Cream Baked Roast Potatoes
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Cream Baked Roast Potatoes are a step beyond the perfect roast potato. The potatoes are baked in luscious garlic, cream and herbs to fork tender then drained and roasted to perfection in a hot oven. The result is the creamiest roast potatoes that are beautifully rich with a fluffy interior but with the gorgeous golden crunch that we need from our roasties. A really luxurious way to pamper your potatoes and your guests on special occasions.
It’s a tall ask to improve the good old faithful roast potato. I feel a little bit arrogant messing with perfection but these Cream Poached Roast Potatoes are really that step above.
If you are looking to take your usual roast potato recipe up a notch for a special occasion or even for your Christmas dinner then these ultra creamy roast potatoes should definitely be on your menu.
Instead of par-boiling your potatoes in water, this recipe bakes the potatoes initially in garlicky cream until they are fork tender then they are removed from the cream and transferred into hot oil to crisp up to perfection in the oven.
The cream mixture does take longer to cook the potatoes, rather than par-boiling in water. However it is easy to prep and then set and forget in the oven (although do set a timer!). It's a pretty foolproof recipe as the cream helps to retain the structure of the potato too - I get much better results with this recipe. The flavour and texture of the finished roasties are so worth it that I think you’ll have trouble going back to your usual oven-roasted potatoes.
Why You’ll Love These Roast Potatoes
- Full of flavour. The potatoes are first baked in cream, milk and smashed cloves of garlic until they are soft and have absorbed most of the garlicky cream. The flavour is then locked in.
- Crispy edges. They are then tipped into smoking hot fat and roasted for 45 minutes so that the cream bakes around the potato like a crisp golden jacket.
- Incredible creamy texture. All the soft texture that was captured during its initial bake is retained in the roast.
- Great structure. They also retain all their structure and have less tendency to collapse and fall apart than regular roast potato recipes.
- Delicious side dish. A perfect accompaniment to your Sunday Roast or for Easter Sunday or even Christmas Day (which is when we enjoy them).
Ingredients Needed
Potatoes. You can use your favourite humble potato for roasting. Maris Piper potatoes are a good all-rounder, but red potatoes, russet potatoes
Double cream (heavy cream). You can use a plant-based cream like the Coconut Collaborative brand.
Whole milk. Use full fat milk for the ultimate texture and flavour. You can switch out for oat milk if you want a plant-based option.
Butter. Use unsalted butter so you can control the level of salt in the dish. You can leave the butter out if you are dairy-free or use a vegan butter.
Fresh herbs. Bay leaves and thyme season these potatoes beautifully.
Cloves. These add a little warming spice to the cooking cream.
Black peppercorns. You can use ground black pepper if you prefer as then you don't have to fish the peppercorns out of the finished dish.
Sea salt. A gentler more full bodied flavour than table salt which is a little harsh.
Fresh garlic. For depth of flavour.
Oil. For best results use an oil which cooks better in a high heat. I like ground nut oil but you can use vegetable oil. Or if it's a special occasion then duck fat or goose fat will give you deliciously golden brown potatoes too.
Step-By-Step Instructions
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.
Preheat the Oven. Preheat the oven to 160°C / 140°C fan / gas mark 3 / 320°F.
Prepare Potatoes. Peel the potatoes and cut them into equal sizes.
Bake Potatoes. Place the potatoes in a large casserole dish. Pour over the cream and milk to fully submerge the cut potatoes and add the butter, bay leaves, cloves, black peppercorns, salt, garlic cloves, and thyme. Cover the casserole dish with a lid and bake in the oven for 1½ hours until the potatoes are tender and cooked through.
Drain and Steam Potatoes. Remove the casserole dish from the oven. Drain the potatoes into a colander set over a large pan to catch the cream. Give the colander a good shake to gently to rough up the potatoes, then cover the colander with a tea towel and let the potatoes steam for 10 minutes.
Heat Oil. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C / 180°C fan / gas mark 6 / 400°F. Pour olive oil into a large roasting tray and place it in the oven for 10 minutes to heat.
Roast Potatoes. Tip the potatoes onto the tray and turn them in the oil to coat. Roast the potatoes for 45 minutes, turning every 15 minutes to ensure even crisping. Remove the potatoes from the oven and serve immediately.
Expert Tips
Make sure you cut the potatoes to a similar size to ensure even cooking so each one of these creamy roast potatoes is as tender to the fork as the next. For smaller potatoes I just cut them in half but if there are larger potatoes I will quarter them.
Your potatoes should roast in a single layer in their roasting pan and avoid overcrowding so they roast rather than steam.
FAQs
You can cook the potatoes in the cream up to 2 days before you want to roast them.
Once the potatoes have been fully cooked in the cream then leave to cool before storing the potatoes in the cream in the fridge in an airtight container.
When you are ready to roast the potatoes, an hour before you wish to serve then remove the potatoes from the cream with a slotted spoon and place in the pre-heated roasting tray as per the original instructions.
don’t recommend freezing this recipe.
It is possible to make these Roast Potatoes dairy-free with a few substitutions:
Double cream. Substitute for a vegan cream. I like the Coconut Collaborative's whippable double cream.
Whole milk. Substitute for a plant based alternative. I like oat milk the best for this recipe.
Butter. Substitute for a plant based butter.
Serving Suggestions
These potatoes are absolutely wonderful as a side dish for so many meal options.
They work especially well as your roast potato option with a traditional British Sunday Lunch. They can accompany roast chicken, beef, lamb, pork or even salmon.
They would also make a very special addition to your festive table as part of your Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas lunch.
More Vegetable Side Dishes You’ll Love!
- Carrot and Swede Mash
- Spiced Braised Red Cabbage
- Cheesy and Creamy Brussel Sprouts Gratin
- Cauliflower Cheese
- Gluten-Free Chestnut Stuffing (vegetarian)
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Cream Baked Roast Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg potatoes
- 400 g double cream
- 400 g whole milk
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cloves
- 5 black peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 3 garlic cloves - crushed with the back of a knife
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 50 g olive oil
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 160°C / 140°C fan assisted /gas mark 3 / 320°F.
- Peel the potatoes and cut the smaller potatoes in half and the larger potatoes in quarters, then place into a large casserole dish.
- Pour in the cream and milk and ensure the potatoes are fully submerged and then add the butter, bay leaves, cloves, black peppercorns, salt, garlic cloves and thyme.
- Put the lid on the casserole dish and bake in the oven for 1½ hours until the potatoes are cooked all the way through.
- Remove the dish from the oven then turn the heat up to 200°C / 180°C fan assisted / gas mark 6 / 400°F. Pour the olive oil into a roasting tray and place in the oven for 10 minutes for the oil to heat.
- Drain the potatoes into a colander set over a large pan to catch the cream*. Shake the colander a little to bash the potatoes around a little then place a tea towel over the colander so the potatoes steam for 10 minutes.
- When the oil is hot, remove the roasting tray from the oven and tip the potatoes onto the tray, turning in the oil to cover.
- Place in the oven to roast for 45 minutes, turning the potatoes every 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Notes
- Maris Pipers make the best roast potatoes.
- Choose a big enough roasting pan with lots of room so the potatoes roast nicely on the outside.
- You can make it ahead by cooking the potatoes in the cream sauce up to 3 days before you want to roast them. I recommend draining them from the cream sauce and then storing them in the fridge until needed. You can roast them directly from chilled.
- Double cream. Substitute for a plant based double cream - I like Coconut Collaborative.
- Whole milk. Substitute for a plant based alternative. I like oat milk here.
- Butter. Substitute for a plant based butter.
