Roast potatoes will be 'so crunchy' if you do one thing before cooking them

Roast potatoes will be 'so crunchy' by doing one thing before cooking them (Image: Getty)

Instead of giving in to frozen roast potatoes, it's worth trying a different method to master cooking them from scratch.

According to BBC Good Food's resident air fryer expert, Samuel Goldsmith, the trick is to ditch all the extra ingredients many recipes call for and switch up the par-boiling step.

Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk about cooking a full roast dinner in an air fryer, Samuel noted that it's also a great appliance for crisping up roasties.

However, he follows a slightly different preparation method from most recipes, which includes soaking the spuds.

And he doesn't mean in boiling water. The BBC Good Food editor said: "You need to soak them before - so I usually prepare my potatoes, soak them in cold water for about half an hour, drain them, and then put them in boiling water."

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Draining and drying the potatoes before roasting is crucial for extra crunch (Image: Getty)

Allowing the peeled, washed, and cut potatoes to soak in cold water removes excess potato starch from the outside. This ultimately helps the spuds turn even crunchier when baking or roasting them.

In this case, Samuel recommends air-frying as the final step to "get them as crispy as possible", but an oven works just as well - it might take a little longer.

As for the air fryer expert's instructions, he recommended seasoning the potatoes once they have been soaked, parboiled and drained. He said before putting them in the air fryer, you could dry them off, "chuff them with some flour or whatever you normally use", and drizzle with oil.

Salt and pepper are another must-have for tasty results, and if you're using dried herbs like rosemary or garlic, this is a good time to add them.

Air fryer roast potatoes recipe

Ingredients

• Three medium potatoes (Maris Piper or King Edward)
• Olive or rapeseed oil
• Salt and pepper, plus other seasonings if you wish

First, peel and chop the potatoes into quarters or smaller, depending on their size. Leave the spuds to soak in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, add boiling water to a pan over medium heat on the hob. Drain and rinse the soaked potatoes and add them to the pan of boiling water to boil until soft and fork-tender (10 to 15 minutes).

Heat the air fryer for two minutes. Dry the boiled potatoes thoroughly, then put them in a bowl and drizzle over the oil (around one teaspoon). Finally, season with salt and pepper, plus other dried herbs you may want to use.

Using your hands or a spoon, coat the potatoes in the oil, then put them into the air fryer basket in one layer if possible. Cook for 10 minutes at 190C.