Roasted potato wedges are the bomb when they’re done right. But when they’re not… sigh.
Sometimes, instead of a crispy exterior and tender inside, you wind up with a leathery, undercooked mess. Or worse, the crispy bits stick to your pan, leaving you with puffy potato interiors and no crunch at all. What gives?
Tips to the rescue! Perfectly crispy roasted potato wedges can be yours with just a few changes to your usual recipe and, more important, technique. Bring on the ketchup.
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1. Parboil your potatoes first
Before you roast, parboil the potatoes in salty, acidic water. The acid will help the potatoes keep their shape while getting tender, the salt will season them, and the boiling will gel the outer layer of starch. Once you cook the potatoes, that gelled starch results in ultra-crisp potatoes. Since the potatoes are precooked, it also means you can cook them at a higher heat, essentially searing them to get a great, crispy crust without leaving the interior raw.
2. Shake ’em up
After parboiling, give the potatoes a vigorous stir. This will rough up the exterior of your potato wedges. The nooks and crannies created will get extra crispy in the oven.
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3. Choose the right potato
Yukon Gold potatoes will go crisp on the outside, creamy within as they cook. Russet potatoes, on the other hand, have a more fluffy interior when cooked and get even crispier without. Either of these will work beautifully. But avoid waxy red potatoes — they just won’t get as crispy.
4. Use the right fat
Olive oil will do in a pinch, but saturated fats, like coconut oil, duck fat, chicken fat or lard, will make your potatoes crispier.
5. Use enough fat
If you fear the fat, your potatoes won’t be as crispy. Make sure each potato wedge is coated evenly in fat for maximum crispiness.
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6. Preheat your sheet
Pop your baking sheet into the oven as it heats. Potatoes will be less likely to stick to a hot, hot pan, and the browning process will begin more quickly too.
7. Turn up the heat
Roast your potato wedges at a high temp — between 475 and 500 degrees F. Since you’re parboiling the wedges, you just need to crisp them up, not cook them all the way through.
8. Don’t flip out
Don’t shake and flip your potatoes too often, as that will interrupt the browning process. Wait for them to get golden and crisp on one side before you flip them. Cook the other side until crispy and golden brown, then remove your wedges from the oven, season with salt and any other spices, and voilà! You have the perfect, crispy potato wedges.
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