Crispy Potato Roast

 

There’s something magical about a potato dish that looks impressive but is secretly simple to make — and this Crispy Potato Roast is exactly that kind of recipe. Thinly sliced potatoes are laid in a baking dish with thinly sliced onions between some of the potato leaves. These get brushed with a beautiful herby butter mixture before oven roasting to gold and crispy perfection.

The edges turn irresistibly golden and crisp while the centers stay tender and creamy. It’s the perfect side dish when you want something a little special without any fuss. Whether you’re cooking for a holiday meal, a Sunday roast, or just craving a cozy comfort side, this potato roast delivers big flavor with minimal effort. One bite and you’ll understand why it’s a recipe worth keeping on repeat.

 

These lovely potatoes make the perfect side dish!  Simple to make, yet very impressive to look at.  I had found a similar recipe on Pinterest a number of years ago and had pinned it to one of my boards.  But, as you know, I cannot leave well enough alone, so I made a few changes. The original recipe had used cubed pancetta. I left that out completely and was very pleased with the results.

The key to success in this recipe is to cut the potatoes into thin even slices. This does take a bit of time, but it is totally worth it as far as the end results go.  I recommend using a very sharp, thin-bladed knife to do this. Patience is a must, but, again, your patience will be rewarded with a beautiful finish in the dish, with plenty of crisp and buttery edges.

I am serving these with some balsamic roasted lamb chops for a New Years Eve supper that will go down a real treat. Accompanied with some steamed green beans on the side and a tossed salad and this is a meal that everyone will enjoy.

 

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

TO MAKE

CRISPY POTATO ROAST

There is nothing out of the ordinary here. Just simple everyday ingredients. 

• 2 TBS butter, melted
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium onion, peeled and cut into thin slices
• 8 medium potatoes

 

The combination of oil and butter helps to prevent the butter from burning.

Worcestershire Sauce is a fermented liquid condiment found in the sauce section of most grocery stores. It is brown in color and has a lovely piquancy which is integral to the flavor of these potatoes.  You can use it for all sorts. I add a splash to most soups, stews or gravies.

I used a regular brown skinned cooking onion. Peel, cut in half lengthwise and then into very thin half-moons.

Use potatoes about the size of your fist. Peel and cut in half lengthwise, and once again, cut them into 1/4-inch half-moon slices, keeping the potato as intact as possible for lifting into the pan.

 

HOW TO MAKE CRISPY POTATO ROAST

It may seem a bit fiddly cutting all of the potatoes up and keeping them together, but it really is not difficult and pays off appearance-wise in the finished dish.

1. Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Butter a 9-inch round baking dish very well. Set aside. (Use butter, lard, or beef tallow to butter the dish. I used a round enamel cake tin.)
2. Peel your potatoes and cut them into half lengthwise and then cut each half into very thin slices. Keep them together. (Cut them into 1/4-inch slices, holding the potato together as you cut.)
3. Slide a knife under each potato half and place them into the buttered baking dish. Stick some onion in between the slices, here and there, wedging it in. (NO need to put it in between every slice. Divide it more or less equally amongst the potatoes.)
4. Whisk together the remaining ingredients and pour them evenly over top of the potatoes. Cover the baking dish loosely with foil. (Covering the potatoes, helps them to steam and cook quicker without browning or burning during the first stage of cooking.)
5. Place into the preheated oven. Roast for about 45 minutes. (Your potatoes should be almost fork tender at this point.)
6. Uncover and roast for a further 25 to 30 minutes until the potatoes are done through and they are golden brown on top with crispy edges here and there.

 

HINTS AND TIPS FOR SUCCESS

• Read through the recipe thoroughly a few times before cooking this recipe. This will help to familiarize you with any ingredients that you may need and any equipment, baking dishes, etc.
• Assemble all of your ingredients before you begin. This will help to prevent you from leaving anything integral to the recipe out by accident.
• Do not use a potato that will not keep its shape during the lengthy cook time.
• Do not cut the potatoes into slices which are too thick. 1/4 inch thick is the ideal thickness.  Any thicker and they will take longer to cook.
• Make sure you cut the onions thinly enough so that they fit well between the potato slices without making the gaps too large.
• Instead of oil and for more flavor you can use beef tallow with the butter.
• This is a case where you want the potatoes to be snug in the pan. This helps them to hold their shape during baking.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT KIND OF POTATO SHOULD I USE?

