Really Easy Roasties Food

CRISPY ROAST POTATOES RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 220C/425F.
• Peel the potatoes and chop into chunky pieces a little bigger than a ping pong ball (approx 2 inches/5cm across).
• Place in a pan and cover with cold water. Place on the hob on a high heat and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 8-9 minutes - until softened at the edges.* Tip 1
• Meanwhile, place the lard or (goose fat if using) in a large roasting tin and place in the oven to for 10 minutes until shimmering hot.
• Drain the potatoes in a colander *Tip 2, and give them a good shake to really roughen up the edges. Don't worry if a few break apart and they look overly fluffy. The more fluffy they are, the better they'll absorb the fat and the crispier they'll be.
• Carefully place the potatoes - using tongs - in the baking tin with the hot fat. Turn them over once to coat in the fat and then place in the oven.
• Cook for 30-35 minutes, turning once or twice in the last 15 minutes of cooking, until golden brown and crispy.
• Remove from the roasting tin and serve topped with a sprinkling of Maldon salt and some fresh thyme leaves.

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 ROASTIES - ROAST POTATOES FOR ENGLISH SUNDAY LUNCH

Steps:

• Par-boil the potatoes first.
• Once they are peeled and cut into similar sizes (small potatoes in two, large ones in four), put the potatoes into cold, salted water and bring to the boil. As soon as they start boiling, boil for about 5 to 6 minutes, then drain all the water off (keeping some for the gravy later), let some of the steam evaporate off, then put the lid on securely and shake the potatoes in the pan until the edges are roughened and fluffed up.
• Add the flour and shake again, to coat all the potatoes in a thin coating of flour. This is what will absorb the hot oil to make a crisp surface as the potatoes roast. Leave the lid off now so they dry a little until the oil is ready.
• Heat the oil first.
• In a roasting pan, that is large enough to take the potatoes in a single layer, put enough vegetable oil, duck fat or goose fat to cover the bottom with ease. The potatoes mustn't be bathed in the oil, so keep it less than ½ cm or ¼ inch deep.
• Put the tray into the hot oven (200°C/400°F) for 10 minutes before the potatoes need to go inches Once the oil is smoking hot, put the potatoes in so they sizzle and turn them around so they are all coated in the hot fat/oil, then return the tray to the oven to roast. The potatoes can be turned two or three times during cooking.
• Timing.
• The potatoes need to stay in the hot oven until the very last minute when you are ready to serve lunch. If they hang around keeping warm they lose their crisp edge and gradually dwindle into leathery bullets. They need 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours at 200°C/400°F to reach optimum crispiness. Time the meat to be ready 10 minutes before them, so it can rest, you can make the gravy and summon the troops to table, and only then produce the potatoes still sizzling from the oven, and sprinkled with freshly milled sea salt.
• (If people are late in arriving for lunch, the potatoes can take another 10-15 minutes getting even more crispy in the oven, but after that I'd just get on and eat them without the latecomers!).
• Roasting tin.
• I get the crispiest results from my enamel roasting tins. Pyrex or glass trays result in softer, less crispy potatoes. Metal trays are also excellent for roasting potatoes.
• Temperature.
• Keep the hottest part of the oven for the potatoes. Juggling the roast meat, roast potatoes and everything in a small oven is tricky but the potatoes will only get crisp if they can roast in blazing heat for a while. If all else fails, when the meat comes out, turn the oven up to the highest heat and put the potatoes on the top shelf for a blasting. Last on the list of emergency remedies, put them under a hot grill (broiler) for the last five minutes while you are getting the table ready.

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.

ULTIMATE ROAST POTATOES

Steps:

• Put a roasting tin in the oven (one big enough to take the potatoes in a single layer) and heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
• Peel 1kg potatoes and cut each into 4 even-sized pieces if they are medium size, 2-3 if smaller (5cm pieces).
• Drop the potatoes into a large pan and pour in enough water to barely cover them.
• Add salt, then wait for the water to boil. As soon as the water reaches a full rolling boil, lower the heat, put your timer on and simmer the potatoes uncovered, reasonably vigorously, for 2 mins.
• Meanwhile, put 100g duck or goose fat or 100ml olive oil into the hot roasting tin and heat it in the oven for a few mins, so it's really hot.
• Drain the potatoes in a colander then shake the colander back and forth a few times to fluff up the outsides.
• Sprinkle with 2 tsp flour and give another shake or two so they are evenly and thinly coated.
• Carefully put the potatoes into the hot fat - they will sizzle as they go in - then turn and roll them around so they are coated all over.
• Spread them in a single layer making sure they have plenty of room.
• Roast the potatoes for 15 mins, then take them out of the oven and turn them over.
• Roast for another 15 mins and turn them over again. Put them back in the oven for another 10-20 mins, or however long it takes to get them really golden and crisp. The colouring will be uneven, which is what you want.
• Scatter with Maldon salt and serve straight away.

NEXT-LEVEL ROASTIES

Steps:

• Peel the potatoes and leave whole, or halve or quarter them if large - you want pieces that are roughly the size of a clementine. Tip them into a large pan of cold, salted water, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 7-8 mins until just cooked through - test with the tip of a knife. Drain the potatoes and leave to cool. Can be boiled up to two days ahead and kept chilled.
• Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Pour 5 tbsp oil into a deep roasting tin to cover the base. Put the tin in the oven for 5 mins to heat up, then carefully add the potatoes and use a spatula to turn and coat in the hot oil. Put back in the oven and roast for 40 mins undisturbed.
• Remove the tin from the oven and turn the potatoes in the oil again, drizzling with more oil if the pan is dry. Return to the oven for 20 mins. Once the turkey is out and resting, remove the potatoes from the oven and turn the heat up to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Use a spatula or potato masher to slightly crush and flatten each potato, drizzle with a bit more oil, if needed, and roast for a final 20-30 mins until deep golden and crunchy on the outside and fluffy inside. Pile into a serving dish, sprinkle with a little sea salt and thyme, if you like, and serve.

RIGHT-EVERY-TIME ROASTIES

Steps:

• Cut the potatoes into quarters, or eighths if really large - you want to end up with even-size 5cm pieces. Put the potatoes in a large pan of salted water and boil for 5 mins, just until the outside of the potato starts to soften. To check, try scraping a potato with a fork - it should be easy to make a mark but you shouldn't be able to slide it into the flesh. Drain really well.
• Return to the pan and scatter over the flour and polenta (if using) and a little salt. Place a lid on top of the pan and give it a couple of good shakes, coating the potatoes in the flour and polenta and lightly crushing the sides.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Place the goose fat and oil in a roasting tin large enough to hold all the potatoes in one layer and heat in the oven for 5 mins. Quickly tip the potatoes in and return to the oven. Cook for 30 mins, turning once, then increase the heat to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Cook for 20 mins more or until crisp all over. Sprinkle with a little more salt, then serve.