Serves a Crowd

Crispy Soy & Ginger Roast Potatoes From Lara Lee

by:
December 15, 2020
4
21 Ratings
Crispy Soy & Ginger Roast Potatoes From Lara Lee
Photo by James Ransom. Prop Stylist: Gerri Williams. Food Stylist: Anna Billingskog.
  • Prep time 20 minutes
  • Cook time 45 minutes
  • Serves 4 to 6 as a side
Author Notes

Coconut & Sambal author Lara Lee took a crispy, aromatic potato dish from East Java in Indonesia and made it endlessly recreatable in home kitchens all over. And—with apologies to other roasted potatoes—it's going to be very hard to turn back.

As Lara writes in Coconut & Sambal, “These versatile potatoes are impossibly crispy, and it’s a dish I love to serve as an impressive side alongside steaks at a summer barbecue or a Sunday roast. A stand-out accompaniment, the potatoes are roasted, then tossed with stir-fried spring onions and then drizzled with a rich soy dressing that is sharpened by the acidic hit of vinegar. In the same way that vinegar can make the crunchiest of chips go a little soggy, my soy and vinegar dressing has the same effect, so dress the potatoes only when you are ready to serve them.”

A few more tips: If you don’t have a heavy-bottomed roasting pan and need to use a lightweight roasting pan or sheet pan, add the garlic along with the potatoes to prevent them from burning. You can also consider doubling up your sheet pan to mimic a heavier pan, but still add the garlic later. When you shake the pan, don’t go too wild—you want to make sure the shaggy coating stays on the potatoes to crisp up and doesn't fly off. If you have any leftover potatoes, they will absorb the dressing but still re-crisp nicely in a nonstick pan with a little oil.

Recipe adapted slightly from Coconut & Sambal: Recipes from my Indonesian Kitchen (Bloomsbury Publishing, October 2020).

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Want to hear more about this recipe? On here. —Genius Recipes

What You'll Need
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Crispy Soy & Ginger Roast Potatoes From Lara Lee
Ingredients
  • Potatoes
  • 6 tablespoons sunflower oil, for roasting
  • 1 large whole garlic bulb, halved widthways
  • Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 2 1/2 pounds (1.2kg) floury potatoes (such as Maris Piper or Russet), skin on and cut into 1 1/2–inch (4cm) chunks
  • Stir-Fried Scallions & Soy Dressing
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
  • 8 scallions, chopped into 1-inch (3cm) chunks
  • 8 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 4 1/2 inches (12cm) ginger (about 60 grams), peeled and cut into long, thin matchsticks
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup light soy sauce
Directions
  1. Heat the oven to 425°F. Pour the oil into a very large, heavy-bottomed roasting tray with the garlic bulb halves and a generous sprinkle of salt. Place the roasting tray in the oven to heat.
  2. Put the potatoes into a large pan and cover with cold water. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain the potatoes, then return them to the pan to steam for 2 minutes. As the potatoes are steaming, shake the pan to rough up their edges for maximum crispiness.
  3. Remove the hot roasting tray from the oven and carefully spoon the potatoes into the pan in a single layer, being careful not to overcrowd the tray. Toss the potatoes in the hot oil until they are fully coated, then season generously with salt and pepper. Roast for about 45 minutes, until golden and crispy, turning the potatoes over halfway to ensure even roasting. If the garlic bulbs get to a deep golden brown before the potatoes, remove the garlic from the pan and set aside until the potatoes are done.
  4. In the last 10 minutes of the cooking time, prepare the stir-fried scallions and the soy dressing: Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and add the spring onions, garlic and ginger. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant and just beginning to soften, then remove from the heat. To make the dressing, mix the vinegar and soy sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
  5. Once golden, toss the potatoes with the spring onion, garlic and ginger, then drizzle with the vinegar and soy dressing. Serve immediately.
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    trysteroo
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    Ginny Eaton
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    Rosalind Paaswell
  • Minoti Sahu
    Minoti Sahu
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23 Reviews

EMR
EMR January 29, 2021
I just used the potato cooking technique for an easy weekday dinner. I skipped the sauce as I was serving a young (and picky) eater. I will never, never go back to any other technique for roasting potatoes. The potatoes are amazing; crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside, perfectly seasoned. Thank you Lara and Kristen.
I am now wondering if I adapt this technique for other veggies if I dredged them in potato starch before I put them in the oil and garlic for baking?
 
brushjl
brushjl January 13, 2021
Super delicious, I wouldn't change a thing.
 
RachelC2622
RachelC2622 December 28, 2020
Overall, I would highly recommend this recipe and this potato cooking technique for other types of potatoes, as well. These genius recipes have never led me astray and this one continues that tradition!!

I followed the recipe very closely and thought the potatoes came out very crispy and yet still creamy on the inside. I really loved them....until I did the stir fry. I found the sauce a little too salty and I thought it made the crag-y bits soft, when they were almost like potato chips when they first came out. I'm going to assume it was me doing it wrong and not the recipe, though. So if you're like me and a still-learning cook, I'd just toss the stir fried veggies coated in less sauce with the crispy potatoes.
 
