How to Make Emily Blunt’s English Roasted Potatoes Dish

• Jennifer Garner revealed she makes Emily Blunt’s English roasted potatoes every week.
• She found the recipe in Ina Garten’s cookbook and now swears by the dish.
• I first tried the recipe when I was learning how to cook and it’s still one of the best I’ve ever made.

Anyone who follows Jennifer Garner’s Instagram knows that she loves spending time in the kitchen.

And Garner recently revealed that one of her favorite weekly recipes comes courtesy of Emily Blunt and Ina Garten.

The actress told People that she’s made Blunt’s English roasted potatoes almost every week since discovering the recipe in Garten’s “Modern Comfort Food” cookbook, which was released in October 2020.

A post shared by Ina Garten (@inagarten)

Garner calls the recipe a “definite recommend,” and I definitely agree. It’s one of the tastiest dishes I’ve ever made, and I write about food for a living.

Emily Blunt taught Ina Garten how to make her family’s special recipe on an episode of ‘Barefoot Contessa’

Barefoot Contessa/Food Network

The actress told Garten that these English roasted potatoes are a “staple in the Blunt household,” revealing all her tips and tricks during the 2018 Food Network episode.

Garten shared the recipe again in May 2020 when her Instagram followers asked for pantry-friendly dishes to make during the first lockdown of the pandemic. The recipe was such a hit that it temporarily crashed the “Barefoot Contessa” website.

Months later, Blunt’s family recipe appeared in Garten’s “Modern Comfort Food” cookbook, where it was discovered by Garner.

“I’ve made them consistently,” she told People earlier this month. “Rarely a week goes by that I’m not in [the kitchen] peeling potatoes, trying to make them like Emily’s. My kids love them.”

Blunt’s English roasted potatoes recipe is super easy, even for beginner chefs

I first made Blunt’s family recipe when I lived like Garten for a day during lockdown (an experience I’d highly recommend). I was a total cooking novice back then, but I couldn’t believe how easy it was to whip up this elevated potato dish.

The recipe requires just four simple ingredients. All you need are Yukon Gold potatoes — peeled and diced to 1½ to 2-inch pieces — plus parsley, salt, and vegetable oil.

Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

To begin, I added my potatoes to a large boiling pot of water seasoned with two tablespoons of salt. I let the water return to a boil and then lowered the heat, allowing my potatoes to simmer for eight minutes.

I drained the water and threw the potatoes back into the pot. Then I covered it with the lid and shook everything for five seconds. Blunt told Garten that this is her mother’s trick to help roughen up the potatoes’ edges.

“This is the workout part,” she said. “If you rough up the edges, once you roast them it just gives a really nice, sort of crispy, crunch.”

Barefoot Contessa/Food Network

Then I tried Blunt’s second special trick — letting the potatoes dry for 15 minutes before popping them into the oven.

“This is my addition that made my mother a bit concerned at Christmas,” Blunt told Garten. “Cause her whole thing is like, just shake them up and bung them in the oil — don’t overthink it!

“But I said: ‘Mum, this is a really good trick. You put them on the wire rack and you get all the moisture out of them, and then it just forms such a fantastic crust on the outside.'”

And if you don’t have a baking rack, don’t worry. I just placed a paper towel over a baking sheet and let my potatoes dry on top.

Blunt’s English roasted potatoes take about 45 minutes to cook

Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

While parboiling my potatoes, I preheated the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and poured half a cup of vegetable oil into a sheet pan. I threw the pan into the oven and let it sit for about five minutes.

“You want it kind of smoking,” Blunt told Garten during the “Barefoot Contessa” episode. “It should hurt your eyes a bit when you bring it out.”

I transferred my potatoes to the pan after they finished drying and lightly tossed them in the hot oil. I then lowered the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and roasted my potatoes for 45 minutes, turning them every quarter hour.

Blunt’s potatoes capture that magic combination of crispy and creamy

Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

After sprinkling my dish with some sea salt and fresh parsley, I admired the plate of gorgeous golden potatoes before me.

And Blunt’s potatoes tasted even better than they looked. The crust had a perfect crunch, while the middle was soft and delicate. The parsley on top also added a nice kick of color and freshness.

Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

Blunt’s special tricks were definitely worth the extra effort to take these potatoes to the next level. And they still tasted great when I used my leftovers for an impromptu hash the next day.

So I’m not surprised Garner makes these potatoes every week. If you’re looking for an easy and comforting dish that’ll make everyone happy, Blunt’s recipe will always deliver.