You will want to use a potato that will stand up and hold it's shape during the cook time. Any all-rounder like a Yukon gold or red potato will work well.

DO I NEED TO PEEL THE POTATOES?

No, you can totally leave the skins on. It all depends on how much you enjoy eating the skins.

WHY DO YOU USE BOTH OIL AND BUTTER?

The olive oil helps to keep the butter from burning in the long cook time, whilst the butter gives the potatoes a really delicious flavor.

HOW LARGE IS A MEDIUM SIZED POTATO?

A medium sized potato is about the size of your fist, or a baseball.

HOW THICK DO YOU SLICE THE POTATOES?

You will want to slice them about 1/4 inch thick and keep them together for transferring to the baking dish.

CAN THIS BE MADE AHEAD OF TIME?

Yes, you can totally make this ahead of time up to the point of baking.  Make as per the recipe, cover tightly with aluminum foil or cling film and place in the refrigerator.  You can do this up to 24 hours ahead of time.  When you are ready to bake, remove from the refrigerator, unwrap and leave to warm to room temperature prior to baking as per the recipe.

 

A FEW OTHER

POTATO RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY

The potato is my favorite vegetable. I could eat them every day. Here are a few more ways of cooking them that you might also enjoy.

RUSTIC SMASHED RED POTATOES -These smashed potatoes are of a different genre of smashed potatoes. These are like a smashed mashed potato, meant to be rustic and creamy all at the same time. Red skinned potatoes, well-scrubbed, are simmered in water along with salt and a bay leaf until fork tender. They are then drained well and mashed together with a bit of creamed cheese, butter and chives or spring onions. The end result is a potato dish that practically melts in the mouth with tastiness.  These go well with just about anything! I highly recommend!

FONDANT POTATOES - At first glance you might be forgiven if you mistake these tasty potatoes for being fried potatoes. They are anything but fried potatoes.  They have a beautiful buttery golden brown surface, but the interior is buttery and melt-in-the-mouth tasty. This is achieved by poaching them slowly in a rich chicken stock until tender and then finishing them off by frying them in a chef's kiss of butter, garlic and herbs until golden brown and crisp on the outside. These are considered party-fare and are very indulgent and elegant. Perfect for celebratory meals and holidays. This is a very classic recipe.

  

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RECIPE HERE

Yield: Serves 4

Author: Marie Rayner

Crispy Potato Roast

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 1 H & 15 MTotal time: 1 H & 30 M

A deliciously different and very attractive side dish for those times when you want something just a tiny bit special!

Ingredients

• 2 TBS butter, melted
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium onion, peeled and cut into thin slices
• 8 medium potatoes

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Butter a 9-inch round baking dish very well. Set aside.
2. Peel your potatoes and cut them into half lengthwise and then cut each half into very thin slices. Keep them together.
3. Slide a knife under each potato half and place them into the buttered baking dish. Stick some onion in between the slices, here and there, wedging it in. NO need to put it in between every slice. Divide it more or less equally amongst the potatoes.
4. Whisk together the remaining ingredients and pour them evenly over top of the potatoes. Cover the baking dish loosely with foil.
5. Place into the preheated oven. Roast for about 45 minutes.
6. Uncover and roast for a further 25 to 30 minutes until the potatoes are done through and they are golden brown on top with crispy edges here and there.

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This content, written and photography, is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.

 

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Twelve New Recipes I Enjoyed in 2025

  

What a delicious year it has been here in The English Kitchen.  When I look back on all the things I cooked and shared with you this year I am amazed at just how many recipes there were!  I have been doing this now, sharing new and fresh recipes with you almost every day since 2010.

Admittedly I have gotten much better at the art of presentation in the ensuing years since I began. When I look back at some of those early posts I just about cringe at how very unprofessional and poorly photographed they were, despite them being sound and delicious recipes. I really do need to take the time to go back and redo them and bring them up to date.

I thought it would be fun as we are nearing the end of the year to go back and pick out one favorite recipe that I cooked on here for each month of 2025. It sounded like it would be fairly easy for me to do that, but it really wasn't there were so many delicious things to share!

Nevertheless, I managed to tweak it down to just twelve tasty dishes, one for each month. I hope you enjoy the ones that made the cut, and that you will want to perhaps cook some of them yourself if you haven't already!

