Crisp Up Roasted Potatoes With This Pantry Staple

Whether you're serving them with an omelette or alongside a perfectly seared filet mignon, it's hard to find a side that's more satisfying than crispy roasted potatoes. Thankfully, it's easy to get a golden, crunchy exterior on your oven-roasted potatoes by simply coating them in an ingredient you already have in your pantry: flour.

You'll get started by parboiling your potatoes (a fancy way of saying boiling partially — not until they're fully cooked) to start the softening process. After you peel and cube your potatoes, add them to boiling water and let them soften for a bit before you shake them out in a sieve to dry. Then, simply spread them out on the roasting pan and dust them with a bit of flour. Toss in your favorite oil (try an infused oil to add some extra flavor) before you place them in the oven. As the potatoes roast, the flour you sprinkled on top will absorb moisture, creating a crunchy layer that mimics the texture of deep-fried potatoes. The combination of flour and oil will help you achieve a super crispy result — all without the mess of deep-frying. 

Experimenting with different types of flour can help you find your preferred potato crisping method. For example, some people find that they prefer the way rice flour crisps foods like fried chicken , while others find that adding cornstarch to a flour coating leads to the most satisfying crunch. When it comes to the type of oil you use, you can play around with a few different options. Olive oil is a classic choice, as it can add a super-luxe taste (stick with extra-virgin olive oil for best results). If you'd prefer an alternative to conventional oil, butter has become a popular go-to fat for crisping chicken wings in the oven, so why not try it on potatoes?

Additionally, seasoning your flour before sprinkling it onto your potatoes can help to ensure that salt, pepper, and whatever else you decide to season the spuds with (try garlic powder and Parmesan cheese for a flavor akin to garlic bread) actually sticks to your potatoes. Be sure to keep an eye on the potatoes throughout the roasting process. While giving them a flip halfway through baking won't do any harm, be careful not to move them around too much — you want to give the potatoes plenty of time to roast in continuous heat so that they can develop a crispy crust.