If you want to have a traditional Sunday roast, you’re going to need some good roast potatoes. And these aren’t just for Sundays, either. Roast potatoes are super-tasty and will delight all your dinner guests. You might think that making roast potatoes is a skill everyone already knows. It’s traditional after all. But if you don’t have the skills or knowledge already—-don’t worry. Roast potatoes aren’t that difficult to make.
In this article, we’re going to look at how to make roast potatoes. Some of these tips might even make your roasties even better even if you’ve been doing it a certain way for many years. So this article isn’t just for those who have no knowledge at all about how to make roast potatoes. If you’re starting from scratch as a kitchen novice, then great. Keep reading. But even if you’ve been making roast potatoes for years and want a few tips to make them better, there’s something for you in this article as well. Perhaps you’ve been struggling to get consistent with your old roast potato recipe. Maybe you want some more tips to wow your upcoming dinner guests. Either way, check out this article on how to make roast potatoes.
Find the right potatoes
To get the best roast potatoes, you’ll need to start with the right type of actual potatoes. Don’t worry if you don’t have any of these at hand, as the tips in the rest of this article will still get you good results with all sorts of potatoes. However, for the best results and the most mouth-watering roast potatoes, you’ll need a floury type of potato. These include Maris Piper, King Edwards and Desiree. Most roast potato experts agree that the Maris Piper is the absolute best for roast potatoes. The floury nature of these potatoes helps produce the crispy finish that people lose.
Peel the potatoes
Some people like to make roast potatoes with the skin on, but this won’t create crispy edges or the best finish. Peeling the potatoes is a must if you want the best roast potatoes at your dinner. If you don’t have time to peel meticulously, you can simply chop the skins off if your potatoes are big enough. This will create more waste, but can be done much faster. It’s only really a realistic option if you’ve got bigger potatoes as well. If you have a potato peeling machine, this can save time as well. But it’s not something you need to spend money on as regular potato peeling isn’t difficult.
Cut the potatoes
Once you’ve peeled your potatoes, you can cut them into size. Aim for cube-like shapes that are around 2-3 inches wide. These don’t have to be perfect cubes, roast potatoes work well with lots of different shapes and you don’t need to take much time over this step. SImply cut the potatoes into chunks, then you’re ready for the next step.
Par-boil the potatoes
The next step will vary in duration depending on exactly how big you cut the potatoes and a few other variables. It’s not an exact science. You want to parboil the potatoes in a pan until they’re al-dente and can be lightly fluffed with a fork. Don’t cook them for too long so they start falling apart and your fork glides straight through them. Equally, they need to be cooked enough. Try about 10-20 minutes in boiling water but keep checking on them.
You could parboil them in a microwave, which can be quicker—put the potatoes in a bowl full of water. However, you won’t be able to check their progress as easily so a good old-fashioned boiling pan of water should be enough.
Let the par-boiled potatoes dry
This is one of the best roast potato tips that many people don’t know about. Instead of putting the par-boiled potatoes straight into the oven, put them on some kitchen paper and pat them down. Let the steam evaporate for a few minutes and make sure they’re dry. This step will help get the potatoes extra crispy.
Fluff the potatoes a little
Use a fork to make some indentations in the outside of the potatoes. This can be done roughly in a bowl, and you can throw them about a bit. You want the oil (we’ll get to that in a minute) to get into all the little cracks to make them crisp up. You can season or add some herbs and other flavours at this point, but the seasoning can be done after as well.
Heat some oil or fat in a tray in the oven
Use vegetable oil, or duck fat if you have it. Other oils and fats can work well depending on what you have available. Heat the oven to around 180 centigrade and let the oil get up to temperature.
Toss and coat the potatoes in the oil
Make sure the oil covers your dry potatoes, toss them in it so they’re completely coated and then lay them individually in the pan full of heated oil.
Roast
Now you can have a break and let the roasties cook for a while. This should take a total of between 40 minutes to an hour. Keep checking them to make sure they aren’t burnt. If you think they’re ready before the rest of your meal is, switch the oven off and leave them in to stay warm.
Turn the potatoes halfway through
Make sure you turn the potatoes around halfway through.
Fluff and coat the potatoes some more
When you turn the potatoes, make sure you coat them all in oil and fluff them a bit more. Drizzle more warm oil over the top.
Add some seasoning
If you didn’t season before, you can add some salt and other seasonings at this point.
Enjoy!
Now you’ve produced some great roast potatoes, you can enjoy them with the rest of your meal.
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