JANUARY - Rice and Smothered Cabbage Soup

Simple ingredients, cabbage, onion, garlic, a good olive oil, butter, cheese, a good stock. some rice. Seasoning. That is basically all you need.  Essentially very simple ingredients, but also good quality and fresh ingredients.

You begin by making smothered cabbage, which is a delicious side dish in and of itself.  Once done, a few simple ingredients are added to it to make one of the most delicious soups you could ever want to make and eat.  Truly.

If you make only one soup this week, I hope that it is this one. I can promise you; you will not regret it. It's quite simply fabulous! You don't want to pass this one by. I guarantee even the stoutest hater of cabbage will enjoy it.  The cabbage melts in the mouth.  This is a rich and flavorful soup that all will enjoy. 

FEBRUARY - One Pan Oven Spaghetti

The first thing that intrigued me about this recipe was the fact that everything cooked in the one dish in the oven. No need to cook a sauce or the pasta separately.  

Another thing which appealed was the simplicity of the ingredients.  If you keep pasta, tomatoes and stock in your store cupboard you have just about everything you need to make this, bar the cheese and the oregano.  Oh, and the olive oil. A bit of seasoning.

Simple ingredients. Simple cooking method. Delicious results. You certainly can't complain about that! This was a winner, through and through!

MARCH - Traditional Irish Boiled Fruit Cake

Traditional Irish Boiled Fruit Cake is a timeless classic!  It's a real keeper. Moist and stodgy, this is a cake that will keep in the cake tin for quite a while.

This is a plain and a simple cake. Country fare. The type of cake that might be offered to you along with a nice hot cup of tea if you were to go visiting of an afternoon, along with copious amounts of butter for spreading. 

It is nothing fancy, but those are the kinds of recipes and food that I enjoy most of all.

APRIL - Old Fashioned Tomato Mac & Cheese 

Macaroni & Cheese with tomatoes is something I have always made for my family and something they had always loved.  Usually, I just use a tin of chopped tomatoes drained and I stir it into the macaroni and cheese.

I have also done it the old-fashioned way where you stir the tin of undrained tomatoes into the hot macaroni and then add big chunks of tomatoes prior to baking it. This was the way my grandmother always made it and it is much beloved.  I also add cubes of buttered bread to it.  So yummy.

From the minute I saw this Old-Fashioned Tomato Macaroni & Cheese recipe on the Kitchen Magpie I had it bookmarked as something I just HAD to make! It was probably one of the most delicious macaroni and cheese dishes I have ever made. It became a real favorite!

MAY - Lost Kitchen Rhubarb Spoon Cake

This recipe for Rhubarb Spoon Cake comes from the Lost Kitchen Cookbook by Erin French.  I have always wanted to eat at The Lost Kitchen, but I will be honest, my budget just would never run to that expense, but I can enjoy some of the foods from there that are shared in her cookbook. Everyone that I have made has turned out beautifully.  This one was no exception.

I did take the liberty of cutting the recipe in half to make a small batch. It worked perfectly. A lovely dessert with a nice moist cake and lots of rhubarb compote. I did not half batch the compote so that I could have extra to serve with the cake.  Delicious call on my part!  I highly recommend you do the same! 

JUNE - Two and a Half Minute Jam Sponge Pudding

Think it's impossible to get a delicious dessert on the table in just a few minutes?  Think again!  This 2 1/2 Minute Jam Sponge Pudding recipe does just that! It totally delivers on its promise!!!

  A delicious jam sponge pudding that is cooked to delicious perfection in the microwave in only 2 1/2 minutes. 

With its sweet raspberry jam topping and a lush light and moist vanilla sponge, this pudding is the perfect dessert to make when the family is nipping at your heels in want of a delicious dessert and they want it NOW!  This pudding/dessert came out a clear winner in my books!  I could also see lots of variations that would be possible. A keeper for sure.

JULY - Air Fryer Egg & Cheese Toast with Crispy Breakfast Potatoes

I really love having a Breakfast for supper every now and then, and this delicious breakfast that is completely cooked in the Air Fryer was just the ticket for me. I love using my air fryer, especially in the summer months when I am not wanting to heat up the kitchen.  Breakfast for supper, cool kitchen? It's always a win/win for me.

I was really pleased with the way the potatoes came out. They were nicely crisped up with golden-brown edges. They also had bags of flavor with just the right amount of spice. 

