The Perfect Roast Potatoes
Christmas is a magical time of year spent with your family, singing cheesy songs, and having a tipple or two with loved ones. But what about the Christmas dinner? Many households across the country get stressed out prepping and cooking the traditional family feast. Well, it doesn’t have to be! Having a clear plan and prepping in advance can help take some of the stress away.
Christmas dinner is never complete without a good portion of crispy roast potatoes – but are you making the most out of your spuds?
In this post, we will look at how you can make the best crispy roast potatoes, with hints and tips to ensure you get the perfect potato every time!
Christmas dinner is never complete without a good portion of crispy roast potatoes – but are you making the most out of your spuds?
In this post, we will look at how you can make the best crispy roast potatoes, with hints and tips to ensure you get the perfect potato every time!
Getting Started
The most common mistake when cooking your roasties is not parboiling them first. Cook the potatoes for around 12 minutes or until they are tender. You want to be able to pass a skewer or sharp knife through them easily.Drain and leave them to air dry for at least three minutes. Shake them well in the colander or pan to fluff up the edges before they go into the oven.
Heating the Fat/Oil
Another little trick is to heat up the fat or oil you are using before adding the potatoes. Heat up the roasting tin in the oven until the fat or oil shimmers. Don’t let it smoke or you could end up with the fire brigade knocking on your door.Once it’s ready, add the potatoes to the pan, turning them in the hot liquid so all potatoes are evenly coated. Ideally, goose fat is great for roasting potatoes. However, if you follow a plant based diet, olive oil is a good alternative.
Cooking
Roast the spuds at 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas Mark 6 for around 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven and turn them over. Pop them back in for another 15 minutes and then turn them over again.Return them to the oven for a final time, for however long it takes to get them crispy and golden. The colour will be uneven which is exactly what we want!
Serve them immediately, straight from the oven. Add your own seasonings such as salt to taste for added bite.
Delicious!
Other Tips to Try
- Choose the best potato you can get your hands on. According to lovepotatoes.co.uk the best varieties for roasties are Maris Piper and King Edwards.
- Make sure the potatoes are spread out in the pan to achieve even cooking.
- Run the potatoes under a cold tap for around five minutes to get rid of the starch. The water should turn milky and then go clear.
- Once you have parboiled them, the cracks should open themselves. If they don’t appear, gently rough them up with a fork.
- Try sprinkling the parboiled potatoes with flour before they go in the oven. A light sprinkling is all you need for that added extra crunch. A tablespoon should do it.
- My Nan adds rosemary and garlic to her roast potatoes, and they are delicious. Try it for yourself. You could even experiment with other herbs such as sage or thyme.
- Want to save time on the day? You can roast them straight from the freezer – just remember to toss them in hot fat first.
- Now that beef dripping is widely available, you could try using this instead for some unbeatable flavour. It helps to get your potatoes crispy. It also works well for gravy and Yorkshire puddings.
- Don’t forget to salt the water generously before cooking. This will give the potatoes a fuller flavour from inside out.
- You could really go crazy and add a teaspoon of marmite to the pan. Love it or hate it, it’s got to be worth a try!
Many people will have different ways of doing their potatoes – it’s just a case of working out what is right for you. If that means experimenting and cooking lots of roasties then who are we to argue!
What’s more, if you’re looking for a decent oven for the festive period, NEFF has a wide range of ovens to make your life easier – including the Slide & Hide. Take a look at the selection here.
Sources:
- https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/food/a573111/how-to-make-perfect-roast-potatoes/
- https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/ultimate-roast-potatoes
- https://www.goodfood.com.au/recipes/how-to/heston-blumenthals-10-tricks-to-the-perfect-roast-potato-20160627-gpt0eq
- https://www.lovepotatoes.co.uk/hints-and-tips/all-about-those-roast-potatoes/
