Crispy Biltong Roast Potatoes with Brown Onion Butter
Golden scored potatoes roasted with less oil and finished with a buttery brown onion and biltong coating. The biltong is added towards the end to protect its flavour.
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.
Notes
Makes 10 potatoes, approximately 5 generous side servings. Preparation and cooking times are estimates and depend on potato size. Leave room between the potatoes for better browning. Brown onion soup powder and biltong already contain salt, so taste before adding any extra. Add the butter, soup powder and biltong only for the final 10–15 minutes to reduce the risk of scorching.