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Rosemary and Garlic Roast Potatoes
Rosemary and garlic roast potatoes are one of those side dishes that can make an ordinary dinner feel properly comforting. Golden and crisp on the outside, fluffy in the middle, and fragrant with fresh rosemary and garlic, they’re exactly what I want beside rissoles, roast chicken, or anything else that deserves a generous pile of potatoes.
Rosemary and Garlic Roast Potatoes
These Rosemary and Garlic Roast Potatoes are the ultimate side dish in my kitchen. Fluffy on the inside, perfectly crispy on the outside, and infused with fragrant rosemary and roasted garlic, they’re impossible to resist. I make them for everything from Sunday roasts to casual weeknight dinners, and they always steal the show. Simple, comforting, and full of flavour, they’re proof that a few good ingredients can create pure magic on a plate.
Ingredients
- 750g baby potatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
- 4 tbsp olive oil, vegetable oil, or duck fat
- 4 large sprigs rosemary
- 8–10 whole garlic cloves, unpeeled
- Sea Salt flakes, to taste
Instructions
- Place the potatoes in a large pot with a generous pinch of salt. Cover with cold water, bring to the boil, and cook for 15–20 minutes or until they can be easily pierced with a skewer.
- Drain well, then give the potatoes a gentle shake or bounce in the colander to rough up the edges. Leave to sit for 30 minutes so the steam can escape and the potatoes dry out – this is key for crispiness.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C. Add the oil or duck fat to a roasting tray and place in the oven for about 15 minutes, until the fat is hot.
- Carefully add the potatoes to the hot fat in a single layer. Scatter over the rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves.
- Roast for around 45 minutes, turning once or twice, until golden brown and crisp. Season to taste and serve immediately.
Notes
- The steam-drying step is the single most important thing you can do for crispy roast potatoes. Wet potatoes will steam in the oven rather than roast, and you'll never get that deep golden crunch. Thirty minutes in the colander is the minimum.
- Roughing up the edges in the colander creates a fluffy, cragged surface that crisps up beautifully in the hot fat. Don't skip it.
- A screaming hot tray with screaming hot fat is non-negotiable. When the potatoes hit that hot fat they should sizzle immediately. That instant contact is what starts the crust forming.
- Duck fat gives you the most flavour and the crispiest result of all. Olive oil is a close second. Vegetable oil is neutral and reliable. All three work brilliantly.
- Don't crowd the tray. If the potatoes are too close together they'll steam rather than roast. Use two trays if you need to.
- Unpeeled garlic cloves roast slowly in the fat alongside the potatoes and become sweet, soft, and buttery. Squeeze them out and eat them with the potatoes or spread on bread.
- Fresh rosemary adds a wonderful fragrance and flavour. The sprigs will crisp up in the hot fat and the leaves become almost like herb crackers. Don't use dried rosemary here.
- I use this heavy duty roasting tray for potatoes. It heats quickly, holds the temperature well, and gives you an even golden crust.
- Turn the potatoes once or twice during roasting to ensure all sides get exposure to the hot fat, but resist the urge to move them around too much.
- These potatoes are best eaten immediately while they're still piping hot and crispy. They lose their crunch as they sit.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in a hot oven at 200°C for 10-15 minutes to crisp them up again, or pop them in the air fryer for 5-6 minutes.
- Not suitable for freezing as the texture will turn mushy after defrosting.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 179Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 8mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 3gSugar: 1gProtein: 3g
Please note, this nutrition information is to be used as a guide only. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
Serve this with
- Serve with Beef Rissoles and onion gravy for a proper comforting dinner. The crisp rosemary and garlic potatoes are perfect for mopping up the gravy, with peas or green beans on the side.
- Pair with my Classic Aussie Meat Pie for the ultimate cold-weather plate. Add mushy peas or steamed greens and plenty of gravy for a hearty, nostalgic dinner.
