Jamie Oliver's Roast Potato Recipe

It's hard to think of a dish that is more ubiquitous to a holiday table than a platter of warm roast potatoes. And Jamie Oliver's roast potatoes with a twist are our definition of "perfect." But, holiday time isn't the only time to make this delicious side dish.

What makes the perfect roast potatoes, might you ask? A carefully developed, closely followed technique, good ingredients, and a lot of patience is the answer of food blogger and photographer Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table.

Jamie Oliver's roast potatoes method may take a little time, it's true, probably twice as long as any roast potatoes recipe you've tried in the past. But, putting the extra time and effort into this recipe and perfecting the technique will absolutely bring these potatoes from supporting actor to the star of the show. We can't wait to tell you how we changed up Jamie Oliver's roast potatoes — these small updates add up to be quite the game-changer!

The perfect roast potatoes are, first and foremost, about choosing the right ones. We recommend new potatoes. These are common and easy to find, but their size means that when they cook, the center gets creamy while the outside gets crispy — exactly what you want in the perfect roast potatoes. So, start right, and choose this type.

The fat of our choice for this is duck or goose fat. While butter or olive oil are often used when roasting potatoes, there is just something about using duck or goose fat with potatoes that really changes the way the potatoes crisp. So, go the extra mile and source some duck or goose fat for this, because it's so worth it.

Other than those two specific items, the other ingredients you'll need are good olive oil, a whole bulb or two of garlic, fresh oregano, some sea salt, and black pepper. Try to choose a high quality, flaky sea salt like Maldon or pink Himalayan salt for best results.

Add the potatoes to a large pot, and top it with enough salted water to cover, plus more on top. Bring the water to a boil, and cook the potatoes for about 15 minutes. Allow the insides to cook, but not get so soft that they fall apart (which will keep them fluffy as we roast).

Transfer the potatoes to a large colander to drain, and leave them to air dry for two minutes. Give the colander a few light shakes to ensure all the potatoes reach the air surface. Finish the drying process by patting the potatoes dry with paper towels to speed up the process. Allowing the potatoes to fully dry will help the fat stick to the potatoes.

Grab a large roasting tray or baking sheet. Add goose or duck fat and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the bottom of the baking sheet. Add in potatoes, top with a few grinds of black pepper and a few pinches of sea salt, then toss everything to combine. Potatoes should be well coated in fat mixture, and the salt and pepper should be distributed evenly.

Next, arrange the potatoes in a snug, even single layer. Then comes the surprise step to Jamie Oliver's roast potatoes: Transfer the baking sheet with potatoes to the refrigerator, and let them rest overnight. This cools the fat, creating a sort of "casing" on the outside of the potato.

When you are ready to cook Jamie Oliver's roast potatoes with a twist, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Smash the garlic bulb (or bulbs, if using two), and separate it into unpeeled cloves. Distribute the unpeeled garlic in between the potatoes — the cloves will caramelize as the potatoes cook, giving the whole tray an amazing smell and taste. The garlic bulbs themselves become jammy and caramelized once roasted, so if you're a fan of that sweet, heady taste, you may want to use two whole heads of garlic. If you're just looking for a faint aroma, one bulb is enough.

Place the roasting dish with the potatoes in the oven and roast for one hour, or until the potatoes are crisp and golden all over.

While the potatoes are cooking, in a small bowl, toss the oregano leaves with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Remove the potatoes from the oven. Gently half-squash each potato with a potato masher, resulting in smashed potatoes that are rubbing sides against each other, filling the tray completely. Sprinkle the oregano over the potatoes, and roast for another 20 minutes, until the potatoes are golden-brown, glistening and fragrant with garlic and oregano.

The best part of making Jamie Oliver's roast potatoes with a twist is serving them, so you better get through the next part quickly!

These potatoes are best when served right out of the oven. The outside of the potatoes is crisp, flavorful, and smelling faintly of garlic. The inside is soft and gooey, like perfect creamy mashed potatoes. The bursts of oregano and roasted garlic "jam" help add some oomph to the whole dish, making it sweeter and more aromatic than any roast potatoes you've had before.

To serve Jamie Oliver's roast potatoes with a twist, squeeze out some of that sweet garlic paste out of each clove as you dig into the potatoes and all their juices.

We made a few small changes that add up to a big difference in our version of Jamie's original dish. Don't get us wrong, the original recipe is absolutely great, but it's always nice to save time when preparing a recipe.

First off, we use new potatoes instead of Jamie's original Maris Piper potatoes. We found Jamie's chosen potato challenging to find, and the difference in taste or texture wasn't that noticeable. New potatoes, which are much more common, give the same results upon cooking. Plus, they don't require peeling, which cut one step out of the process.

Secondly, Jamie gives the option of using goose fat or butter. We love the taste of goose fat or duck fat (instead of butter) in this recipe, because it makes the potatoes really crispy.

We tried one and two garlic heads in our testing, and the more garlic we used, the more we loved the results. But, that's really a matter of taste, so we give both options in our recipe.

Finally, we use fresh oregano as the herb of choice in our roast potatoes, instead of Jamie's preferred sage. We feel oregano is much milder and very complimentary to the flavor of the potatoes, letting them shine.

In short, our twists make Jamie Oliver's roast potatoes a bit faster to make, without compromising any of the delicious flavor. We are certain you will love them.