Ideally you want to give the potatoes space to roast, this actually speeds up the process. BUT we all know the oven gets totally rammed on big days like Christmas so you can roast them like I have in the photos. They will still go crispy and taste great.
- Try to cut them into equal sized pieces so they roast evenly in the oven.
- Don’t be tempted to skip roughing up the potatoes. This is the secret to crunchy potatoes as this step creates the best surface for the potatoes to crisp up as a crust can form. Be sure to take a look at my step by step photos, you want the outside of the potatoes to have a bit of a mashed potato look to it.
Serving Suggestions
Some of my favourite recipes to accompany these rosemary roast potatoes:
- No roast potato is complete without a great gravy, so try my Best Mushroom Gravy.
- For a meat free Christmas main, serve them with my Easy Lentil Wellington.
- If you’re going all out for Christmas Day, try my Vegan Yorkshire Puddings (Gluten Free).
- For a Sunday roast, a bowl of my Mashed Peas is a lovely fresh side.
- And of course my Homemade Cranberry Sauce, which is refined sugar free.
How to make Rosemary Roast Potatoes
Step 1: Simply peel your Maris piper potatoes and cut them in half or quarters if they’re large.
Step 2: Place into a pot of lukewarm water with 4 sprigs of rosemary and a few pinches of salt. Bring the water to a boil and par boil the potatoes for roughly 12 minutes, until a knife meets a little resistance.
Step 3: Whilst the potatoes are boiling, add olive oil to a large baking dish and place in the oven at 200°C fan (220°C conventional, gas 7) so that the oil heats up.
Step 4: Drain the water and place the potatoes back into the pot. Discard the rosemary stalks but making sure to keep as much of the leaves as possible. Place a lid on the pot and gently shake. This helps to rough up the potatoes which helps your rosemary roast potatoes go crispy!
Step 5: Carefully add the potatoes to the hot baking dish (they should sizzle), drizzle over more olive oil and a generous pinch of salt, or my Rosemary Salt, and roast for 45 minutes. Then turn them so they cook evenly and roast for a further 45 minutes until crispy and golden.
Here they are straight out the oven! Golden and crispy just how they should be. The kitchen will also be smelling incredible from the rosemary.
Recipe FAQs
I personally use Maris Pipers as they’re a great all round potato and brilliant when roasted. They’re readily available and go crispy on the outside yet stay fluffy on the inside. You could swap for other floury varieties such as King Edward.
In this recipe the rosemary goes in right at the start, into the water as the potatoes par boil. The leaves cling to the potatoes as you rough them up, so they flavour them all the way through roasting. Just remove the woody stalks after draining.
There are a couple of reasons. Some say it is not ideal at high temperatures, which is partly true, but it is the best oil I have tried for these and it adds better colour and flavour. Vegetable or rapeseed oil work too.
Yes. After par boiling and roughing them up, toss them in a little oil and air fry at 205°C for roughly 30 to 35 minutes, shaking halfway, as long as they have space and are not piled up. For the full method, see my Air Fryer Roast Potatoes.
Absolutely! I think they’re best served straight out of the oven, but it’s a busy time around Christmas or Sunday roasts. See the “Preparing Ahead and Storing” section below for the three stages.
I would highly recommend you stick with fresh rosemary for these rosemary potatoes.
Preparing Ahead & Storing
Yes, you can totally prepare these rosemary roast potatoes ahead of time. There are a few ways, here’s how:
- Stage 1, after peeling and chopping: simply place in a large bowl, cover with cold water and place in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Stage 2, after par boiling: drain, allow to cool completely and then place in a large bowl, cover and place in the fridge for up to 2 days. Then follow the cooking instructions as normal on the day.
- Stage 3, after roasting: allow to cool, cover and place in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in a hot oven for 20 to 30 minutes on the day, until steaming hot all the way through.
If you want to prepare even further in advance you can freeze them after stage 2 or stage 3, for up to 3 months. Simply allow to defrost in the fridge and either roast for the full 90 minutes if stage 2, or reheat for 20 to 30 minutes until steaming hot if stage 3.
Leftovers
If you have any leftovers (never in our house!), allow them to cool, then keep them covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in a hot oven for 20 to 30 minutes until steaming hot all the way through, then have them with leftover roast, as a side to another dinner, or blitz them into my Leek and Potato Soup.
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Rosemary Roast Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 kg maris piper potatoes, peeled, halved or quartered if large
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, (can swap for thyme)
- Salt
Instructions
- Firstly, preheat your oven to 200°C fan (220°C conventional, gas 7), then peel and chop your potatoes.
- Now place the potatoes into a large pot of water with 4 sprigs of rosemary and a few pinches of salt and bring to a boil
- Par boil the potatoes for 12 minutes, until a knife meets a little resistance (see the top tips in the notes below).
- Now pour 2 to 3 tbsp of olive oil into a large baking dish or tray and place in the oven to get very hot ready for the potatoes.
- Drain the potatoes, removing just the rosemary stems (keep as many of the leaves as possible), and place the potatoes back into the pot you boiled them in. Place the lid on and give them a couple of firm shakes. This helps to break them up and get nice and crunchy.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven, place the potatoes inside (you should hear them sizzling from the hot oil)
- Drizzle a good few glugs of olive oil over the potatoes, making sure each is covered evenly, along with a good few pinches of salt, and place in the oven for 45 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, turn the potatoes so they cook evenly and place back in the oven for 45 minutes or until they're golden and crispy
Video
Notes
- Don’t over boil the potatoes. A trick I use to test is poke with a sharp knife. You want there to be a little restriction whilst going through the potato. If the knife slides through too easily they’re over boiled and if you can’t slide the knife through they aren’t ready.
- Make sure the oil in the baking dish is nice and hot. This means it will sizzle when you add the potatoes and helps them to go crispy.
- Ideally you want to give the potatoes space to roast, this actually speeds up the process. BUT we all know the oven gets totally rammed on big days like Christmas so you can roast them like I have in the photos. They will still go crispy and taste great.
- Try to cut them into equal sized pieces so they roast evenly in the oven.
- Don’t be tempted to skip roughing up the potatoes. This is the secret to crunchy potatoes as this step creates the best surface for the potatoes to crisp up as a crust can form. Be sure to take a look at my step by step photos, you want the outside of the potatoes to have a bit of a mashed potato look to it.
- Stage 1, after peeling and chopping: simply place in a large bowl, cover with cold water and place in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Stage 2, after par boiling: drain, allow to cool completely and then place in a large bowl, cover and place in the fridge for up to 2 days. Then follow the cooking instructions as normal on the day.
- Stage 3, after roasting: allow to cool, cover and place in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in a hot oven for 20 to 30 minutes on the day, until steaming hot all the way through.
Nutrition
Amazing not just the potatoes… I really how you explain the whole process, the tips… very well done. Congratulations
Thank you 🙂
The instructions say “if you can slide the knife through they aren’t ready.”. That doesn’t sound right to me!
edited 🙂 thanks!
I haven’t tried this yet but am certainly going to. Query could I roast these, after par boiling, in my Cosori 5.5 air fryer? How long for? Thanks
Hey Christine, yes I have done this myself in an airfryer, roughly 30-35 minutes at 205C I found worked well (as long as have nice amount of space and not pilled up). Enjoy 🙂
Brilliant recipe! Made them like this last Christmas and have made them this way ever since. Loved all the extra information to help make the recipe. Thanks