Roasted Potatoes With Figs and Thyme Recipe (2024)

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Cooking Notes

Roni Jordan

I've saved this to make in a few days because I adore dried figs and I have some fresh thyme to use up. But damned if I'm going to leave the papery skin on the garlic cloves - I'll roast them unskinned and not force my diners to peel them 'at table.'

Brkln.df

Jerry's answer (thanks, Jerry) brings to mind variations--you could give the figs a bit of a smoky taste if you have something like lapsang souchong, or a different spin, depending on what tea you have and what your tastes are. I'll give this a try...

LaurieG

Great hit! Our guests marveled over the figs, in particular. It did take about twice the roasting time though, which is not unusual, I've found.

Jerry

It pretty much just rehydrates the figs! It infuses the flavor of black tea into the figs. This turned out wonderful!

K & S

This attracted compliments as part of a nicer dinner party -- the fig and tea combination is absolutely lovely! Notes:For the black tea, a strong English/Scottish breakfast works well -- we were glad we didn't use a Darjeeling.Potatoes require about a half sheet pan (13" x 18") to allow enough space for proper roasting. Roast time was *closer* to 40 minutes, but we wanted some golden-brown spots.We used roughly a 50/50 mix of Turkish and Black Mission figs (good result).

Vessy Stroumsky

Such a simple, easy recipe that's jam packed with flavours. Only dried Kalamata figs were available when I made these, but my dinner guests raved that it was such a great flavour combination. I accidentally forgot the thyme, but had these roasting around Mark Bittman's Apple-Stuffed Pork Loin with Moroccan Spices and the flavour combination worked flawlessly. A great recipe that easily impresses guests.

From Comments

Peel garlic cloves before roasting

David Hays Buckley

Hi. The "peeling" is simply poking with your fork and yummy garlic "puree" comes out. It cooks in a certain delicious self-steaming way. Try it.

LAZ

Loved the sweetness of the figs against the buttery potatoes. Nice for Thanksgiving or other homey holiday.

Barbara

This dish is divine. This is more work, but even better: Reserve the tea marinade; hold the garlic and after pan is in broiler, separate cloves, remove skins, toss in olive oil, and add to the pan for last 15-20 min. of roasting, to avoid burning them; add thyme when dish seems to need only 5 min. more of cooking, toss in the pan; and, although not nearly as beautiful, serve the dish as a potato/fig/garlic/thyme mash, mixed with the marinade, which is infused with a strong fig flavor.

Michele Ireland

We didn’t plan ahead, so didn’t have time to steep the figs for hours. We used white turkish figs, rather than black mission figs. To save time on steeping the figs, we cut them in half lengthwise and steeped them for probably less than an hour. It worked great! The figs were a more manageable size this way, too.

McKenna

My fig tree is prolific. Can I make this with fresh figs? Maybe leave out the soaking step?

kidrid

I’m thinking prunes rather than figs. There are tough dried figs and softer ones out there. The former have leathery skins and are better for snacking. I realize this strays from the recipe, but soaking prunes in sherry also works.

MelissaR

This recipe received rave reviews at a dinner party this evening. We had 8 people so we made 1 1/2 times the recipe but really the original would have been fine. Everyone loved the figs which made the dish memorable and gave the potatoes a unique flavor signature. I did scoop out the garlic and didn’t serve it because of the skins. Next time I think I will take another reviewers suggestion and just remove the skins before cooking so the garlic can be served with the dish. Overall it was great!

Jessie

Figs were the star of this show. We only had 6 garlic cloves so added some quartered shallots. Husband gave it a 3, I say 4. Worked very well with the leek/garlic confit NYT recipe with the leek cream. Think we'll make the figs again... maybe with the potatoes, but husband wants to try the figs with some whipped cream for dessert first!

eddie m

I’d like to reiterate Sarah L’s question above. I haven’t see an answer. To halve or to halve not? Recipe says nothing about halving potatoes but photo clearly shows the fingerlings halved. Are the rest of you roasting the fingerlings whole?

JL from Pt T

Made this tonight - it was a big hit. The flavor of lapsang souchong tea in the figs is lovely - subtle, smoky, and enchanting. I saved the liquid afterwards for stock - it has the tea flavor and a sweetness from the figs. I say leave the skin on the garlic cloves - it turns the garlic into a delicious paste. I would love to have more of the lapsang souchong flavor - would the potatoes take on that flavor if they were soaked in the tea for a short time before roasting?

mariah mackay

I used dates and Earl Gray tea; 40 minutes was just fine. Also, I served this with Lamb Chops from this site, will post separately. It was a lovely fall dinner without too much time in the kitchen after guests arrived.

Elaine

Followed instructions, turned out great. Remember to cut larger potatoes in half. Simply adding figs made it feel like a special autumn dish. My thyme lost color during the roasting process, next time I might add some chives or extra fresh thyme for color. Also, instead of 6 hours of tea soaking time for figs, I will probably soak them overnight. The fig tea water afterwards from soaking also tastes great, I added it to some chocolate pudding I was making to add some complexity to my dessert

Penni

This dish was not very special, however if you used fresh figs and added them a bit later in the baking it would’ve been more sumptuous instead the figs were hard and tasteless

Anna

I made this for a dinner party and was disappointed. Potato's were hard and the figs flavorless and I am above average cook. It was pretty though...

Sarah L

Do you halve the potatoes? Recipe doesn’t say so, but photo shows them halved. Thank you!