The Egg and Cheese Toast came out perfect as well. The bread was nicely toasted and crispy edged, with a beautiful buttery flavor. My egg was a bit more done than I wanted, but that was purely a matter of timing on my part. It still tasted excellent!  That smattering of cheese melted over the top was incredibly moreish and the perfect topper!  

AUGUST - One Bowl Chocolate Cake for Two

I found a new favorite Birthday Cake that was perfectly sized for me this month. As we are all aging in my family, none of us wants a cake that is hanging around for too long. Health and diet means that not only should cakes be a rare treat, but the smaller sized ones are what we should be baking and enjoying.

Designed to be the perfect size for just two people, it is a delicious chocolate buttermilk cake, composed of a single layer.  A six-inch layer, which you split in two through the middle, and then fill and frost with your favorite frosting!

You don't have to bake it in a six-inch layer cake tin, however. A 1/8 sheet pan also works well or a 6 by 9-inch casserole dish, and, if you live on your own like I do, I highly recommend you make the investment!

This was moist and delicious with a rich chocolate flavor that I really enjoyed.

SEPTEMBER - Steakhouse Steak and Chips

Steak has gotten so expensive that it is a really rare treat for me and as such I am always looking for the most delicious way to cook it.  This was a clear winner.   Perfectly pan grilled to medium rare. Nothing fancy needed, just salt and black pepper.  And a nice hot pan. 

Served with a simple parsley chimichurri sauce which had a beautiful flavor and was also simple to make as well.  Just blitz the ingredients in a food processor. Fresh parsley, vinegar, olive oil, red onion, seasonings and crushed chili flakes. I use a mini food processor. If you don't have one, you can also make your sauce by hand, but it will take considerably more work to chop everything to the right size.

The chips are begun in the microwave which makes fast work of them, and then they are finished off in the pan juices from where you grilled your steak, which adds flavor and color to them.  Easy peasy. 

Altogether this makes for a really delicious meal. It is the perfect steak dinner! Quick, easy and delicious.  (I think I am getting lazy in my old age.)

OCTOBER - Root Vegetable Gratin 

Not only was this simple to make but it was also really pretty and it was exceptionally delicious.  You can adapt it to use any root vegetables you have on hand or that you enjoy. I used Sweet Potatoes, Parsnips and Beetroot.

One of the things which made this side dish so irresistible was the balance of texture and colors of the vegetables combined with the rich and creamy sauce, which is basically just an infused cream.

The cream thickens into a sauce while it is cooking along with the juices of the vegetables with most delicious results. The use of two cheeses in this dish complements the natural earthy sweetness of the root vegetables perfectly.

Easy to make without requiring a lot of effort, impressive to look at when done, and delicious.  What more could you ask for?

NOVEMBER - Mediterranean White Bean Soup

I had bookmarked this particular soup recipe on a blog called Peas and Crayons. It sounded super simple to make and used things that I always pretty much have in my kitchen and larder. I love making recipes that don't send me running to the shops to pick up extra ingredients. Simple works well for me! 

This went together very quickly and easily and did not require a lot of time or effort on my part to cook it.  I did cut the recipe in half as there is only me in the house. I ended up with a nice hearty bowl of it and enough for me to pop into the freezer to enjoy on another day. 

This was, simply put, delicious. I enjoyed it with a dusting of fresh Parmesan and some hot buttered toast on the side. I was quite happy with it and think you will be as well!

DECEMBER - Air Fryer Sage & Onion Roast Potatoes 

I will end the year with a real winner. Potatoes are one of my favorite vegetables and I think I love roast potatoes more than any other kind of potato. With their crisp and golden exterior and fluffy insides, I could easily eat a whole plate of these and nothing else! 

This recipe went together very easily, and the end result was fabulously delicious.  The potatoes came out nice, crisp and golden brown on the outsides and were lovely and fluffy inside.  The finishing touch of a sage flavored salt was what really made these stand out from the rest. Add to that the ease of cooking them in an Air Fryer and you have a winning combination!

And there you have it my twelve favorite recipes for 2025.  I could have easily chosen more.  What were some of your favorite recipes I shared with you this year if any?  I really would love to know!  Drop a comment in the comments section to let me know!

This content, written and photography, is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.

 

Thanks for visiting! Do come again!! 

If you like what you see here, why not consider signing up for my newsletter and/or subscribing/following me on Grow. You can also bookmark my recipes via the Grow platform. Check out the heart on the right-hand side of the screen.