Janet S.
Janet S. December 27, 2020
I made these potatoes for Christmas Eve. I substituted scallions for the ginger, also, I could not find the sunflower oil, just used canola oil instead. The potatoes were fabulous, everyone loved them! My son did a tenderloin of beef, and my daughter made a huge salad of kale, sweet potatoes, walnuts and pomegranate seeds. Dessert was Nantucket Cranberry Cake, from King Arthur flower. A meal to remember!
 
JV
JV December 21, 2020
This was stellar... some of the best potatoes we’ve had, and that’s saying a lot! I followed the recipe exactly, except used 4 tbs canola oil instead of 6 in the roasting tray, and 2 tsp in a non stick pan for the ginger/scallion mix. Couldn’t tell the difference at all - it was plenty “fried” and crispy!
 
JV
JV December 21, 2020
Also, the potatoes needed much longer for me... maybe 15min more to look like the video. I’m glad I waited - they held up really well and stayed crunchy against the dressing!
 
lwilliamsnutrition
lwilliamsnutrition December 20, 2020
I love this technique! I heard the recipe editor on the Splendid Table this afternoon and I had to run home and try it. They came out exactly as described: crispy as all get out on the outside and creamy on the inside. I served it with fried eggs (runny yolks, perfect suggestion) and crispy Brussels sprouts. There was enough sauce to drizzle over everything. I can’t wait to make them again and experiment with different flavors, like rosemary infused oil and chives.
 
trysteroo
trysteroo December 20, 2020
This is the first time my roast potatoes have actually come out super crispy -- so glad I learned this method! The flavors are delicious. Good enough to eat for dinner all on their own (which I did tonight).
 
Cheesecurds
Cheesecurds December 18, 2020
People whining about these being boring English potatoes can continue eating their boring English potatoes while I continue to make these. They were a hit in my house. I’ll probably make again in at least two weeks. They were soooo good!!!
 
Rosalind P.
Rosalind P. December 19, 2020
Wow, Allpurposecookingoil (?). Hostile much? I didn't see any whining about anything. If you find English roasties boring, sad on you. They are genius in their own right. The dressing here gilds the lily, but no one is dissing it. It's actually great -- as noted, belongs in the genius category too, Merry Christmas.
 
Cheesecurds
Cheesecurds December 19, 2020
Yup- very hostile for having an opinion that English potatoes are boring and these are delicious. I’m a terrible terrible person for liking this better.
 
Rosalind P.
Rosalind P. December 19, 2020
Hey, APCO -- everybody missed the comment saying anyone is "terrible" for liking this better. Maybe it was taken off? The hostile vibe did jump off the page so maybe that's what happened. All I saw was a friendly, totally non-negative observation that the potatoes were English roasties AND that the dressing was genius, and others agreeing, more or less. (And BTW, the brilliant Lara Lee tells the history of this dish: basically a wonderful fusion of her Indonesian cuisine and -- ta da -- English roasties.) As before, have a Merry Christmas. Really.
 
Corals
Corals December 17, 2020
Amazing recipe. The potatoes was so crunchy and the yummy soy/rice wine vinegar makes this dish so delicious. I give it 5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
 
Cheesecurds
Cheesecurds December 18, 2020
I loved them too!!!
 
Ginny E.
Ginny E. December 16, 2020
Good recipe- made it and put the garlic-ginger-scallions on bottom of serving dish. Then added sliced pork tenderloin on one side and potatoes on other side of dish. Poured soy/rice wine over the whole thing. Turned a side dish into a good main. 4stars
 
Ginny E.
Ginny E. December 16, 2020
Good recipe- made it and put the garlic-ginger-scallions on bottom of serving dish. Then added sliced pork tenderloin on one side and potatoes on other side of dish. Poured soy/rice wine over the whole thing. Turned a side dish into a good main
 
Rosalind P.
Rosalind P. December 16, 2020
These look great, but if I'm not mistaken aren't they are the standard "English" roast potatoes, made in the standard way. The only difference is the dressing -- looks delicious of course, and maybe that's what puts this dish in the "genius" category. Still the plain, old English roasties are in a class by themselves.
 
Caltelam
Caltelam December 16, 2020
So it’s, deep fried potatoes done in an oven. Glad I read two long introductions for that “mind blowing trick”.
 
Danielle
Danielle December 16, 2020
Are you ok?
 
Rob
Rob December 16, 2020
Sounds delicious. I've been adding a teaspoon of baking soda to the boiling water - it seems to create a better crisp.
 
Priya P.
Priya P. December 16, 2020
Hi, can you let us know what to do with the roasted garlic?
 
Minoti S.
Minoti S. December 16, 2020
That roasted garlic would be delicious whipped up with some butter and spread on a toasted baguette slices. Or, mix it in with any pasta sauce. Use it in a salad dressing.
 
Genevieve L.
Genevieve L. December 16, 2020
Pop it out and eat it with the potatoes or mashed on a piece of good sourdough!