Garlic and Herb Roast Potatoes

Garlic and Herb Roast Potatoes are made with a flavourful garlic and herb infused butter. Finished with crispy garlic and a medley of herbs.

Garlic and Herb Roast Potatoes

This recipe takes the classic and humble roast potato up a notch. And it all starts with an incredibly flavourful butter infused with heaps of garlic and herbs. We’re tossing the potatoes in this butter before roasting them in the oven till they’re perfectly crisp on the outside with melt-in-the mouth creamy centres.

But it doesn’t stop there. As soon as these golden roasties come out of the oven, we’re finishing them off with crispy garlic, fresh garlic, and plenty of herbs. They’re filled to their craggy corners with flavour and the abundance of garlic and herbs just keeps you coming back for more.

This is a recipe and method I’ve been using for years. It’s versatility means that you can customise the aromatics in any way you like. And you’ll always land with a great, reliable roast potato.

The secret to a good flavourful roast potato is clarified butter

Clarified butter is simply just butter that’s been the heated until the milk solids separate before being strained to remove them. This clarifying process doesn’t take long, and it leaves you with this liquid gold that’s full of buttery notes.

We’re clarifying the butter because it:

1. Increases the smoke point – from 150’C (butter) to 250’C (clarified butter) which allows it to withstand the higher oven temperatures, thus allowing for a crispier finish
2. Removes the milk solids – these burn fairly easily and quickly, which is why butter would not be a suitable fat for roasting without first being clarified
3. Perfect for infusion – with the milk solids removed, the clarified butter can be heated continuously along with any aromatics or herbs to infuse it for added flavour
4. Adds an intense buttery flavour – with the milk solids removed, the clarified butter ends up with a far more pronounced buttery flavour and aroma

It’s worth noting that Ghee is a type of clarified butter. But it usually involves allowing the milk solids to brown slightly before straining them out. This results in a more caramelised and nutty note being infused within the clarified butter.

Double garlic and double herbs always

These Garlic and Herb Roast Potatoes feature double garlic AND double herbs, in two different ways. Once the potatoes have just finished roasting, we’re tossing them in a medley of crispy garlic, crispy herbs, fresh garlic, and fresh herbs.

The crispy garlic and crispy herbs were the result from the clarified butter infusion. And they add a lovely extra crunch and burst of flavour with every bite. The combination of these along with their fresh counterparts adds complexity and more well rounded flavour.

Let’s talk about some of the ingredients

I’ll cover the main ones below but the full recipe can be found at the end

• Potatoes – If you’re based in the UK, floury varieties like Maris Pipers or King Edwards are perfect here. Russet or Yukon Gold for US readers
• Butter – I always use unsalted as I prefer to have complete control over the seasoning, however salted is absolutely fine
• Herbs – the trio of herbs we’re using here are sage, rosemary, and thyme. Together they provide, what I think, is the quintessential ‘roast flavour’

The KEY tips for making these Garlic and Herb Roast Potatoes

1. Use clarified butter – using un-clarified butter won’t work here as the smoke point is too low and the milk solids will burn. So please don’t skip this step
2. Infuse the clarified butter on the lowest heat – low and slow for as long as possible will impart maximum flavour
3. Par-boiled potatoes – this breaks down the surface of the potato which helps to create surface roughness for browning and crisping up.
4. Turn the potatoes frequently – during the last half of roasting, I recommend turning the potatoes over every 10 minutes or so to ensure they crisp up all over

How to make these Garlic and Herb Roast Potatoes

Let’s start with the garlic and herb infused clarified butter

Start by melting the butter over a low heat, and once melted crank the heat up to medium. Stir occasionally as the butter froths and bubbles, and within minutes you should see off-white milk solids separating at the bottom of the pan

As soon as the solids have separated (don’t let them brown), strain the butter through a sieve lined with a sheet of paper towel

Then, you can pour the clarified butter into a saucepan along with the garlic and the herbs. Place on the lowest heat, stirring occasionally, for at least 30 minutes to infuse

Once infused, pass the infused butter through a sieve. Don’t throw the crispy garlic and herbs away! We’ll use these again at the end

And now, for the Garlic and Herb Roast Potatoes

Start by peeling the potatoes and slicing into quarters. We want to keep these chunky!

Place the chopped potatoes into a large saucepan, cover with cold water, and season generously with salt. Bring the pot up to a boil, and then turn down to a simmer and allow to simmer for around 5-7 minutes

The potatoes should be knife tender around 1/3rd of the way through. Avoid cooking any further as you risk the potatoes becoming too soft and turning into mash. Then, immediately drain the potatoes into a colander

Set the colander back over the saucepan, carefully space out the potatoes, and leave to steam dry for around 20 minutes. They should develop a chalky, dry, rough exterior

Place the steam dried potatoes back into the saucepan along with the infused clarified butter

Cover the pan and toss the potatoes well. This will coat them with the infused butter and roughen the outer surface for maximum crispiness

Transfer the potatoes to a large roasting tray and space them out as evenly as possible

Half way through roasting, toss the potatoes around. Repeat this every 5-10 minutes from this point onwards and you’ll be left with beautifully golden brown and crispy roasties

Whilst the potatoes are piping hot, add fresh garlic, fresh herbs, and all the crispy garlic and herbs from earlier. Toss the garlic and herb roast potatoes and serve immediately

Frequently Asked Questions

Can these roast potatoes be prepped ahead of time?

Yes and I do this often. Par boil the potatoes, let them dry, and then store them refrigerated in an air tight container. You can prep the infused clarified butter and store that too. The crispy garlic and herbs can also be stored in an air tight container in the fridge. Melt the butter down (as it will solidify), toss the potatoes, and roast as per the recipe.

However my preferred method is to reach the point where the potatoes have been tossed in the clarified butter. At this stage I’ll transfer them to a roasting tray and place that straight into the fridge, covered with cling wrap, and ready to go. This can be done 2 days ahead of time and I honestly feel like the flavours also infuse better this way too.

Can these garlic and herb roast potatoes be made vegan?

Yes, simply substitute the clarified butter with an equal amount of olive oil. It does lack the richness of clarified butter however the olive oil adds its own flavour which works beautifully.

If you enjoyed this recipe

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Until then, happy cooking!