Perfect Roast Potatoes 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!

PERFECT TRADITIONALLY ENGLISH ROAST POTATOES

Steps:

• Peel and quarter potatoes.
• Place in a saucepan with water and a pinch of the salt.
• Bring to a boil and simmer them for 5-6 mins to slightly soften.
• Meanwhile preheat your oven to 400°F.
• When the potatoes have simmered drain them thoroughly in a colander shaking to roughen edges.
• Let sit for a few mins to dry.
• Pour just enough vegetable oil into a roasting pan (large enough to allow space around the potatoes) to cover bottom and heat in oven for a few minutes.
• Gently place potatoes into the hot oil and coat them with it evenly.
• Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the potatoes.
• Every so often baste the potatoes in the oil to prevent drying (try not to move potatoes).
• Turn potatoes once or twice (no more) halfway through (after 20 mins or so) to ensure even cooking.
• Cook for 30-60 mins until gold and crispy (observe closely once near end).

PERFECT ROAST POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
• Put the potatoes into a pan and just cover with water. Add a tablespoon of salt, cover with a lid, and bring to the boil. Boil for 15 minutes, until cooked (they will slide off when pierced with a knife). Drain thoroughly in a colander, then set the colander on top of the cooking pan and cover the potatoes with a tea towel. Set aside for 10 minutes to steam dry.
• Meanwhile, put the vegetable oil, dripping, or duck fat into a roasting tin and heat in the oven for 10 minutes.
• Gently toss the potatoes around a little in the colander. Tip the potatoes into the tin of hot fat and give it a shake to spread the potatoes out in the pan, but don't worry about turning them. Put the tin into the oven and roast for 20 minutes. At this point give the potatoes a turn and then return them to the oven for a further 20-30 minutes or until golden and crunchy. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper and serve.

PERFECT ROAST POTATOES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Peel the potatoes and cut in half; if very large, cut into quarters, or leave whole if they are small. Tip into a saucepan, cover with cold water, then bring to the boil. Set the timer and boil for exactly 2 mins. Drain the potatoes well, then toss in the colander to fluff up their surfaces, sprinkling over the flour as you go.
• Place a large, sturdy roasting tray over a fairly high heat, then tip in the fat and oil. When sizzling, lower in the potatoes carefully, then gently brown in the hot fat for about 5 mins so all the sides are covered with oil.
• Roast undisturbed for 20 mins, then remove from the oven and gently turn them over with a fish slice. Place the tray on the hob to heat the oil, then return to the oven and cook for another 20 mins. Turn again, putting the tray back on the hob to heat the oil. Give them a final 20 mins in the oven, by which time you should have perfect roast potatoes.

CRISPIEST EVER ROAST POTATOES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 8. Add the oil to a large flameproof baking tray and put in the oven for the oil to heat up.
• Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, tip in the potatoes and the peelings (to impart extra flavour) and simmer for 8-10 mins. Drain the potatoes and discard the peelings. Leave to steam-dry for 15 mins, then return the potatoes to the pan, put the lid on and gently shake to lightly rough up the edges.
• Remove the tray from the oven and put directly on your hob over a medium heat. Add the butter to the hot oil and, using tongs, add the potatoes to the tray, one by one, carefully turning them in the fat, and leaving a little space between them. Reduce the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Nestle the lemon thyme in amongst the potatoes, along with the garlic. Sprinkle over the sea salt and return to the oven to roast for 1 hr, turning every once in a while, until golden and crisp.

PERFECT ROAST POTATOES

Steps:

• Cut your peeled potatoes into chunks, approximately the size of an egg.
• Par-boil them in salted water for about 8 minutes.
• Set aside and leave to cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/Gas 6.
• Pour the oil and dripping into a large roasting tin and place in the hot oven to heat.
• Rough up the sides of the potatoes by scratching them with a fork and season with salt.
• When the oil is hot, carefully place the potatoes in a single layer in the oil.
• Baste or turn over immediately, so they are coated with oil on all sides.
• Roast for 45 minutes, turning at least once.
• After that time, it's up to you to decide whether they are crispy enough or whether to give them another 15 minutes.
• Drain of fat and place on paper towels to absorb more access fat.
• Season again with salt before serving.

