The Secret To Perfectly Crispy Roast Potatoes Is This Unexpected Ingredient (You Probably Have It On Hand)

There’s nothing quite like biting into a hot, perfectly crispy roasted potato. If you’ve been craving the kind of crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside potato that’s a hallmark of great pub fare, Tasty Creator Joelle Park's trick can help you recreate that magic in your very own kitchen.

The best part? You don't even need a deep fryer; everything comes together in your humble oven.

It all starts with boiling your potatoes before they go into a hot (425°F/220°C) oven to roast. During this first cooking step, a surprising ingredient — baking soda — elevates these potatoes to the next level.

Adding baking soda to the water raises its pH (making it more alkaline and less acidic), and as the potatoes cook in alkalized water, the starches in the potatoes' exterior break down.

The starchy outer layer of the potato forms a kind of skin that is broken down even further and made even more textured as they are tossed vigorously in a strainer. To avoid any potential mess, you can also shake the potatoes in a large, lidded bowl.

Look at all that starchy goodness ready to crisp up!

Garlic-infused oil coats the jagged surface of the potato, which crisps up and browns in the oven when roasted for an hour.

After roasting for half an hour, toss the potatoes and continue to cook for another half hour to ensure all sides of the potato brown evenly.

Your results will look like this: shatteringly crisp on the outside with a plush, velvety interior.

To make these ultra-crunchy taters (and hundreds of other potato recipes), download the free Tasty app and search for Elephant Garlic Crispy Pub Potatoes.