The Best Roast Potatoes.

This Roast Potatoes recipe is one very close to my Roast Dinner heart. I feel very passionately about what makes a seriously good Roast Potato and I am here to share with you my perfect roastie tips.

I almost never bother ordering a Sunday Lunch meal when I am out at a restaurant.Why would you when the roast potatoes are nearly always tough and tasteless. I find it such a depressing disappointment.

A good roastie should be right up there in the sunday lunch star billing. Second only to the meat/veggie alternative. Yorkshire puddings too obvs.

I want, no need, them to be seriously crispy but fluffy and soft inside. Without the crispy crunch you might as well just call them wedges and be done with it.

To this end I employ a few essential tips and tricks to really make the best roast potatoes in town. They never let myself or my family down, and although a simple recipe the results are really quite special.

Scroll down to the recipe card below if you do not want the step by step instructions, tips and photos.

How To Make Perfect Roast Potatoes

• Begin by switching your oven onto 220 C/425 F/Gas Mark 7
• Peel and then cut the bigger potatoes into large triangle shapes. It is how my mother made them and something that I cannot change but feel free to mix the shapes up.

• I then parboil them covered in plenty of water in a large saucepan. I do this until they are seriously soft around the edges. This takes about 8 minutes on a medium heat.
• Care does need to be taken here as you do not want them to be too soft right the way through otherwise they will break completely up when you shake them. So I keep checking how soft they are after 5 minutes with a fork.
• Whilst your potatoes are parboiling put your large roasting tray and fat in your hot oven. It needs to be in the oven at least 10 minutes before the potatoes go into it.
• Drain the potatoes carefully in a colander and leave for 5 minutes to lose most of the steam.
• Tip them back into the saucepan and cover with the lid. Shake with your hand on top of the lid for about 5 seconds. Have a look in and see if the edges are fluffy enough. Repeat if not.

• Remove your roasting tray carefully and place on top of a medium heat just to keep the heat on the go. If this is too difficult then just work quickly on a work surface. Obviously the tin will be crazy hot and the fat will spit so take the necessary precautions to protect your work top and yourself.
• Turn the potatoes in the fat. I use a couple of teaspoons to do this. You want each potato to be well covered.

• Put them in the oven and allow to sizzle away for about 35 minutes, turning once in the last 10 minutes of cooking to really get a fabulous golden brown all over.
• Remove from the oven and either serve immediately from the tray or put in a warm serving dish. If you leave them at all in the tray, after a minute or so they will start to absorb too much fat.
• Season with salt well.

 

How Do I Make Roast Potatoes Crispy?

• Using the right variety of potatoes is key. My first choice is King Edwards followed by Maris Piper. King Edwards fluff up the easiest. The potatoes must be floury. Failing that red skinned potatoes such as Rooster. Click here for more information about what potatoes are best for what sort of cooking.
• The oven, your roasting tray and fat/oil must be hot to trot right from the get go. We are talking 220 C/425 F/Gas Mark 7 for at least 10 minutes before the potatoes go in.
• I like to use a flat baking tray and I don't line it with anything. 
• The potatoes need to be parboiled enough that when shaken about in the saucepan they get really fluffy edges. It is these fluffy edges that are responsible for the whole crispy situation.
• I love to use either beef dripping or lard to cook the potatoes in. It is sold in blocks in the supermarkets and REALLY gives the potatoes a fabulous flavour. Plus it is very affordable. Duck and Goose Fat is another option. Obviously this does not work if you're vegetarian so use a vegetable oil instead.

What goes with Roast Potatoes?

What doesn't?! These crisp babies are so delicious that they work well with almost all meals that you can think of. But the most obvious are roast meats.

So I serve them mostly with my:

Roast Beef Brisket

Slow Cooker Beef Joint

Slow Cooker Roast Chicken

 Slow Cooker Gammon Joint

 Roast Gammon.

Slow Cooker Turkey Crown

Roast Pork Loin

All real Sunday Lunch meals.

I also love them with more casual comfort food dishes :

Toad In The Hole

  Beef Casserole  (omit the new potatoes)

 Sausage Casserole. Especially in the colder weather. They lift these simple dishes to another delicious level.

To Get Ahead

You can get ahead by one of two ways.

1. By parboiling the potatoes and then leaving them to cool in the colander. I often do this in the morning when I am serving the whole meal later in the day. I tip them, when cool, back into the saucepan and cover until I am ready to shake them down and roast.
2. By roasting them for only 20 minutes before removing them and transferring to a dish to cool and cover. These can be made up to a day ahead. Simply roast them for 30 minutes in the same high temperature oven, in only half the amount of fat used previously, when required. The tray must be super hot again.

PIN FOR LATER!