Crispy Duck Fat Roasted Potatoes with Garlic & Herbs
Recipe by Jacqui Toumbas, food and travel creator sharing Mediterranean-inspired recipes shaped by time spent cooking and eating in Italy and Greece.
Crispy Duck Fat Roasted Potatoes (Perfectly Golden, Garlic & Herb)
If you’re searching for the best crispy duck fat roasted potatoes, this is the recipe you want to bookmark. These potatoes are deeply golden, shatteringly crisp on the outside, fluffy in the centre, and packed with flavour thanks to duck fat, garlic, and fresh herbs. They’re the kind of roast potatoes that steal the show, whether it’s a dinner party, Sunday roast, or a festive table.
The secret to truly crispy roast potatoes isn’t just high heat. It’s technique.
Why Duck Fat Makes the Best Roast Potatoes
Duck fat has a higher smoke point than butter and brings a rich, savoury flavour that vegetable oils just can’t match. When heated properly, it coats the potatoes evenly and helps create that iconic crunchy crust while keeping the inside soft and pillowy.
Parboiling (Don’t Skip This)
Parboiling is essential for crispy duck fat potatoes. Cooking the potatoes briefly in boiling, salted water with a small amount of bicarb soda softens the exterior and breaks down the surface starches. This creates rough, fluffy edges, which later turn into crisp, golden shards in the oven.
After parboiling, draining and letting the potatoes steam-dry removes excess moisture. This step alone makes a huge difference to the final texture.
The Cornflour Trick
Once dry, a light coating of cornflour and a firm shake in the pot roughens up the potatoes even more. Cornflour absorbs surface moisture and forms a thin layer that crisps beautifully when roasted. It’s a simple trick, but one that guarantees next-level crunch.
Hot Fat = Crispy Potatoes
While the potatoes rest, duck fat and garlic are heated in the oven until shimmering and fragrant. Adding the potatoes to hot duck fat is non-negotiable, you should hear an immediate sizzle. This jumpstarts the crisping process and prevents soggy potatoes.
Slow Roasting for Maximum Crunch
These duck fat roasted potatoes cook for around 1½ hours, being turned every 20–30 minutes. This slow, steady roasting ensures every side gets direct contact with the hot tray and fat, resulting in evenly crisp potatoes without burning.
Fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme are added in the final 30 minutes so they stay aromatic and don’t scorch.
Why These Potatoes Are Worth the Time
This method isn’t rushed, and that’s why it works. Each step builds flavour and texture, turning simple potatoes into something memorable. They don’t need sauces or embellishment. Just flaky salt, cracked pepper, and a serving dish big enough for seconds.
If you’ve ever wondered how restaurants make their roast potatoes so irresistibly crisp, this is it.
These are crispy duck fat roasted potatoes done properly and once you make them this way, there’s no going back.
Frequently asked questions about Duck Fat Potatoes
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Yes, you can parboil, drain, steam-dry and roughen the potatoes up to 24 hours ahead. Store them uncovered in the fridge. Roast fresh on the day for best crispiness.
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Floury potatoes work best. In Australia, Sebago or Dutch Cream are ideal. Internationally, Yukon Gold or Maris Piper give the crispiest results with fluffy centres.
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Crusty sourdough, crackers, crostini, radicchio leaves, roasted vegetables, or even warm potatoes work beautifully.
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The most common reasons are overcrowding the tray, adding potatoes to cold fat, or skipping the steam-dry step after boiling. Hot fat, space on the tray, and dry potatoes are key for crisp results.
Crispy Duck Fat Roasted Potatoes with Garlic & Herbs
Serves:4-6 people
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cooking Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Ingredients
1.8–2 kg potatoes (Sebago, Yukon Gold or Dutch creams work beautifully)
1 tsp bicarb soda
2 tbsp salt (for the boiling water)
1½ tbsp cornflour
120–150 g duck fat
4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
2–3 sprigs rosemary and/or thyme, leaves picked
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Extra salt, to finish
Method
Parboil
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Add the bicarb soda, then the potatoes.
Cook for 8–10 minutes, until the outsides are just tender but the centres are still firm.Drain & steam-dry
Drain well and let the potatoes sit for 2–3 minutes to release steam.Roughen & coat
Return potatoes to the pot, sprinkle over the cornflour, cover with a lid and shake firmly until the edges are fluffy and well roughed-up.Heat the duck fat
Preheat oven to 220°C (fan 200°C).
Add duck fat and garlic to a large roasting tray and place in the oven for 8–10 minutes, until the fat is shimmering and the garlic is fragrant.Roast
Carefully add potatoes to the hot tray and toss to coat. Spread into an even layer.
Roast for 1½ hours, turning every 20–30 minutes, until deeply golden and crisp.Herb finish
Add herbs during the final 30 minutes, tossing once more. Finish with black pepper and extra salt if needed.
Cooking Notes
Turn the heat up at the end: For extra crunch, increase oven to 230°C for the final 10 minutes, watch the garlic.
Don’t overcrowd the tray: Use two trays if needed. Crowding = steaming, not crisping.
Let them rest briefly: Give the potatoes 5 minutes out of the oven before serving, the crust sets and stays crisp.
Season at the very end: A final pinch of flaky salt just before serving makes all the difference.