Sarah

The figs soaked in tea were absolutely amazing, and I'll use them again with pork or roast chicken or in a dessert. However, I wasn't wowed by the combo of the figs and the potatoes. Together they were just a little strange (which is weird - I love dried fruit with potatoes usually), and I felt like something was missing (like maybe a meat). I used earl grey - maybe I'll try a less assertive black tea in the future? Also - the soaking liquid for the figs - I could drink it from a mug! So good!

Seattle cookery

My figs got a bit dry. Cooked too long, maybe? No worries, though. I finished on the stove w some red wine to deglaze some of the yummy bits, and to add a bit more moistness back in.

Cheri

Has anyone made this with fresh figs. Other than omitting the tea soak, would you recommend any other changes?

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Roasted Potatoes With Figs and Thyme Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep roast potatoes crispy in the oven? ›

If you want to make this roast potatoes day before recipe and keep the potatoes crispy, ensure you put them in hot oil before baking them. This will help the potatoes stay crispy. If you're preparing roast potatoes in advance and find they have gone soggy in the fridge.

Why aren't my roast potatoes crispy? ›

However, dry heat is only one contributing factor. So if your potatoes aren't crisping in the oven, the problem likely lies in how you place them on the baking sheet. If roasted potatoes lack their crunchy sheen, overcrowding is usually the culprit.

How do you keep roasted potatoes from drying out? ›

Just keep them in the oven, but turn the temperature to the lowest setting. Plan on serving the potatoes within 2 hours or your potatoes might dry out. If you keep the potatoes in the oven for more than a few hours, the potatoes can dry out and become chewy.

How does Gordon Ramsay make the best roast potatoes? ›

In a video online, Gordon explained: “For crispy roast potatoes, you can depend on them, my tip is to parboil them, leave them to steam dry, then sprinkle them with semolina or flour, and then give them a good roughing up.”

What oil is best for cooking roast potatoes? ›

Neutral, low-cost oil such as vegetable oil, canola oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, corn oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, etc., work well for roasting. These oils have a high smoke point, allowing the potatoes to get very hot to achieve maximum crispiness.

Should you boil potatoes before roasting? ›

Boil chunks of potato until they're just tender, toss them none-too-gently with fat (ideally beef drippings) to rough up their surface, then roast them until they're crisp and crackling. The boiling and roughing-up steps are the real keys.

What happens if you don't soak potatoes before roasting? ›

Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes.

Can you use too much oil for roast potatoes? ›

Also, be mindful of the oil. Potatoes can react like sponges; too much oil can make your potatoes appear to be soggy. Try placing oil in a spray bottle or using an aerosol to apply the oil to the potatoes. Lastly, ensure that the potatoes are dry before you add the oil.

Why put flour on roast potatoes? ›

Roast for 1hr until golden and crisp, and don't forget to turn them occasionally to ensure they cook evenly. Here's a few tricks to try to make them even more delicious. Sprinkle your parboiled potatoes with flour. This gives potatoes extra crunch.

Should I dry potatoes before roasting? ›

To have a truly marvellous roast potato, one must simply let the potato dry completely after parboiling, before roasting in extremely hot fat. If you have two ovens you can cook them separately to your roast at a different temperature.

Why put potatoes in water before roasting? ›

These tips are completely doable, actually pretty much fail-proof. SOAK your potato chunks in cold water. This removes some of the starch and helps get them super duper crispy. Soak them at least one hour.

Should I let potatoes sit in water before roasting? ›

Give them a cold water bath: Once your potatoes are chopped, toss them into a large bowl. Then cover the potatoes completely with cold water and let them soak for at least 30 minutes (or up to overnight). This will help to rinse off the excess starch and help the potatoes crisp up beautifully in the oven.

Which fat is best for roasting potatoes? ›

Goose fat is one of the first choices for roast potatoes because first of all – it tastes nice! It has a really rich flavour compared to your more common vegetable oils. It's a bit like how cooking your roast potatoes in dripping from your turkey can add more flavour to your spuds too – they're both animal fats.

What are the best tasting potatoes for roasting? ›

Yukon Golds fall right in the middle of the spectrum.

This is the real beauty of the Yukon Gold, what makes them the best potatoes for roasting. The crisp. The creaminess. The texture.

How do you roast potatoes Bobby Flay? ›

Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Toss the potatoes with the canola oil, garlic paste and salt and pepper to taste. Place on a sheet tray and roast until cooked through and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
  3. Remove from the oven and immediately fold in the herbs.

Why put potatoes in cold water before roasting? ›

Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes. Cold water is used because hot water would react with the starch activating it, making it harder to separate from the potatoes.

Why are my roasted potatoes still hard? ›

There are a few possible explanations for this issue: Potato Variety: Different varieties of potatoes have different textures when cooked. Some potatoes are naturally firmer than others. It's possible that the variety of potatoes you used may have a firmer texture, even when fully cooked.

What makes potatoes crunchy? ›

Parboil the potatoes

Add the potatoes to a large pot of salted water and boil for about 5 minutes. You can also add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the salted water for an extra crispy effect. Be careful not to overcook the potatoes; they should be tender — not soft.

Does tin foil make potatoes crispy? ›

Don't wrap your potatoes in foil

"I see a lot of people using foil to wrap their potatoes in but this is a big no-no and causes soggy skins!" he says. Foil holds in moisture and steams the potatoes, resulting in a "boiled" taste and texture. Plus, without the use of foil, the skin will get extra crispy and flavorful.

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