With this in mind we thought it would be a good idea to have a look at a few tips on how to make perfect and delicious roast potatoes. This guide is essential for the Christmas dinner!
Put on the oven, whack on some music and let’s get roasting!
It all starts with the spud
The type of potato you use will have an impact on the final result so it’s worth making sure you’ve selected the right spud for the job. For instance, salad or boiling potatoes will be too dense to dry out properly in the oven, so you’ll want to use fluffy potatoes to get that lovely lightness inside. We recommend using Maris Pipers or King Edwards, which will help you make the roast with the most. Be adventurous and try some coloured varieties to give colour on your plate. Find out more about the different types and varieties of potato here.
Parboil for perfection
Boiling your potatoes for a little bit before roasting helps make sure that you get that beautiful crisp crust on the outside. If you don’t parboil your spuds, the outside skin will remain quite tough, meaning that whatever fat you use will not be able to get inside the cracks. To parboil your potatoes to perfection, cut them into large chunks and put them in a pot of boiling water for around ten minutes, depending on the size. Once the outside is soft but the inside still raw and firm, you’re ready to roast!
The shake ‘n dry
Make sure your potatoes are really dry before roasting, to ensure the skin is ready to be cracked and crisp. It also helps to give them a bit of a shake in whatever container they are in, to roughen up the soft surfaces more and create space for the fat to get in and crisp them up!
Add the fat
Whether you’re using sunflower, vegetable, rapeseed oil, goose fat or low-fat alternatives, make sure that all your spuds have a good coating before putting to roast, which is key to making the final result crunchy and crispy.
The timings
This all depends on the sizes and how long you have parboiled for, but as a general rule of thumb it’s around 40 minutes, or until they appear golden brown and crunchy. Overall timings depend on the efficiency and heat of your oven, but make sure to toss the potatoes over once or twice during cooking to make sure they are all ready and roasted.
So there you go! Crispy, crunchy fluffy and delicious roast potatoes! For more details on the specifics, check out our fool proof roast potato recipes.
