Perfect Roast Potatoes

2014-12-26

Cuisine: American, British & Irish
Course: Sides
Skill Level: Intermediate
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Prep Time : 5m
Cook Time : 60m
Ready In : 1:10 h

Potatoes are an important part of most roast and festive dinners, be it Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year.

This recipe is a sureshot way to get those perfectly roasted potatoes that will be the star of your dinner table.

I made these roast potatoes for my Christmas dinner party this year, and everybody loved them.

Ingredients

Potatoes- 1.5 kg ( Maris Piper or other fluffy potatoes)
Sea salt- to taste
Black pepper powder
Odourless oil
Garlic- 1 whole bulb
Rosemary- 3-4 tbsp , fresh
Orange or Lemon zest- 3 tbsp- optional)

Method

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 190C or 375F

Step 2

Peel the potatoes and halve if they are too big, trying to keep all the potatoes to a similar size.

Step 3

Wash the potatoes as usual in cold water to get rid of the excess starch.

Step 4

In a large saucepan, pour in the potatoes and add enough cold water to let the potatoes submerge.

Step 5

Add enough salt, the water should taste salty. This helps the potatoes get salted while boiling. This is very important, because once they are cooked, the potatoes do not absorb any salt & while the top might get any flavour from the salt and seasoning, the inside will just taste floury and tasteless.

Step 6

Cook for 6-7 minutes, to parboil. It is ok if your potatoes get slightly overcooked, it will not affect the taste.

Step 7

Drain the potatoes and let cool. Put a lid on and shake the potatoes by tossing the pan around. This will help slightly fluff up the potatoes and help them crisp up. If you like, you could also slightly flatten each potato on the top with a spoon or fork. I don't always do it. Don't apply too much pressure or you will end up breaking the potatoes.

Step 8

Season the potatoes with salt and pepper. Leave aside to cool. You can always cook ahead and cover the potatoes with cling film and refrigerate one day in advance.

Step 9

Now pour enough oil into your roasting pan, enough to be about 1/2 to 1 cm from the bottom. Add the rosemary and garlic to the oil and put the roasting tray into the oven to heat for 5 minutes, until the oil is really hot as well. This helps the flavour infuse the oil.

Step 10

Now add in the potatoes, turn over to coat with all the oil and roast for 40 - 50 minutes.

20141225-P1110089

Notes:

1. Ideally use Maris Piper or any other starchy potatoes that will fluff up. If you can’t source the right potatoes, just use regular white potatoes.

2. I don’t like using olive oil in this recipe, because it is quite overpowering. . I used Rapeseed oil , because it is odourless and I had some strictly vegetarian guests as well. You could use Vegetable oil instead.

However, if the addition of animal fat doesn’t bother you, use a 50:50 mix of goose fat and oil for excellent results. 20141225-P1110088

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