Do you love crispy roast potatoes? If so, you need to know what the best oil is for roast potatoes!
Crispy roast potatoes can be made using any type of fat. For example, olive oil, vegetable oil, sunflower oil or duck fat. All of these fats will make deliciously tasting roasted potatoes that are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
While there are many different types of oils to choose from when roasting your next batch of potatoes at home, we want to help you find out which one is best for your taste buds and what makes them so delicious!
Related: Best Potatoes For Roasting
Goose Fat
Goose fat is an indulgent choice for roast potatoes and with good reason, they turn out super crispy and almost like they have been fried.
The benefit of using goose fat over other oils is that it doesn’t soak into the potatoes and get absorbed as quickly – so a little bit goes a long way.
Goose fat also tastes better than some of the other oils.
Goose fat tends to be a popular choice at Christmas time for making crispy roast potatoes.
Duck Fat
Although duck fat isn’t as popular as goose fat, it is very similar and can be used in exactly the same way.
Duck fat will give you crispy roast potatoes that are super rich and creamy on the inside, with a nice crisp outer crust.
Both goose and duck fat have high smoke points making them ideal for roasting potatoes.
Sunflower Oil
Sunflower oil is a good option for roasting potatoes due to its high smoke point. It is a popular choice for people looking to use an oil rather than goose or duck fat owing to its neutral flavour.
Sunflower oil produces very crispy exteriors without overpowering the delicious taste of a roast potato.
Vegetable Oil
Vegetable oil is an excellent choice for those who want to use roasting oil but don’t want the flavour of it to overpower the roast potatoes. It has a smoke point of 205-230°C.
Olive Oil
Olive oil is a great choice for roast potatoes, but it’s important to use a good quality one otherwise the flavour of the oil will be too strong.
When roasted, potatoes absorb the flavours of the oil they are cooked in – so using high-quality olive oil will give your roast potatoes a delicious taste.
The smoke point of olive oil is 190°C.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is a great option for roast potatoes as it has a smoke point of around 175-185°C, meaning that it is less likely to burn.
However, coconut oil does have a strong flavour which some people may not like.
Avocado Oil
Avocado oil is a healthy choice for roast potatoes as it has many health benefits.
The smoke point of avocado oil is 190-205°C, so can be used to cook crispy roast potatoes at high temperatures without burning them outside or leaving them soggy inside.
Tips For Making The Perfect Roast Potato
- Pick a floury type of potato such as Maris Piper or King Edward
- Parboil the potatoes before roasting in the oven
- ‘Bash’ the potato about after parboiling
- Allow the oil or fat to get hot in the oven before adding the potatoes for roasting
Roast Potato Recipes
Final Word – Which Oil Should I Use?
When it comes to roasting potatoes, there are many choices of oils and fats that can be used to make them crispy and delicious.
For an indulgent Christmas roast potato, we like to go for goose fat. For other times of the year, or, for a vegetarian option, sunflower is our oil of choice.
What’s your oil of choice for roast potatoes?