Roast potatoes are a Sunday favourite, but a chef claims to have a one-ingredient method that will elevate your potatoes to new heights. The recipe has been so popular on TikTok that one person even hailed the potatoes as being “better than” their mum’s – which is quite the compliment.
The one-ingredient roast potatoes trick came from Oli Brandon, who shares his cooking videos to TikTok under the username @OliBrandon.
He revealed to his viewers that the key ingredient to potatoes that are perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside is baking soda. You simply need to add a teaspoon of baking soda while cooking.
In a video posted to his TikTok page, the chef bit into one of his freshly made potatoes. He described the satisfying crunch as: “The sound of the best roast potatoes you’ve ever had.”
In a step-by-step guide, Oli explained: “Put one teaspoon of baking soda and salt into boiling watering cook your potatoes until fork tender but not falling apart.”
When the baking soda is added at this stage, it breaks down a starch in potatoes called pectin and draws it to the surface. This is the key to creating a crispy surface and helps the potatoes to become a gorgeous shade of golden brown.
The next step is to check your potatoes are fork tender, before draining them and fluffing them up.
“Next, finely chop rosemary and garlic and add into a pan with lots of olive oil,” continued Oli.
“Toast these until lightly golden brown and then drain the oil off all over the potatoes.” You will be left with an array of crunchy rosemary and garlic crumbs, which you should keep for later use.
The chef then uses the freshly drained oil to spread a coating on top of the potatoes before they go into the oven to bake.
“Make sure you spread that oil all over the potatoes, add salt and pepper and then bake them at 180C for 20 minutes,” he said. “Turn them over and bake them for another 20 to 30 minutes or until super crispy.”
Finally, transfer your roast potatoes into a bowl and add the toasted garlic and rosemary crumbs as a finishing touch. You can also add a pinch of salt at this point before fully mixing the potatoes together.
Commenting on the TikTok video, a user who put the recipe to the test gave it a thumbs up. They wrote: “I made these the other day and they were so nice, better than my mum’s and that’s saying something.”
