Best potatoes for roasting - 5 great varieties to buy

Published by Finn Hayden

Most people love roast potatoes - everybody pretends that the best bit of a Sunday lunch or Christmas Dinner is the meat, but it's the roasties that everybody fights over.

You won't find much debate over how good roast potatoes are, but there is a huge debate over which type of potatoes are best for roasting. Everyone seems to have their own preference, and things can get pretty heated around the dinner table when this topic is brought up (certainly in my household). So we thought we'd try and answer this question once and for all - which potatoes are best for roasting? We've whittled it down to the top 5, each of which has its own advantages depending on what you're looking for. Let's get into it:

Quick overview of top choices

1 Maris Piper
2 Regal White
3 Charlotte potatoes
4 King Edward
5 Rooster potatoes
6 La Ratte

Maris Piper

Maris Piper potatoes don't need an introduction - they're among the most popular type of potato in the country. In fact, Maris Piper is the most widely grown potato variety in the UK. And yet despite that, we feel some people still don't realise how excellent these potatoes are for roasting. It's their distinctively dry and floury texture which makes them crisp up wonderfully when they're roasted, and we think they're a very safe option to go for. Learn more and buy them here - sainsburys.co.uk

Regal White

The Regal White potatoes from Waitrose are just a fancier version of a standard white potato, but we think these potatoes from Waitrose have an extra quality which makes them worth the extra bit of money. The trick with white potatoes is that they aren't ready to roast out of the bag because they're not quite fluffy enough - if you par-boil them and give them a bit of a shake, they'll fluff up a bit and be perfect for roasting. It's a little extra work but seriously worth it, learn more and buy them here - waitrose.com

Charlotte potatoes

Charlotte potatoes are most commonly boiled and almost always the type of potato that you'll find in a potato salad, but they're also actually excellent for roasting. They're a little firmer and a little smaller than some of the other potatoes in this list, but we think that gives them a slightly unique texture and makes them ideal if you're making lots of roast potatoes to share. Learn more and buy them here - waitrose.com

King Edward

King Edward is another hugely popular variety of potato and is about as light and fluffy as a potato can get. It's this texture which makes them so excellent for roasting - you're basically guaranteed a fluffy roastie every time. Famous chefs like James Martin swear by these potatoes for roasting, and we won't disagree with the experts. King Edward potatoes are not too big either, so they're another great option if you're making a big batch of roast potatoes for people to share. Learn more and buy them here - waitrose.com

Rooster potatoes

People often incorrectly think that Albert Bartlett is a type of potato, but these are actually known as Rooster potatoes, and Albert Bartlett is just the name of the company which harvests them. The perfect roast potato should have a slightly fluffy texture, and that's exactly what makes these Rooster potatoes so good for roasting - they're very fluffy, and their earthy flavour really comes through when you roast them. Learn more about them and buy them here - - albertbartlett.co.uk

La Ratte

It's quite hard to find La Ratte potatoes, but we've spotted them several times at some of the larger M&S stores. These potatoes hold their shape really well and have a low starch content, which is what makes them excellent for roasting. We'd describe the flavour of these as slightly buttery and slightly nutty, and we find that when paired with herbs like thyme, the flavour really comes out. Like we said, these are quite hard to find but well worth the effort to seek out, and we found them at M&S and you can also buy them from Waitrose. Learn more and buy them here - waitrose.com

Hopefully this guide helps you to choose potatoes which will be perfect for roasting. Let us know if you have any other suggestions or if you've tried to roast any of the potatoes we've included in this guide!

Best potatoes for roasting – 5 great varieties to buy for the perfect roasties