PERFECT ROAST POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to the hottest possible temperature.
• Peel the potatoes, and cut each into 3 by cutting off each end at a slant so that you are left with a wedge or triangle in the middle.
• Place the potatoes into salted cold water in a saucepan, and bring them to a boil. Boil the potatoes for 4 minutes. Drain the excess water from the potatoes using a colander and then tip the potatoes back into the empty saucepan.
• Sprinkle the semolina over the top of the potatoes. Hold a lid firmly on top of the pan and shake the potatoes around to coat them well and so that their edges disintegrate or fuzz and blur a little: this facilitates the crunch effect later.
• Place the goose fat into a large roasting tin and heat in the oven until very hot. Then carefully place the semolina-coated potatoes into the hot fat and roast the potatoes in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour or until they are darkly golden and crisp, turning them over halfway through cooking. If the oven is hot enough they probably will not need more than about 25 minutes a side; and it's better to let them sit in the oven (you can always pour off most of the fat and leave them in the tin) until the very last minute.

PERFECT ROAST POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to the hottest possible temperature. I do this as soon as the turkey is out of the oven, which (for me) is very much later than the parboiling stage, but let's start with the oven since you may be cooking in different circumstances, or prefer different procedures.
• Peel the potatoes, and cut each one into three by cutting off each end at a slant so that you are left with a wedge or triangle in the middle.
• Put the potatoes into salted cold water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil, letting them cook for 4 minutes. Drain the potatoes into a colander and then tip back into the empty saucepan, sprinkling over the semolina. Shake the potatoes around to coat them well and, with the lid clamped on, give the pan a good rotation and the potatoes a proper bashing so that their edges disintegrate or fuzz and blur a little: this facilitates the crunch effect later.
• Meanwhile, empty the goose fat into a large roasting pan and heat in the oven until seriously hot. (I often parboil the potatoes a few hours in advance, so the "meanwhile" doesn't always hold. And you can start heating up the fat in the oven that the turkey's in, turning it up to really hot once the bird comes out.) Then tip the semolina-coated potatoes carefully into the hot fat and roast in the oven for an hour or until they are darkly golden and crispy, turning them over halfway through cooking. If the oven's hot enough they probably won't need more than about 25 minutes a side; and it's better to let them sit in the oven (you can always pour off most of the fat and leave them in the pan) till the very last minute.
• Boastfulness and vainglory are not attractive nor would I want to encourage them in you (or myself), but when you've cooked these and see them in all their golden glory on the table, I think you're allowed a quiet moment of silent pride.

PERFECTLY ROASTED POTATOES

Steps:

• Place a rack in the lowest position in your oven and preheat to 425°F. Halve potatoes lengthwise.
• Arrange potatoes, cut side down, on a large rimmed baking sheet, spacing evenly. Pour in 1 1/2 to 2 cups water-enough to cover the surface in a thin layer but not so much that it spills the second you move the sheet.
• Cover baking sheet with a double layer of foil, crimping sides very tightly to seal well. This will trap in steam and prevent water from sloshing out if you accidentally jostle the sheet.
• Bake until a fork or a skewer slides easily through the potatoes, 25 to 30 minutes. The foil will be puffed; pierce it with the fork or skewer and poke around for a couple of potatoes to test.
• Let potatos cool, still covered, 5 minutes. Use tongs to peel back foil about 1 inch at on corner. Carefully tip sheet and pour off water (its job is done). Crank up oven to 500°F or as high as it goes.
• Remove foil. Drizzle olive oil over potatoes. Season generously with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Let potatoes cool to the point that you can handle them, then toss to coat.
• Arrange potatoes cut side down and roast, uncovered, until skins are golden, cut sides are deeply browned and crisp, and you can see the edges frying and sizzling in the oil on the sheet, 20-25 minutes.
• Let potatoes cool for a minute or two, then use a spatula to unstick them from the baking sheet. Serve them exactly as they are because these potatoes need absolutely nothing else.