Overcrowding may be the main reason your potatoes aren’t crisping up in the oven, but there are plenty of other tips and hacks you can employ to reap the benefits of roasting, starting with choosing the best type of potatoes. Yukon gold or russet potatoes will retain their pillowy interiors, creating a hearty cushion and key textural contrast to crispy edges.

Cutting potatoes into larger chunks will further bolster this textural contrast and prevent the interior from drying out and caving in. No matter what size you want your potato pieces, make sure that you cut them into equal sizes so they’ll all cook evenly.

Roast potato recipes call for higher temperatures between 400 and 450 degrees Fahrenheit, but temperatures vary depending on the type of oven you have. For convection ovens, 400 to 425 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal. Regular ovens require 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Placing your baking sheet on the middle oven rack is also key for even crisping.

While a light coating of oil and high heat is enough to create crispy potatoes, a popular method in British cooking is to parboil them in water with a little baking soda before tossing them in oil and roasting them. The water draws out and coats the potatoes in their own starches, which will then create the crunchiest browned exterior.