Crispy Butter Roasted Potatoes

They’re ridiculously golden and crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy in the middle, and coated in enough buttery goodness to make them disappear fast.

 

I make roast potatoes all the time, but adding butter takes them into a completely different league.

These crispy butter roasted potatoes have those deeply golden, crunchy edges that make you immediately start looking for the crispiest one on the tray.

Inside, they stay soft and fluffy, so every bite has that perfect contrast.

The butter gives them a rich, almost nutty flavor as they roast, and it helps the outside turn beautifully crisp without making the recipe complicated.

They’re exactly the sort of side dish that works with pretty much anything, whether it’s roast chicken, steak, fish, or a big Sunday dinner.

Just be warned, they’re very hard to leave alone once they come out of the oven.

I usually “taste test” one and somehow lose another three before serving.

 

 

Ingredients

This serves 4 to 6 people as a side.

• 1kg baby potatoes
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon butter, for finishing
• Extra flaky sea salt, optional

Start With the Potatoes

Baby potatoes are ideal because their thin skins crisp beautifully.

You also avoid peeling, which is always a bonus.

• Scrub the potatoes well.
• Cut the larger potatoes in half.
• Leave very small ones whole.
• Try to keep the pieces roughly similar in size.

The halved potatoes are especially important here.

Those flat cut surfaces are where you get the deepest golden colour.

Parboil Them First

I know it adds another pan, but this is the step that gives you that fluffy middle.

It also means the potatoes can brown properly without drying out.

• Add the potatoes to a large saucepan.
• Cover with cold water.
• Add a generous pinch of salt.
• Bring to the boil.
• Cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

The potatoes should just be starting to soften.

A knife should go into the outside fairly easily, but the centre should still have some resistance.

• Drain thoroughly.
• Leave them in the colander for 5 minutes.

That little steam-dry makes a huge difference.

Wet potatoes do not roast well.

Rough Up the Edges

Once the potatoes have drained, give the colander a few gentle shakes.

You are not trying to smash them.

You just want the surface to become slightly rough.

Those fluffy little edges catch the oil and butter, then crisp up in the oven.

The whole potatoes may stay smooth, which is fine.

The halved ones will do most of the crisping.

Season Them Properly

Heat the oven to 220°C fan.

Add the potatoes to a large roasting tray.

• Pour over the extra-virgin olive oil.
• Add the melted butter.
• Sprinkle over the sea salt.
• Add the black pepper.
• Add the garlic powder.
• Add the crushed garlic cloves.
• Strip a few rosemary leaves from the stems and scatter them over the potatoes.
• Add the remaining rosemary sprigs whole.

Toss everything thoroughly.

Make sure the cut sides are coated.

Then turn as many halved potatoes as possible cut-side down.

That direct contact with the hot tray gives you those dark golden faces.

Roast Until Deeply Golden

Put the tray into the hot oven.

• Roast for 25 minutes without moving them.
• Turn the potatoes.
• Spoon some of the buttery oil from the tray back over them.
• Roast for another 20 to 25 minutes.

By the end, the skins should look wrinkled and crisp.

The cut sides should be deeply golden.

A few darker patches are exactly what you want.

If they still look pale after 40 minutes, give them another 5 to 10 minutes.

Do not pull them out simply because the timer says so.

Colour matters more.

Finish With Butter

Once the potatoes are out of the oven, add the final tablespoon of butter while they are still piping hot.

Let it melt over the top.

Then gently toss the potatoes through the buttery oil already sitting in the tray.

This gives them that glossy finish without making them soggy.

Scatter over a little more fresh rosemary if you like.

A small pinch of flaky sea salt at the end is lovely too.

 

Why Use Both Butter and Olive Oil?

You could roast potatoes using only olive oil.

You could also use only butter.

I prefer both.

The olive oil handles the high oven temperature well.

The butter gives the potatoes a richer flavour and that lovely golden finish.

Using both means you get crisp edges without losing that buttery taste.

Adding a little more butter at the end also keeps the flavour fresh.

How to Get the Cut Sides Really Crispy

This is mostly about contact.

Once the potatoes are coated in oil and butter, place the halved pieces cut-side down on the tray.

Then leave them alone.

If you start moving them after ten minutes, they lose that chance to develop a proper crust.

A heavy metal roasting tray works best.

Ceramic dishes are fine, but they usually do not give quite the same deep browning.

Don’t Crowd the Tray

The potatoes need space.

If they are packed tightly together, the moisture they release gets trapped.

Then they steam.

That gives you soft potatoes with pale edges, which is not what we are doing here.

If your tray is too small, use two.

It is worth washing the extra tray.

What to Serve With Them

These work with almost anything you would normally serve roast potatoes with.

Try them alongside:

• Roast chicken
• Steak
• Salmon
• Pork chops
• Grilled vegetables
• Tofu steaks
• Sunday roast dinners
• Big green salads

They are also perfectly good with a dipping sauce and absolutely no larger plan.

Garlic aioli is especially good.

Easy Variations

If you want more garlic flavour, add a few extra crushed cloves to the tray.

For a little heat, sprinkle in some chilli flakes.

Thyme works beautifully if you do not have rosemary.

You can also finish them with grated Parmesan if you are not keeping the dish vegetarian or dairy-free.

I would keep the basic version simple, though.

Butter, olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper are already doing plenty.

Q&A

Can I use larger potatoes?

Yes.

Cut them into medium chunks so they cook at roughly the same speed as baby potatoes.

Yukon Gold or another yellow-fleshed potato works especially well.

Do I really need to parboil them?

You can roast them from raw, but the texture will be different.

Parboiling gives you much fluffier middles and helps the outside crisp.

I would not skip it.

Can I make them ahead?

You can parboil the potatoes a few hours ahead.

Drain them well and leave them uncovered until cool.

Roast them shortly before serving.

Can I reheat leftovers?

Yes.

Spread them on a tray and reheat at 200°C fan until hot and crisp again.

The microwave will warm them, but the crisp edges will disappear.

Can I use dried rosemary?

Yes.

Use about 1 teaspoon dried rosemary.

Fresh rosemary gives a better finish, but dried works perfectly well in the seasoning.

Why are my potatoes sticking?

They may not have browned enough yet.

Give them another few minutes before trying to turn them.

A properly browned potato usually releases much more easily from the tray.

Can I make them vegan?

Absolutely.

Replace the butter with a good plant-based butter.

The rest of the recipe stays exactly the same.

Storage

Let leftover potatoes cool before transferring them to an airtight container.

Keep them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

For the best texture, reheat them in the oven or air fryer.

A few minutes at high heat brings back a surprising amount of crispness.

You can add another tiny knob of butter after reheating if they need it.

Final Thoughts

I make these when plain boiled potatoes feel a little too sensible.

The skins crisp up, the cut sides turn deep gold, and the centres stay soft and fluffy.

Then the rosemary, butter and olive oil get into all those rough little edges and make the whole tray smell ridiculous.

They are simple enough for a weekday dinner but good enough to put next to a roast.

Just make more than you think you need.

A suspicious number always disappear before they reach the serving bowl.