Crispy Roasted Turmeric Potatoes

Who knew four ingredients could make for an irresistibly crispy, soft, and delightful side dish? These turmeric potatoes are parboiled for that fluffy interior and a secret tip makes them extra crispy when roasted in the oven.

 

 

These roasted potatoes are perfect as a side dish for pretty much any potato-friendly dish, given its simplicity.

 

We love it for Christmas, with a herb crusted rack of lamb or whole roasted chicken, but also for summer BBQs, like with pork chops or Moroccan harissa chicken. 

 

Ingredients

 

Well, you only need a handful of ingredients for this dish. Which is why it's so great in so many situations:

 

• Potatoes are the foundation of our dish, and parboiled starchy potatoes ensure a perfect balance of crispiness and tenderness.
• Turmeric imparts a warm and slightly peppery taste to the potatoes. Bonus points that it has so many health benefits, read under Recipe FAQs.
• Salt is necessary to make potatoes taste delicious, in my opinion. Add as much or as little as you want, it's mostly for taste.
• Oil helps the potatoes reach maximum crispness and you won't burn them either. Another bonus.
• Pepper: To take full health advantage of turmeric, also include some freshly ground pepper!

 

Easy peasy!

 

 

Instructions

 

Preheat the oven to 450 ℉ (230 ℃).

 

Start by scrubbing and peeling the potatoes. Cut them in half if they are small, or in quarters if they are larger*. Place them in cold water while you prepare all the potatoes.

 

* If you use very starchy potatoes, like Pimpernell or Maris Piper, you may need to boil them in full size (15 minutes), then when they have cooled a bit, cut each in half or quarters, being very careful. 

 

Boil water in a large pot of water, add a little salt, and then add the potatoes. Let the potatoes parboil for 6-8 minutes, depending on their size. They should not be done, but almost. 

 

Let the potatoes drain in a colander, and shake the colander a bit to get a starchy outside (just like my patatas bravas!).

 

 

Place the colander over the pot which now does not have water. Place the pot back on the stove, but turn the heat off. Let the potatoes dry out as much as possible. A couple of minutes will do. Shake occasionally.

 

On a large baking sheet, combine the parboiled potatoes with turmeric, salt, and oil (and pepper if you want). Make sure the potatoes are in one layer to ensure maximum crispness. 

 

Roast for 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes have browned around the edges (I've even had them in the oven for an hour before!). 

 

I love to sprinkle salt on them once they are done as well, but you do you!

 

Best served with meats and a salad. For tips, read below. 

 

Substitutions

 

To be honest, when there are so few ingredients, substituting anything would just make it an entirely different recipe. However, feel free to use this method for any kind of spice blend on the potatoes!

 

My favorites include: 

• Mexican chili powder
• Cajun seasoning
• Mushroom salt
• Italian seasoning
• Za'atar

 

 

Variations

 

The same goes for variations. But sometimes I also add garlic and onion powder in addition to the turmeric, and sometimes I add some herbs. Some of my favorites for potatoes are rosemary, thyme, and/or parsley. 

 

Equipment Needed

 

Basic kitchen supplies. A pot to boil the potatoes. A colander to dry the potatoes. And a baking sheet and parchment paper to ensure even roasting without sticking.

 

Storage

 

Enjoy roasted turmeric potatoes fresh for the best texture. If reheating, use the oven on fan mode to maintain their crispiness, however, they will never get the same level of crispness as when they were fresh. You also may want to add another splash of oil when reheating. 

 

Expert tips

 

This recipe has always been about the right texture on the potatoes. So to get that fluffy insides and crispy outsides, these are the tips that must be followed:

 

• Use starchy potatoes. Starchy potatoes have a soft and moist inside and can fall a little apart when handled after boiling. It is this that makes them ideal for crispy potatoes as the rough exterior absorbs the oil better. 
• Shake the parboiled potatoes in a colander. This will rough up the exterior even more. Perfect for roasted potatoes. But this won't work with waxy potatoes as they keep their shape better.
• Make sure the potatoes are as dry as possible. Dry potatoes crisp up better than wet ones. What I do is place them in the colander over a dry pot on low heat (or just residual heat) for a few minutes. Shake occasionally. 
• High heat: High heat allows for rapid browning and caramelization on the surface of the potatoes while keeping the inside moist and tender. By parboiling, we also know that the insides are completely cooked.
• Bonus: Use baking soda. This recipe doesn't have baking soda, but you can use that in the water (2 teaspoons baking soda and 2 teaspoons salt) when you parboil to make the potatoes even crispier. The baking soda breaks down the pectin and draws the starch to the surface of the potatoes, making the exterior even rougher. 
• To take advantage of the health benefits of turmeric: Add a generous amount of freshly ground pepper. Read the health benefits below in the Recipe FAQs.

 

 

Recipe FAQs

No matter how you decide to serve these potatoes, enjoy!

 

 

Did you like this recipe? Here are more potato dishes I think you'll love:

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