Salt + vinegar crispy cubes
Seaside feels in the comfort of your own home
If you’re the sort of person who delves to the depths of the chip cone for those crispy scraps bobbing about in a sea of vinegar, this is the recipe for you. These cubes are perfect served alongside battered cod and some fluorescent curry sauce. Maybe a cheeky pot of mushy peas too…and a can of dandelion and burdock. Get all those seaside feels in one mouthful.
What are these magical crispy cubes?
My classic crispy cube recipe was actually my first-ever viral video and the moment I unofficially stepped into my role as the Potato Queen. These are mini roasted potato cubes, coated and cooked to maximise crunch.
They’re quicker than traditional roast potatoes, easier to batch-cook, and perfect as a side dish or party snack. I usually enjoy as a snack for one though to be honest.
This salt and vinegar version was so good it earned a place in The Potato Book, a literal collection of 101 potato recipes, which still feels like my proudest achievement to date.
Why salt + vinegar works so well
The sharp tang cuts through the richness of the potato, giving you that addictive, lip-smacking flavour you normally only get from chippy chips. It’s bold, punchy and perfect for fellow vinegar lovers. I think I could genuinely drink a glass of the stuff.
Top tip: Don’t be shy with the vinegar. If you think you’ve added enough… add a splash more.
Make it a full seaside feast
If you want to go all in (and I highly recommend it), serve these cubes with:
Battered cod or haddock
A battered sausage (which I only tried for the first time last year?!)
Mushy peas
Curry sauce or tartar sauce
Lemon wedges
Extra salt and vinegar on standby
You could even throw in pickled onions, bread and butter, or a can of dandelion and burdock to complete the set.
Tip tips for maximum CROUNCH
Use a floury potato (Maris Piper in the UK, Russet in the US) for the fluffiest insides. Avoid a waxy spud.
Spread cubes out because overcrowding means steaming and you won’t get that desired crispy-ness.
Shake the tray halfway through cooking to maximise golden edges and even cooking.
- If you’re an air fryer gal like me, when you’ve steam dried your spuds give them a good spray with olive oil and pop into the airfryer at 200ºc/400ºf. Cook them for 20 minutes, give ’em a shake and cook for another 20 minutes or so until suuuuuuper crispy.
These are great for batch cooking. Reheat in the oven or air fryer to revive the crunch
Salt + vinegar crispy cubes
By Poppy Cooks
https://www.poppycooks.com/recipes/salt-vinegar-crispy-cubes/
Ingredients
- 1kg Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
- 100ml malt vinegar, plus extra to serve
- 4 tablespoons neutral oil
- Flaky salt, to serve
Metric
Imperial
Instructions
- Get your potatoes into a saucepan of heavily salted, cold water. Add the vinegar, place the pan over a high heat and bring the liquid to the boil. Reduce the heat and leave on a gentle boil for 5-7 minutes, until the potatoes fall off the tip of a knife. Drain in a colander. Place the colander over the pan on the turned-off hob, cover with a clean tea towel and leave the potatoes to steam dry for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas 6 and get the oil into a baking tray. Pop the tray into the oven to get the oil hot. This is important for getting that crispy crunchiness.
- Once the potatoes have steam-dried, get the hot tray out of the oven, carefully tip in the potatoes and turn to coat. Roast the potatoes for 30 minutes, then give them a mix and put them back in the oven for a further 15 minutes, until super-golden and crunchy. Keep an eye on them in case they need less or more time. (Alternatively you can fry them in a fryer).
- If you wanted to air fry your potatoes instead, once they have steam dried tip them into an airfryer basket and spray them with olive oil. Airfry for 20 minutes, give them a shake and then cook for another 20 until crispy.
- Serve sprinkled with flaky salt and an extra dousing of vinegar.