Crispy duck fat roast potatoes are a rich, golden, and delicious potato side dish that works beautifully with roast duck, roast chicken, roast beef, turkey, and traditional Sunday roasts.
They are wonderfully crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy in the middle, and full of savoury flavour from the duck fat, rosemary, garlic, and sea salt.
Potatoes roasted in duck fat have a deeper, richer taste than regular roast potatoes, which makes them ideal for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, dinner parties, or any meal where you want the side dishes to feel a little more special.
The secret to perfect duck fat roast potatoes is simple: choose a floury potato, parboil it briefly, rough up the edges, coat lightly with flour, and roast in very hot duck fat until crisp and golden. This method gives you potatoes with a crunchy coating and a light, fluffy centre.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Crispy and golden roast potatoes with fluffy centres.
- Perfect for festive meals, Sunday lunch, and special occasions.
- Easy to prepare using simple ingredients.
- Full of flavour from duck fat, garlic, rosemary, and sea salt.
Ingredient notes
Potatoes – Floury or starchy potatoes such as Maris Piper or King Edward are best because they become fluffy inside and crisp up well in the oven. Regular white potatoes can also be used if that is what you have available.
Duck fat – Use shop-bought duck fat or fat collected from a roasting duck during cooking. Duck fat gives the potatoes their distinctive rich flavour and helps create a crisp, golden crust.
Plain flour – A small amount of flour helps roughened potato edges crisp up beautifully during roasting.
Rosemary – Fresh rosemary sprigs add a subtle herby aroma to the potatoes as they roast.
Garlic – Use whole, unpeeled garlic cloves in the roasting tin. They gently flavour the fat without burning too quickly.
Sea salt – Sea salt seasons the potatoes and enhances their savoury flavour.
Instructions
Ingredient quantities and full recipe details are included in the recipe card below.
One: Peel the potatoes and cut them into even chunks. A medium potato can usually be cut into three pieces. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan of salted water and bring to the boil. As soon as the water is boiling, reduce the heat to low and cook for 4 minutes.
Two: Remove the pan from the heat and drain the potatoes in a colander. Leave them to steam dry for a few minutes, then gently shake the colander to rough up the edges. These rough edges are what help create a crisp coating.
Three: Sprinkle the flour over the potatoes and toss carefully so that each piece is lightly coated.
Four: Preheat the oven to 220°C, or 200°C fan/Gas 7. Add the duck fat to a sturdy roasting tin and place it in the oven for 5 minutes, until the fat is very hot.
Five: Carefully remove the hot roasting tin from the oven. Add the potatoes to the hot duck fat, turning each piece with a spoon so it is well coated. Add the whole garlic cloves and rosemary sprigs, then sprinkle over the sea salt.
Six: Roast for 50 minutes to 1 hour, turning the potatoes halfway through cooking, until they are deeply golden, crisp, and cooked through.
Top tip: Turn the potatoes halfway through roasting so they colour evenly on all sides and develop a crunchy golden crust.
Top Tips
- You can reuse duck fat after roasting the potatoes. Strain out any potato pieces, leave the fat to cool, then scrape it into a clean jar and store it in the fridge for up to a month.
- Use starchy potatoes rather than waxy potatoes for the best fluffy texture.
- After parboiling, shake the potatoes in the colander to roughen the edges. More surface texture means a crispier finish.
- Avoid glass roasting dishes because this recipe uses a very hot oven.
- Make sure the duck fat is hot before adding the potatoes. This helps the potatoes begin crisping as soon as they hit the roasting tin.
What to serve with duck fat roast potatoes
Duck fat roast potatoes are a classic side dish for roast meats, especially duck, chicken, beef, and turkey. They also work well with festive meals and roast dinners served with vegetable sides such as cauliflower cheese, red cabbage, roasted broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips, and stuffing.
Because they are rich and crisp, they are especially good with gravy and simple green vegetables. Serve them straight from the oven while they are at their crunchiest.
Variations
- Use goose fat instead of duck fat for a similar rich flavour.
- Replace the plain flour with semolina or polenta for extra crunch.
- Swap rosemary for thyme or oregano.
- Use baby potatoes instead of regular white potatoes.
- Cook the potatoes in an air fryer instead of the oven, if preferred.
Storage
Make ahead – Peel and chop the potatoes the day before, then keep them covered in a pan of cold water overnight.
Store – Leftover roast potatoes can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat – Reheat in an air fryer or hot oven to help restore their crisp texture.
Freeze – Allow the duck fat roast potatoes to cool completely, then place them in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge before reheating in a hot oven or air fryer.
Frequently asked questions
One is not necessarily better than the other. Both duck fat and goose fat have high smoking points, making them suitable for roasting potatoes at high temperatures. Both also give a richer flavour than oil.
Duck fat can be used for roasting potatoes and also for deep-frying foods such as chips, French fries, calamari, and battered fish.
More potato recipes
- Polenta roast potatoes
- Roast sweet potatoes
- Parmentier potatoes
- Boulangere potatoes
- Mini Hasselback potatoes
If you try this crispy duck fat roast potatoes recipe, serve it hot from the oven and enjoy it with your favourite roast dinner.
Recipe
Crispy Duck Fat Roast Potatoes
Equipment
- Chopping board
- Vegetable peeler
- Knife
- Large saucepan
- Roasting tin
Ingredients
- 1 kg white potatoes Maris Piper or King Edward
- 85 g duck fat
- 1 teaspoon plain flour
- 2 rosemary sprigs
- 3 garlic cloves left whole and unpeeled
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into even chunks. Place them in a large saucepan of salted water and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and cook for 4 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes in a colander and leave them to steam dry. Shake the colander gently to rough up the edges.
- Sprinkle over the plain flour and toss carefully until the potatoes are lightly coated.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C, or 200°C fan/Gas 7. Add the duck fat to a roasting tin and heat it in the oven for 5 minutes until very hot.
- Carefully add the potatoes to the hot fat and turn them so they are coated. Add the rosemary, garlic, and sea salt. Roast for 50 minutes to 1 hour, turning halfway through, until golden and crisp.
Notes
Top Tips:
- Reuse leftover duck fat by straining it, cooling it, and storing it in a jar in the fridge for up to a month.
- Use starchy potatoes for the fluffiest centres.
- Rough potato edges help create a crispier finish.
- Do not use glass roasting dishes at very high oven temperatures.
Variations:
- Use goose fat instead of duck fat.
- Use semolina or polenta instead of flour.
- Swap rosemary for thyme or oregano.
- Use baby potatoes instead of regular potatoes.
Nutrition: Nutritional information is approximate and may vary depending on ingredients and cooking methods.