Roast potatoes with biltong bring a tasty South African twist to a familiar favourite. Golden and crisp on the outside, with tender centres, these potatoes are coated in butter, brown onion soup powder and finely grated biltong for a savoury side dish with plenty of flavour.
The potatoes are briefly parboiled, steam-dried and scored before roasting in oil. The butter, brown onion soup powder and half the biltong are added towards the end, giving the potatoes time to colour while reducing the risk of the coating scorching. The remaining biltong is sprinkled over just before serving.
Serve these biltong roast potatoes alongside a Sunday roast, grilled meat or your favourite braai dishes. With just five ingredients and a little care during roasting, they make a satisfying addition to a family meal or a table of food shared with friends.
Ingredients
- 10 medium potatoes (about 1.5 kg), similar in size
- 75 ml cooking oil
- 50 g butter
- 25 g brown onion soup powder (approximately half a 55 g packet)
- 100 g finely grated or powdered biltong, divided
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 200°C (392°F). Peel the potatoes, bring to a gentle boil in water and simmer for 10–12 minutes, until slightly softened but still firm in the centre. Drain, steam-dry and cool enough to handle.
- Score the potatoes 1 cm apart and two-thirds deep, keeping the bases intact. Arrange with space between them in a roasting dish and coat with the oil.
- Roast cut-side up for 35–45 minutes, basting once, until golden and nearly tender.
- Melt the butter and stir in the soup powder and half the biltong. Brush over the potatoes and roast for another 10–15 minutes, checking that the topping does not scorch.
- Sprinkle with the remaining biltong and serve immediately.
Crispy Biltong Roast Potatoes with Brown Onion Butter
Ingredients
Image supplied by Irene Muller, illustrated via AI
- 10 medium potatoes about 1.5 kg, similar in size
- 75 ml cooking oil
- 50 g butter
- 25 g brown onion soup powder approximately half a 55 g packet
- 100 g finely grated or powdered biltong divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (392°F). Peel 10 similarly sized medium potatoes, about 1.5 kg in total, and leave them whole.
- Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer for about 10–12 minutes. They should be just starting to soften on the outside but remain firm in the centre. Drain and leave to steam-dry and cool enough to handle.
- Place each potato securely on a board. Carefully make cuts about 1 cm apart, slicing two-thirds of the way down without cutting through the base. If a potato begins to break apart, leave it unscored and roast it alongside the others.
- Arrange the potatoes in a single layer in a roasting dish large enough to leave a little space between them. Drizzle with the 75 ml cooking oil and turn to coat, then position them cut-side up. Roast for 35–45 minutes, basting once with the hot oil, until beginning to turn golden and nearly tender.
- Meanwhile, melt the 50 g butter over low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in 25 g brown onion soup powder and 50 g finely grated or powdered biltong. Reserve the remaining 50 g biltong for serving.
- Brush the warm butter and biltong mixture over the potatoes and gently into the cuts. Return to the oven for 10–15 minutes, until the centres are tender and the edges are crisp. Check regularly during this final stage and loosely cover any topping that browns too quickly.
- Transfer to a warm serving dish, spoon over a little of the buttery juices if desired, and sprinkle with the remaining 50 g biltong. Serve immediately.