Jamie Oliver Baked Potatos Food

PERFECT ROAST POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas 5.
• Peel the potatoes, cutting any larger ones so they're all an even-size - twice the size of a squash ball is about right.
• Wash the potatoes in cold water to get rid of any extra starch then tip into a large pot, cover with cold salted water and parboil for 7 minutes, then drain in a colander and leave to steam dry for 3 minutes.
• Give the colander a bit of a shake to help chuff up the potatoes - this will help to make them super-crisp later on.
• At this point, you need to decide which flavour combo to go with. Tip the potatoes into a large tray in one layer, and add the fat - olive oil, butter or goose fat - then season really well with sea salt and black pepper.
• Toss the potatoes in the fat (you could get the potatoes up to this stage the day before, simply cover them with clingfilm or tin foil and pop in the fridge or in a cool place until needed), then roast for 30 minutes, or until lightly golden and three quarters cooked.
• Now's the time for my trick. Gently squash each potato with a potato masher to increase the surface area - the more of your potato that's in contact with the pan, the crispier it will be.
• Add 1 good lug of oil to a small bowl and pick and/or tear in the herbs. If opting for flavour combo 2, peel in a good few strips of clementine zest with a speed-peeler - you won't eat these but they'll add amazing flavour. Break up the garlic bulb, adding the unpeeled cloves to the bowl, along with a splash of red wine vinegar, then scrunch and mix it up a bit.
• Add your chosen flavour combo to the potatoes and give the pan a good shake, then pop back in the hot oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until gnarly, crispy, bubbly and delicious.
• Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain off some of the excess fat, then tuck in!

GARLIC, THYME AND ANCHOVY BAKED POTATOES

Steps:

• Pound the garlic and butter in a pestle and mortar until smooth. Season the garlic butter well with lots of pepper but just a little salt as the anchovy or bacon will act as a seasoning too.
• Cut each potato into 8 slices. Coat the slices of each potato with the butter mix then reassemble each potato on a piece of double-thick foil. Cut the anchovies or bacon into strips and put between the slices. Do the same with the thyme sprigs and carefully wrap up the potatoes.
• Lay the wrapped spuds on the cooler coals at the sides of the barbie for 1-1½ hours, depending on their size, turning every now and then, until tender. If you've got a gas barbie, put the potatoes right at the back over a low heat and give them plenty of time to cook. You might even want to give them half an hour's headstart in the oven first.

BALSAMIC-BAKED ONIONS AND POTATOES WITH ROAST PORK

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put the potatoes into a pan of boiling, salted water and cook for around 8 minutes, then drain and return to the pan. Chuff them up a bit by shaking the pan.
• To prepare the meat, scatter a handful of finely chopped rosemary leaves over a large chopping board. Sprinkle over some salt and pepper and the ground fennel seeds. Roll the pork across the board, pressing down hard so all the flavorings stick to it.
• Get a large roasting pan that your pork will fit snugly into, and place it on a burner over a medium-high heat. Pour in a little olive oil and place the pork in, fat side down, sprinkled with any flavorings remaining on the board. After a few minutes, when the pork fat is lightly golden, turn it over and add the garlic cloves, onion, celery and bay leaves to the pan. Place on the bottom shelf of your preheated oven for 1 hour, basting it halfway through. (For the last 20 minutes of cooking, you may need to cover the pork with a bit of damp waxed paper to stop it coloring too much.)
• Get another roasting pan, into which you can fit the potatoes in 1 layer, and heat it on the stove. When hot, pour a glug of olive oil into it and add the butter, rosemary and garlic. Add the potatoes and toss them in all the flavors. Add the onions and all the balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes on the burner to reduce the balsamic vinegar a little. Place the pan on the top shelf and cook for around 50 minutes, until the potatoes and onions are dark, sticky and crispy - removing the pan to toss the onions and potatoes halfway through.
• After 1 hour, the meat should be cooked. Prick it with a sharp knife - if the juices run clear, it's done; if not, pop it back in the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes, keeping the potatoes warm. Remove it from the oven and let it rest on a plate for 10 minutes. Pour away most of the fat from the pan and mash up the garlic and onion. Place the pan over the burner and add the white wine. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, scraping all the meaty, marmitey goodness off the bottom to make a tasty little sauce, and season if necessary. Pass through a sieve into a serving pitcher. Then slice the pork and serve it with your incredible baked onions and potatoes, drizzled with the pan juices. This meal goes great with some nice greens or an arugula salad.

BROKEN POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water for about 15 minutes, or until your knife slides easily through them. Drain and leave for 5 minutes.
• Drizzle a roasting tray with a little olive oil and any handy pork fat. Season, then throw in the potatoes, and push down on each of them to break them up slightly. Then pound up the rosemary in a pestle and mortar to bruise and release its flavors. Add 4 good lugs of olive oil, stir around, and drizzle over the potatoes. Roast for 40 to 50 minutes at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C/gas 7) until crisp and golden.

BOMBAY POTATOES

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a pan and fry the spices for a few minutes. Add the butter, then the potatoes making sure they are completely coated in the spicy mixture. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes and the coriander.

OVEN-ROASTED POTATOES

Steps:

• When roasting a joint such as a leg of lamb, place the meat directly on the oven rack in a preheated 425 degree oven. Place a wide roasting pan on the rack beneath the joint to catch all the fat and drippings.
• Peel the potatoes and place them, whole, in a large saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes, then drain. Shake the potatoes roughly in the colander to bruise their sides.
• After the roast has been in the oven at least 20 minutes so that fat and drippings have started to collect in the pan, dump the parboiled potatoes into the drippings. Strip the leaves off one or two sprigs of fresh rosemary and toss them over the potatoes along with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Shake the pan well to coat the potatoes in fat and drippings. Continue to cook, occasionally turning the lamb and shaking the potatoes, for at least another hour and up to about 90 minutes, until the roast is cooked and the potatoes are crisply golden-brown outside and tender inside.