A roast potato is like Sir Ian Mckellen; iconically British and will steal the show from whatever it’s placed near. Perfect potatoes are the holy grail of a Sunday roast and will either make or break the meal. No, these won’t be as good as your grandma’s, but still, this is a pretty good start.
Shopping list
1kg Potatoes: The first step is choosing the right potato. You want a floury one like King Edward or Maris Piper. This makes the roasties fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Oil or goose fat: (Goose fat is ideal – but it’s expensive so maybe save this for Christmas. I know this sounds crazy, but a 50/50 mix of olive oil and vegetable oil works really well.)
Method
- Turn on the oven to around 180.
- Peel the potatoes and cut them up. Now, when you’re boiling them you don’t want them to fall apart, you just want them to be a bit scruffy around the edges.
- While the potatoes are boiling, heat the oil or fat in a baking tray in the oven. You want this as hot as possible.
- Very carefully, take the baking tray out and place the potatoes one at a time onto the tray. This is boiling fat so you kind of want to be slow and steady here – maybe use the pinchers. When they are all in the tray, brush them over with the fat/oil to make sure they get crispy on top. Then add a pinch of sea salt and some sprigs of rosemary.
- Place it in the oven and check on them in about 30 mins. Turn them over and pop them back in the oven for another 30 minutes. Fluffy, crispy and golden. Bask in your family’s praise and admiration.
