Fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside, polenta roast potatoes are the perfect accompaniment to any roast dinner! Polenta is the secret ingredient that ensures crispy crunchy roast potatoes EVERY time. You’ll never look back once you’ve tried these beauties.
Roast potatoes are the quintessential part of any roast dinner, and these crunchy polenta roast potatoes are my fool-proof method for achieving roast potato perfection. You won’t be disappointed!
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✔️ Why should you try it?
- Perfect crispy roast potatoes every time
- Delicious with any roast dinner
- Can be frozen and cooked straight from the freezer
🥘 Ingredients
- Maris Piper Potatoes – the best variety of potato for roasting.
- Olive Oil – the healthiest fat for roasting potatoes.
- Polenta – helps create that crispy crunch on the outside.
- Rosemary – Delicately flavours the roast potatoes.
- Sea Salt – essential for seasoning.
🔪 Instructions
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Preheat the oven to 220°c (200 fan/ 425F/ Gas 7).
Two: Peel the potatoes and cut any larger ones into two pieces.
Three: Place the potatoes in a pan of salted water and place on the hob on a high heat. Once the water is boiling time 5 minutes.
Four: Drain the potatoes immediately and allow to steam dry in a colander for 5 minutes.
Five: Tip the potatoes back into the pan (make sure there are no remaining water droplets in it) and add the polenta. Give the potatoes a shake to rough up the edges and coat the outsides in the polenta grains.
Six: Put 3 tablespoons of olive oil into a roasting pan and place in the oven for 5 minutes.
Seven: Take the pan out of the oven and tip the potatoes into the hot oil. Coat each one with oil, using a spoon then roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
Eight: After 30 minutes, baste the potatoes and then return to the oven for 15-20 more minutes until golden and crispy. Serve with freshly chopped rosemary and season with salt.
🍴 Serving suggestions
The polenta roasties are great served with roast beef, chicken, turkey, slow cooker lamb breast or pork. I also regularly serve them with slow cooker pork chops, savoury mince, baked cornflake chicken nuggets and lamb tagine for filling weeknight dinners.
📖 Variations
- Use semolina flour instead of polenta for coating the potatoes.
- Flavour the roast potatoes with fragrant herbs such as bay, thyme and rosemary.
- Use goose fat or duck fat instead of olive oil for a richer flavour.
- Try roasting sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes.
🧊 Suitable for freezing?
Make the potatoes up to the stage of roasting them in the oven and instead of cooking them straight away, you can open freeze them on a baking tray for 2 hours and then pop the frozen potatoes into freezer bags for future use.
When you’re ready for roast potatoes, just whip them out of the freezer and carry on with the recipe. There is no need to defrost them first, but you will need to add 5 minutes to the cooking time.
I always have a stash of parboiled polenta coated potatoes in my freezer for quick and easy weeknight dinners.
❓ FAQS
Ensure that the potatoes have fully dried out after par boiling them, before roasting them in hot fat. Make sure your oven is hot and try not to keep opening and closing the oven door whilst they are cooking.
Potatoes can be roasted in many types of oils and fats such as vegetable oil, goose fat and duck fat. The healthiest oil for roasting potatoes is olive oil, which also results in the crispiest roast potatoes too.
Maris Piper or King Edward varieties are the best for roasting due to their golden skin and creamy white flesh, but ordinary white potatoes can also be used.
😋Related recipes
More tasty side dishes to try;
- Roast Sweet Potatoes
- Air Fryer Roast Potatoes
- Yorkshire Puddings
- Baked Carrot Fries
- Pesto Focaccia
- Pilau Rice
- Spiced Red Cabbage
- Sweet Potato and Blue Cheese Dauphinoise
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Recipe
Polenta Roast Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg Maris Piper Potatoes or use ordinary white potatoes
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil or use goose fat or vegetable oil
- 50 g Polenta or use semolina flour
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 Rosemary sprig for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°c (200 fan/ 425F/ Gas 7).
- Peel the potatoes and cut any larger ones into two pieces.
- Place the potatoes in a pan of salted water and place on the hob on a high heat. Once the water is boiling time 5 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes immediately and allow to steam dry in a colander for 5 minutes.
- Tip the potatoes back into the pan (make sure there are no remaining water droplets in it) and add the polenta. Give the potatoes a shake to rough up the edges and coat the outsides in the polenta grains.
- Put 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a roasting pan and place in the oven for 5 minutes.
- Take the pan out of the oven and tip the potatoes into the hot oil. Coat each one with oil, using a spoon then roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, baste the potatoes and then return to the oven for 15-20 more minutes until golden and crispy.
Notes
- Use semolina flour instead of polenta for coating the potatoes.
- Flavour the roast potatoes with fragrant herbs such as bay, thyme and rosemary.
- Use goose fat or duck fat instead of olive oil for a richer flavour.
- Try roasting sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes.
Wanda
I’m completely fascinated by this recipe! Bookmarking so I can make it for the family!
patty @ Spoonabilities
I never thought of coating potatoes with polenta. These potatoes truly look spectacular and so crispy! Yum!
Ana Frias
Perfect combination of flavors! Never thought of using polenta for this but it’s now a favorite. Thanks for the recipe!
Lisa | Garlic & Zest
What a great way to add texture to roasted potatoes! I’d never heard of this technique, but I have a package of cornmeal, so I’ll have to try it!
Shashi
We adore potatoes and have never had them with a polenta coating so Im looking forward to trying this soon!
Alisa Infanti
These were delish! The crispy coating and soft centre were to die for!
veenaazmanov
Delicious and so easy and I just love these tempting Crispy Polenta Roast Potatoes.Perfect as a party platter too. Thanks for your recipe.
Jess
I love the crispy outside on these potatoes. Makes for the perfect bite!
Beth
This is soon to be my family’s favorite recipe! Can’t wait to give this a try! Looks so delicious and yummy!
Natalie
I’m trying this tonight. Potatoes look so crispy and delicious. What a lovely recipe. Definitely a keeper.