Should I boil red potatoes before roasting them?
I would like to try roasting red potatoes instead of regular idaho potatoes-should I boil and then roast or roast them raw? Also, covered in a ceramic container or uncovered--any tips?
Best Answer
In my opinion, it's a matter of how much time you have and what temperature your oven is set on already. I make these a lot, with a variety of dishes, so I've used multiple cooking methods.
Ideal: They roast best, I think, being boiled just for a few minutes then roasted at 475 F for 30 minutes.
Oven's already on low: If I have a more slow-cooking item already in the oven at 350 F, then I'll go ahead and put the potatoes in raw and leave them to roast for 60-90 minutes.
Need them quickly: When in a time crunch, I've also had success boiling them until softened completely then broiling until browned (maybe 5-10 minutes).
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Should you boil potatoes before roasting them?
Boiling your potatoes for a little bit before roasting helps make sure that you get that beautiful crisp crust on the outside. If you don't parboil your spuds, the outside skin will remain quite tough, meaning that whatever fat you use will not be able to get inside the cracks.Should I parboil red potatoes?
Parboiling Makes Potatoes Cook Faster The fact is, potatoes are dense. And they take forever to cook, right? Right. Parboiling actually pre-cooks the potatoes in the easiest way, and now they will roast, bake, or saut\xe9 much faster, just to name a few of my favorite methods for cooking parboiled potatoes.Do you put potatoes in boiling water or before?
Always start potatoes in cold water. Dropping them into boiling water is a bad idea because the hot water will cook the outsides of the potatoes faster than the insides, leaving you with unevenly cooked taters. By the time they've fully cooked to the core, the outsides will be mushy and start to flake apart.More answers regarding should I boil red potatoes before roasting them?
Answer 2
You can go one of two ways with this and it's all going to depend on your preferences.
They can be done as Tim said by simply tossing with butter or oil, seasoning and roasting until tender.
Benefit: Easy to prep and be done with.
Drawback: They'll need to roast for about an hour (test by inserting a paring knife, if it inserts easily they're done) and they'll be more brown and shriveled.
They can also be first par-boiled until a paring knife can be easily inserted and then tossed with butter/oil and seasoning before roasting.
Benefit: Less shrinkage, they'll retain more of the red color of their skin, and will only take about 15-20 minutes to crisp up the exterior. They can be par-cooked, seasoned and refrigerated until ready to roast so are great for advance prep/entertaining.
Drawback: A two-step process and the need to wash the pan used for first par-cooking them.
Answer 3
I think reds are actually better for roasting. Cut the potatoes into quarters, toss them in melted butter and spices, put them in an open baking pan, and roast away.
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Images: Tim Douglas, Ron Lach, Pixabay, Designecologist