- Make them part of a full roast and link through to my Sunday Roast hub for more ideas. They’re brilliant with roast beef, lamb or chicken, plus vegetables, gravy and all the usual trimmings.
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Rosemary and Garlic Roast Potatoes and A Cosy Weekend In
A few weeks ago, I made myself a mini roast dinner. It had been more than three years since I’d cooked a proper roast, mostly because when you’re one person, it feels like a lot. A whole chook? Bit much. So instead, I went with a ricotta and pesto stuffed chicken breast – very manageable – and paired it with duck fat roast potatoes because some things are non-negotiable. And honestly? I couldn’t believe how long it had been. Roast totties are one of life’s great pleasures and these were so good. So last weekend, with what I’m hoping is the final gasp of cold weather (it was 19C yesterday!), I made beef rissoles. and of course, rosemary and garlic roast potatoes had to happen.
It’s funny how something as simple as a roast potato can spark a little moment of joy. I didn’t realise I’d missed them until I was halfway through the tray, wondering why I ever stopped. There’s a kind of grounding that comes with cooking old favourites – that comforting rhythm of prepping, roasting, and plating. It’s not just about the food, really – it’s the familiarity, the memory, the reclaiming of something simple and delicious. When I was plating everything up, I actually caught myself smiling at the tray. Smiling. At potatoes.
Coming back to the kitchen with a sense of pleasure instead of obligation has felt like a bit of a milestone. And in the same breath, I’ve brought that energy back to the blog. You might’ve noticed the new layout, and the little splash of pink in the logo – it’s a small shift, but it feels more like me now. A bit softer, a bit bolder. I’m not who I was when I started this space in 2019, and thank goodness for that!! It’s good to be back.
Friday Nights with Leftovers and KPop
Last week absolutely dragged. You know those weeks where every day felt like a Thursday and nothing moved fast enough? That. But the silver lining? A long Wednesday meant I got to leave work a little early on Friday, and I didn’t waste a second of it. I stopped in for a manicure – just a simple tidy and BIAB, nothing dramatic – and grabbed a matcha latte on the way home. Small luxuries, yes, but they always help reset my mood.
And the moment I walked through the door (after the obligatory Lulu cuddles, of course), I knew what I needed: food. I reheated the leftovers from last weekend (my sweet and spicy Chinese beef) and flopped onto the sofa with a bowl in one hand and the remote in the other. KPop Demon Hunters was queued up and ready to go for round three. Yes, it’s silly. No, I won’t stop watching it. It’s exactly the kind of ridiculous escapism I need sometimes.
I adore my little rituals , the ones no one else sees, that feel the most restorative. The warmth of the beef and rice, the earthy matcha, the comforting nonsense of a show you’ve already watched twice… it was perfect. And in those moments, I don’t need the world to be tidy or calm or sorted. I just need food I love, stories that make me laugh, and a few quiet hours where I’m not expected to be anything to anyone. Bliss.
Bestie Visits and a Change of Plans
Most Saturdays my bestie swings by for a cup of tea, and we’d week planned a little morning trip to Bunnings to boot. But honestly, this week I have hardly slept – Mercury retrograde? Full moon? Who knows – and the thought of dragging myself through those aisles without a matcha latte to keep me going wasn’t giving life. So I figured, the garden blooms could wait until the weather warms up and I’ve got the patience to browse without wanting to curl up for a nap in the potting mix aisle.
So, instead of buying plants, I went for a bit of neighbourhood foraging. My neighbour’s rosemary bush was looking gloriously overgrown, so I helped myself to a few sprigs for this recipe. Adelaide is ridiculous in the best way – rosemary and lavender everywhere, tumbling over fences and perfuming the air. Walking through the suburbs here is like wandering through an endless, free botanical garden.
No Bunnings haul, no flower planting, just a fistful of freshly cut rosemary, and the happiness of using what’s right there at your fingertips. Sometimes that’s even better than ticking off a shopping list.
