Roast potatoes

[MontyVeda]

-Start at least 2 1/2 hours before you plan to eat
-Peel your potatoes, and cut into smaller-than-you're-used-to pieces, say an inch cubed, roughly.
-Par-boil them for longer than you'd think, until they are quite soft
-Tip the water out of the saucepan, then shake the pan gently to break up the outside of the potatoes a bit. Not too rough, or you'll have mashed potatoes instead
-Turn your potatoes out into a colander, and set aside for half an hour to drain and cool
-Place in the fridge for at least an hour
-Pre-heat the oven to very hot. 220 or hotter is best
-Put a couple of good spoonfuls of goosefat into a baking tray, and place in the top of the oven
-After 5 minutes or more, take the tray out of the oven and put it onto a couple of rings on the hob, to keep the fat sizzling
-Add some salt, lots of pepper and (optional, but my favourite), a good sprinkle of Cayenne pepper and lots of mixed dried herbs to the fat
-Get your cold potatoes out of the fridge and place into the fat. They won't spit because their moisture content is right down (the whole point of putting them in the fridge). Move them around and turn them over with until they are coated all over with fat & herbs
-Place in the hottest part of the oven , and turn every 10 or 15 minutes.
-Serve when a deep golden brown

These will be the crispiest roast potatoes, with the softest centres, that you've ever eaten. The trick is putting them in the fridge, and putting salt on them whilst they cook. This draws the moisture out of them, leaving the outside dry and crispy. After all, a soggy roast potato is as bad as having your chain come off half way up a hill. Like decorating, most of the work is in the preparation.

Then, the big problem..............how do you get the gravy on your meat to stay away from your nice crispy potatoes?

remove Aunt Bessies frozen roast potatoes from freezer
follow heating guidelines on pack


Enjoy

We all know that's what you really do.

 

[Archie_tect]

Mike, you shouldn't copy and paste things...

 

[Archie_tect]

[thinks back[ What you talkin' about Lewis?

 

[Archie_tect]

King Edward?

 

[Saluki]

I cut my potatoes larger than small! Once I've drained the spuds after par boiling, I drizzle olive oil over them and chuck a spoonful of whole grain mustard in there too. Gently shake the whole lot about for good coverage and put in a hot oven into some hot fat. Baste every so often then serve and enjoy.

Sometimes I just have roasties I certainly don't let disgusto gravy anywhere near mine.

 

[stephec]

I cut my potatoes larger than small! Once I've drained the spuds after par boiling, I drizzle olive oil over them and chuck a spoonful of whole grain mustard in there too. Gently shake the whole lot about for good coverage and put in a hot oven into some hot fat. Baste every so often then serve and enjoy.

Sometimes I just have roasties I certainly don't let disgusto gravy anywhere near mine.

Saluki how could you say that, you're not northern then?

 

[MikeG]

Mike, you shouldn't copy and paste things...

I didn't.

 

[Saluki]

Saluki how could you say that, you're not northern then?

My mother put me off gravy for life. It was so thick that you could turn the plate over and nothing would move My Dad used to ask "one slice or two" when he was serving the gravy. He said the same with her custard. Not overly keen on that either unless its tinned.

 

[KEEF]

Mrs Keef does the roasties here they are delicious. I keep out of the kitchen.

 

[Gravity Aided]

Same here, as with Yorkshire Pudding, and Cornish Pasties.

 

[Archie_tect]

I didn't.

In that case Mike, you've managed to out-Heston Heston.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

I cut my potatoes larger...

How can you make something larger by cutting it?

 

[Moon bunny]

A small point, you say to roast in a very hot oven, what about the chicken or joint that is already in there, roasting away at mark 3? I thought the whole point of roast potatoes, parsnips etc. was to roast them round the meat, otherwise you might as well just dump them in the chip pan.

 

[swee'pea99]

My mother put me off gravy for life. It was so thick that you could turn the plate over and nothing would move My Dad used to ask "one slice or two" when he was serving the gravy. He said the same with her custard. Not overly keen on that either unless its tinned.

"I thought my mother was a bad cook but at least her gravy used to move about." - Tony Hancock

 

[theclaud]

A small point, you say to roast in a very hot oven, what about the chicken or joint that is already in there, roasting away at mark 3? I thought the whole point of roast potatoes, parsnips etc. was to roast them round the meat, otherwise you might as well just dump them in the chip pan.

The meat comes out to rest, the oven goes up, and the spuds go in. It's meant to be.