Roast potatoes are extra crispy when you add one ingredient

When it comes to side dishes, it’s fair to say there’s nothing quite like roast potatoes.

They’re delicious, super crispy and just pack so much more flavour into meals. But, when it comes to cooking them, there are a few things you need to know to get them “perfect”.

According to cook Sam Stern, there’s a simple way to make the “best roast potatoes” – and it’s easier than you might think. You just need to add a simple ingredient to the water when you boil them – bicarbonate of soda.

In a TikTok video, the chef explained: “Add your potatoes to cold water with salt, bicarbonate of soda and parboil. Meanwhile, take a chicken stock cube, add oil and combine.

“Pour clarified butter onto a baking tray and place into the oven until hot. Then add the potatoes, garlic, rosemary, thyme the stock oil and season.”

He said you should mix all the ingredients together before roasting them for 25 minutes. Then turn them and roast them for another 25 minutes.

In the video, you see that the potatoes end up looking gorgeously crispy. It’s hard not to want to give the recipe a go. The video has gone viral, having been viewed more than 140,000 times – and people were quick to comment too.

One person said: “Try vegetable stock in the pot while they’re boiling – game changer!” Another wrote: “You forgot to mention the most important thing – buy good potatoes first!”

And a third also replied: “I’d take the thin shell around the garlic off as it’s like paper. Although I’ll try this, as it looks great.”

How does bicarbonate of soda make roast potatoes crispy?

Bicarbonate of soda will break down the surface of potatoes causing your spuds to develop a starchier, softer exterior. This works to increase the surface area for crunch.

There are other ways you can try and make them extra crispy though. For example, some people turn to other ingredients to give their potatoes a boost.

One way to do this is by boiling chunks of potato until they’re just tender, and then tossing them in fat such as beef drippings. This should work to roughen up their surface.

After this is done, you can roast them until they’re crunchy. It’s another idea worth giving a go!