Miso Roast Potatoes

Try my umami rich roast potatoes, roasted in butter, garlic, herbs and miso for incredible flavour. Perfect for your roasts or for Christmas.

I’m sure everyone has had a roast potato, and I’m sure everyone has a preference. We all have our favourites and trusted recipes that we swear by – well this is mine. I love combining different flavours and ingredients to add various dimensions to my dishes.

Just by adding something a little different, it can totally transform a dish. This is one that’s always a hit with people. Though simple and seemingly normal, there’s quite the flavour explosion with every bite. These miso roast potatoes are always the first dish on my spread to be finished, they’re a huge hit every time. So be warned, you may want to double the recipe if you’re cooking for a crowd.

The entire success behind these potatoes and the ‘thing’ that makes them stand out is the miso. The miso paste transforms these potatoes entirely. I guarantee that once you try these, this too will become your favourite recipe that you swear by.

Miso Roast Potatoes

These roast potatoes will be completely familiar to you but they’ll also have a bit of an edge. A bit of something new. Something that makes these better than any other roast potato you’ve tried before. If you’re all about crispy roast potatoes that taste amazing and don’t actually require much work. Then this is the recipe for you.

These miso roast potatoes are crispy on the outside and incredibly fluffy on the inside. They’re buttery, rich, and moreish. They also still carry the more traditional roast flavours like rosemary, thyme and garlic. The miso within this recipe (the key ingredient) adds umami whilst also seasoning the potatoes. For anyone unfamiliar with umami, it’s a category of flavour which is savoury and complex. It creates a deep flavour within dishes and allows those flavours to linger around in the mouth.

These hit every flavour and texture profile we love in roast potatoes, and then it adds a whole bunch more. If you’re looking to up your game and wow your family and friends I strongly implore you to try this recipe.

Miso

Miso is a paste that’s made by fermenting soybeans with koji. Koji is a mould culture that is usually grown from rice and helps to cause the fermentation reaction for miso. Different koji cultures are used for different types of miso (e.g. white vs red) as both produce different flavour profiles. Miso itself comes in many different forms though the most popular are white miso, red and a mixture of the two.

For this recipe I’m using white miso (shiromiso). This has a salty and almost earthy flavour, with a subtle mild sweetness. As a result it will help to add depth and umami to the potatoes without being overpowering. White miso is not as strong as darker coloured miso as it has had a shorter fermentation time. If you want an even more pronounced miso flavour you can absolutely use red miso. It will work beautifully. I personally choose white here as I feel it allows the other flavours to shine through without being overpowering.

If you’re a vegetarian like myself (or vegan), please always check the ingredients of the miso paste before purchasing. I’ve seen one brand add bonito flakes into theirs which is essentially a fish product. This would not be vegetarian, so please just double check.

Where can I find miso?

Miso can be found in most large supermarkets in the world food aisle, or Amazon, or at your local East Asian supermarket. It’s quite a popular ingredient so most general supermarkets will stock it if you’re UK based like myself. But please check the ingredients before purchasing if you’re a vegetarian (or vegan) like myself. As I’ve seen one brand add bonito flakes into their miso pastes. Bonito is a fish product and hence is not vegetarian.

If you can’t find it in a supermarket, please check the Amazon link below:

This post contains an Amazon Affiliate link. This is the product that I use in this recipe. It is not a gifted or sponsored product. By using this affiliate link, I receive a small commission which is at no expense to yourself. This helps to support this blog for its day to day running. Many thanks.

The type of potato matters

Potatoes may come in all shapes and sizes, but they also come in many different types. Each type has different properties and some will be more suited to certain cooking methods and dishes than others. We all have our preferences and trusty potatoes, but I’d recommend finding some of the ones I’ll list below.

For UK readers, Maris Pipers are wonderful for roast potatoes. They’re easily accessible in almost every supermarket and their propertied bode well for many different cooking methods and dishes. It’s a very versatile all-rounder potato. They’re floury potatoes that allow their interior to reach levels of ‘fluffiness’ that other potatoes could only comprehend of. King Edward potatoes are another great option too.

For US readers you want to stick with Russet potatoes or Yukon Golds for the same reasons mentioned above. I believe Russets are often referred to as Idaho potatoes around certain parts of North America. But I can’t guarantee that and I’m happy to be corrected if that’s false. Any US readers, please let me know!

