The Best Way To Score Potatoes Before Roasting

With their crispy exterior and soft, melt-in-your-mouth interior, roasted potatoes certainly give baked and mashed potatoes a run for their money. So it might be hard to imagine that there could be any way to improve on them. But if you're not scoring your potatoes before roasting them, then you're missing out on an impressive option. Not only does doing so enhance their ability to crisp up, but the presentation looks pretty darn cool, too.

While scoring isn't necessarily less work than chopping potatoes the way you're used to, you can ensure they cook more uniformly by preparing them this way. And there's no need to worry about flipping them to keep them from getting too done on one side, either. Once the potatoes are scored, you can just leave them to cook for the full roasting time — which is also great for keeping the oven at an even temperature.

Admittedly, it does sound like a fancy procedure. But while the result does look pretty fantastic, the process isn't all that complicated. First, you'll want to start with Russets since they have thicker skin, which is ideal since it will hold up the best and also get the crispiest. Give them the usual scrubbing to remove any dirt or build-up. It's also a good idea to remove any blemishes at this point. Make sure they're nice and dry, too. Then you're going to cut the potatoes in half. Do this lengthways, like you're cutting a baked potato except all the way through.

Once you have the two potato halves, it's time to score them. You'll want a sharp knife that can be handled very precisely for this purpose — it's important to cut deep into the flesh without going all the way through. From here, there are two ways to do the scoring, and which way is best depends on how you want those crispy roasted potatoes to look. To expose the most surface area, you'll slice up and down their length and then side to side to create a grid. Or, for fancier-looking potatoes, simply score them side to side. Whichever way you do it, be sure to only cut through the skin on the sides, leaving the bottom of the potato intact.

Scored potatoes should be slathered in plenty of butter or oil (or both!) and liberally seasoned before they're put in the oven to roast. In addition to salt and pepper, you may want to add paprika, rosemary, or whatever ingredients you prefer to upgrade your potatoes. Just ensure everything is well coated in oil or butter so the herbs don't burn. Also consider using an alternative to butter and oil. Bacon, duck, or goose fat are all excellent options for crispy roasted potatoes — as is tallow (beef fat).

If the potatoes have only been cut side to side, then you'll want to place them skin side down and fan them out so that the heat can get into each cut. Those that have been cut with a grid pattern should go skin-side up. Either way, it doesn't hurt to pre-heat the pan and ensure you don't overcrowd it. Since you don't need to worry about flipping or rotating scored potatoes, you can focus on other dishes while they roast. Just be sure to leave them in the oven until they're nice and crispy.