Garlic Chili Oil Potatoes (Roasted, Sichuan Style)
The crispy exterior and fluffy interior of these garlic chili oil potatoes are super satisfying and addicting! The crunchy, roasted potatoes are the perfect vehicle for spicy, numbing, and garlic Sichuan-style chili oil.
These garlic chili oil potatoes are a fusion of western-style roasted potatoes and the spicy, numbing flavors of Sichuan cuisine. These Sichuan (style) potatoes have a crispy/crunchy exterior and fluffy interior, pairing perfectly with spicy, numbing chili oil.
The inspiration for the recipe came from Kenji’s Serious Eats roasted potato recipe, which uses food science to create the ultimate crispy/crunchy roasted potatoes. I wanted to include flavors similar to the traditional Sichuan shredded potato stir-fry that I’ve shared previously. Ultimately, I came up with these spicy roasted potatoes featuring a classic Sichuan-style chili oil with extra garlic!
The Serious Eats recipe says to maximize the starchy slurry on the surface of the potatoes for maximum crunch. To achieve this, the potatoes are parboiled in alkaline water and tossed roughly before baking. For alkaline water, baking soda is added. If you want to read more details about the science of it all, I highly recommend reading his article!
The most notable change that I made to his recipe is to decrease the amount of vegetable oil used to roast the potatoes. This will help prevent the potatoes from being too greasy, especially since they will be covered in chili oil.
Recipe Notes
- If you are worried about the potatoes sticking to your baking sheet, place your baking sheet inside the oven while it’s preheating. A hot baking sheet reduces the likelihood of the potatoes sticking. You can also use a sheet of parchment paper.
- Make sure to leave some space between the pieces to allow them to roast evenly and not steam.
Garlic Chili Oil Potatoes (Roasted, Sichuan Style)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs potatoes
- Water + 1 tbsp salt + 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp oil
- Additional salt to taste
- Green onion chopped (optional, for garnish)
Garlic Sichuan Oil
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup Sichuan chili flakes or substitute gochugaru/other chili flakes *Note 1
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds optional
- 2 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorn
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F/230°C. *Note 2
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
- While the water is coming to a boil, peel and cut the potatoes into roughly 1 inch to 1.5-inch chunks.
- Once the water is boiling, add the salt, baking soda, and prepared potatoes to the pot. Boil the potatoes until a knife/fork easily pierces a potato chunk, around 8-10 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes. Leave the potatoes for at least a few minutes to let the excess moisture evaporate. The drier the potatoes, the better.
- Add the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and additional salt to the potatoes.
- Toss the potatoes roughly to combine, allowing a layer of mashed potato-like paste to develop on the exterior.
- Transfer the potatoes to a large baking sheet. Spread them out in a single layer, leaving some space between each piece. This ensures that the potatoes crisp (not steam) while baking.
- Transfer to oven and bake for 20 minutes. Flip and continue roasting until potatoes are golden brown and crispy (around 20 more minutes).
- Remove the potatoes from the oven and toss with the garlic chili oil. Optionally garnish with green onion and serve immediately.
Chili Oil
- Combine the garlic, chili flakes, sesame seeds, and Sichuan peppercorn powder in a heatproof ceramic bowl.
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it barely starts to smoke. If a chopstick is placed in the hot oil, small bubbles should form around it.
- Carefully pour the hot oil into the prepared bowl. The oil should sizzle and cook everything for a few seconds. While the oil is still sizzling, stir everything with a metal spoon to ensure even cooking.
Notes
- Chili Flakes: If you choose to substitute the Sichuan chili flakes for a different kind, you may need to adjust the amount of chili flakes that you used. For example, red pepper flakes are spicier than Sichuan chili flakes. So, you would need to decrease the amount.
- Preparing the Baking Sheet: If you are worried about the potatoes sticking to your baking sheet, place your baking sheet inside the oven while it’s preheating. A hot baking sheet reduces the likelihood of the potatoes sticking. You can also use a sheet of parchment paper.
How to Make Garlic Chili Oil Potatoes
Preheat the oven to 450°F/230°C. *Note: If you are worried about the potatoes sticking to your baking sheet, place your baking sheet inside the oven while it’s preheating. A hot baking sheet reduces the likelihood of the potatoes sticking. You can also use a sheet of parchment paper.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. While the water is coming to a boil, peel and cut the potatoes into roughly 1 inch to 1.5-inch chunks.
Once the water is boiling, add the salt, baking soda, and prepared potatoes to the pot. Boil the potatoes until a knife/fork easily pierces a potato chunk, around 8-10 minutes.
Drain the potatoes. Leave the potatoes for at least a few minutes to let the excess moisture evaporate. The drier the potatoes, the better.
Add the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and the additional salt to the potatoes. Toss the potatoes roughly to combine, allowing a layer of mashed potato-like paste to develop on the exterior.
Transfer the potatoes to a large baking sheet. Spread them out in a single layer, leaving some space between each piece. This ensures that the potatoes crisp (not steam) while baking.
Transfer to oven and bake for 20 minutes. Flip and continue roasting until potatoes are golden brown and crispy (around 20 more minutes).
Remove the potatoes from the oven and toss with the garlic chili oil. Optionally garnish your spicy baked potatoes with green onion and serve immediately.
Sichuan Garlic Chili Oil
Combine the garlic, chili flakes, sesame seeds, and Sichuan peppercorn powder in a heatproof container.
Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it barely starts to smoke. If a chopstick is placed in the hot oil, small bubbles should form around it.
Carefully pour the hot oil into the prepared bowl. The oil should sizzle and cook everything for a few seconds. While the oil is still sizzling, stir everything with a metal spoon to ensure even cooking.