What you’ll need

This is not the full recipe – the full recipe can be found at the end of the blogpost

You’ll require:

• White miso paste – if you want a stronger flavour feel free to use red miso. As always just double check your miso paste to ensure it is vegetarian/vegan (if that’s your diet). As I’ve recently seen one on the market that contains bonito flakes which is a fish product
• Potatoes – a HUGELY important part of the recipe. Maris Pipers work best for UK readers and Russet or Yukon Golds for US readers. Choosing the right potato can make a world of a difference here
• Unsalted butter – as the miso is salty we don’t really need salted butter here. The miso is going to act as our seasoning
• Olive oil – I always use a mixture of butter and olive oil as the oil will prevent the butter from burning
• Garlic – because garlic never requires justification. She belongs everywhere. This will form our seasoning mixture to add a lovely well rounded flavour to the potatoes
• Rosemary and thyme – these are essential herbs for these roast potatoes in my opinion
• Black pepper – a little pepper compliments the potatoes perfectly. Bonus points if you can use some freshly cracked black pepper

Tips for the best Miso Roast Potatoes

It would be to use fresh ingredients. With such few ingredients at play we want to ensure they’re as fresh as can be. This is just to make sure we’re maximising the flavour from them. Try and use fresh garlic, fresh herbs, and freshly cracked black pepper. It really will make a huge difference. I want you guys to enjoy this recipe and experience the incredible flavours at play. I don’t think I can even express how passionately I feel about all of my recipes, but this is up there with my personal favourites.

Another important factor is to make sure you don’t overboil the potatoes. You want them to be knife tender and just a few minutes away from being at the ‘over-boiled stage’. They should be just minutes away from falling apart. If you can get the timing perfect on your potatoes, you will get the most crispy edges imaginable. You will forever be dedicated as the ‘roast potatoes maker’. A title very few are able to achieve.

How to make these Miso Roast Potatoes

Let’s prep our potatoes first:

1) Prepare your potatoes by peeling and cutting into quarters. Place these into a saucepan along with some cold water and salt
2) Bring this to a boil

3) Boil until the potatoes are knife tender and just minutes away from falling apart. They should still hold shape but be on the verge of breaking down (that will get you the fluffiest and crispiest miso roast potatoes)
4) Drain the potatoes in a colander, then rest the colander on top of the sauce pan

5) Place a kitchen towel over the colander and allow the potatoes to dry for 15 minutes. The towel will absorb the steam

Now let’s make our miso and herb infused butter:

1) Place the butter and oil into a pan on low heat
2) Add the garlic, thyme, rosemary and freshly cracked black pepper

3) Continue to infuse over a low heat for 10 minutes
4) After 10 minutes turn the heat off and add the miso paste. Whisk till as smooth as possible

5) Your miso, garlic, and herb butter is ready

Almost there! Let’s get these Miso Roast Potatoes finished:

1) After 15 minutes have elapsed, uncover the potatoes and transfer them to a dry saucepan
2) Pour the infused butter on top then cover the saucepan with a lid. Gently toss the saucepan which will in turn toss the potatoes and coat them in the butter. Be careful as we don’t want the potatoes to break down. But some fluff around the edges and surfaces is exactly what we want. Fluff means crispiness

3) Transfer the potatoes to a roasting tray and try and get as even to a single layer as possible
4) Roast, turning these over half way until golden brown and crispy

How to serve these Miso Roast Potatoes

You can serve these along with any main dish of your choosing. I’d always recommend my Mushroom Wellington or my Vegetable Pithiviers which you can find by tapping on them or the photos below. They’re beautiful and elegant main dishes that will please any crowd.

Your favourite vegetarian gravy is also a great shout to pour over your vegetarian roast dinner!

Q+A

Can these be made vegan?

Absolutely, just substitute the butter for vegan unsalted butter and you’re good to go.

Can they be prepared in advance?

Yes they can indeed, follow the recipe up until the point where the potatoes have been coated in the infused butter and placed in the roasting tray. Allow the potatoes to cool completely and then cover the tray with foil or clingfilm. Place these in the fridge until you’re ready for your dinner. Add an extra 5-10 minutes on to the cooking time.