Cooking for One, But Make It Special
Making roast potatoes for one might seem excessive to some, but not to me. It’s exactly the kind of little indulgence that turns a day around, and there’s a sort of quiet pride in going to that effort, even if no one else is around to see it. The smell of rosemary and garlic warming the kitchen, the golden edges crisping up just right – it’s an event. A personal one, but an event all the same.
I’ve stopped saving the good stuff for guests. If I want roast potatoes on a Wednesday, I’ll make them. If I want rissoles instead of takeaway, I’ll make them. Life’s too short to skip the food that makes you feel like you’re taking care of yourself. And let’s be honest – the moment those potatoes hit the tray, I’m already feeling smug about dinner. Pairing them with something as easy and comforting as beef rissoles just makes it all the better.
It’s been years since I last bothered with roast potatoes, and bringing them back felt like reclaiming a part of myself. Not the big, dramatic transformation kind of moment – just a quiet reminder of the person who genuinely enjoys cooking. Who lights a candle, sets the table, and eats from a real plate even when it’s just her at the table. Even though I don’t have a table, and I ate this on the sofa, but you get the idea. This is where the magic is. In choosing to care for yourself like you matter. Because you do.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I need to dry the potatoes for 30 minutes after draining? Wet potatoes steam in the oven rather than roast, which means you get soft, pale potatoes instead of deeply golden, crispy ones. The thirty minutes in the colander lets the steam escape and the surface moisture evaporate completely before the potatoes go anywhere near the hot fat. It’s the single most important step in the recipe.
Does the fat really make a difference? Yes. Duck fat gives you the most flavour and the crispiest result of the three options. Olive oil is a close second with a slightly richer flavour than vegetable oil. Vegetable oil is neutral and completely reliable. All three work well but duck fat is worth using if you can get hold of it, particularly for a Sunday roast situation where you want the best possible result.
Why do the garlic cloves stay unpeeled? The skin protects the garlic from the intense heat of the fat and the oven, allowing it to roast slowly and become sweet, soft, and buttery rather than burning and turning bitter. By the time the potatoes are done the cloves inside the skin are completely transformed and can be squeezed out and eaten alongside the potatoes or spread on bread.
Ingredient breakdown
Baby potatoes
Halved or quartered depending on size, parboiled until easily pierced with a skewer, then roughed up in the colander and left to dry for a full thirty minutes before they go anywhere near the oven. The roughing up step creates a cragged, fluffy surface that crisps up beautifully in the hot fat. Even, similarly sized pieces are important so everything parboils and roasts at the same rate. They go into the hot fat in a single layer with enough space around each piece for the heat to circulate properly.
Olive oil, vegetable oil, or duck fat
Whichever fat you choose needs to go into the roasting tray in the oven for about fifteen minutes before the potatoes go in, so it’s properly hot when they hit it. That immediate sizzle when the potatoes make contact with the fat is what starts the crust forming. Duck fat gives the most flavour and crispiness, olive oil is a close and delicious second, and vegetable oil is neutral and reliable. All three are valid depending on what you have and what the occasion calls for.
Fresh rosemary
Whole sprigs scattered over the potatoes when they go into the tray, which crisp up in the hot fat and perfume everything around them as the potatoes roast. The leaves become almost cracker-like in the oven, which is a genuinely excellent thing. Fresh rosemary only. Dried rosemary has a dusty, muted flavour that won’t give you the same result and won’t crisp up in the fat the way fresh does.
Whole garlic cloves
Left unpeeled and roasted alongside the potatoes in the hot fat for the entire cooking time. The skins protect the cloves from burning and allow them to cook low and slow in the ambient heat, transforming from sharp and pungent to completely sweet, soft, and buttery. Squeeze them out at the table to eat with the potatoes or spread on bread.
Sea salt flakes
Added generously after the potatoes come out of the oven rather than before, which keeps the flakes intact and gives you little pops of saltiness on the surface rather than salt that has dissolved and disappeared into the crust during roasting.
