World's Best Roast Potatoes
"According to Dad, he makes the world’s best roast potatoes. They are always cracklingly crunchy on the outside and super fluffy on the inside.
As my Christmas present to you, here is exactly how Dad makes his roast potatoes:
1) Buy the right potatoes. The right potatoes, in this case, are King Edward potatoes. No other potatoes will do (especially not Maris Pipers).
2) Try to buy good-sized King Edward potatoes. The smaller ones don’t work as well, apparently.
3) Peel and halve the potatoes.
4) Place the potatoes in a large pan, cover with water and add a little bit of salt. Put the lid on the pan and bring to the boil. Boil the potatoes in the water for 8 minutes (not a second more and not a second less).
5) While this is happening, put a good dollop of goose fat (not duck fat, not lard, not any other type of fat – at all) into a roasting tin and then put the roasting tin in the oven (pre-heated to 180˚C) to heat up.
6) Drain the potatoes, put the lid back on the pan and then give the pan a good shake. And then another shake. And then another. This will fluff up the outsides of the potatoes and help them to get super crispy.
7) Use oven gloves to take the hot roasting tin out of the oven and then carefully, very carefully (scorching hot fat alert) use a spoon to place the potatoes gently into the fat in the roasting tin.
8) Then you need a baster. A baster is like a bigger version of the pipettes we use in science class. Basically, it’s a long thin pointed tube with a round rubbery ball at one end. You squeeze the rubbery ball, dip the pointy end in the goose fat (the extremely hot goose fat) and then gently release your grip on the ball. This sucks the fat up into the tube. When the tube is full of goose fat press on the rubbery ball again to squirt the fat all over the potatoes. They all need a good coating. This is called basting.
9) Put them into the oven and leave them there for half an hour.
10) After half an hour, take them out, turn them over in the tin (just give them a good muddle about) and then repeat step 8.
11) Back in the oven for another half an hour.
12) And they’re done. They’ll be golden and crisp on the outside and lovely and fluffy on the inside (guaranteed). Don’t worry if other things aren’t ready. You can turn the oven temperature down a bit and leave the potatoes in there. They’ll get a little darker in colour but they’ll still be great. If you start the whole process one and a half hours before you plan to eat then everything will work out well."
From Emmabella's Christmas Alphabet
As my Christmas present to you, here is exactly how Dad makes his roast potatoes:
1) Buy the right potatoes. The right potatoes, in this case, are King Edward potatoes. No other potatoes will do (especially not Maris Pipers).
2) Try to buy good-sized King Edward potatoes. The smaller ones don’t work as well, apparently.
3) Peel and halve the potatoes.
4) Place the potatoes in a large pan, cover with water and add a little bit of salt. Put the lid on the pan and bring to the boil. Boil the potatoes in the water for 8 minutes (not a second more and not a second less).
5) While this is happening, put a good dollop of goose fat (not duck fat, not lard, not any other type of fat – at all) into a roasting tin and then put the roasting tin in the oven (pre-heated to 180˚C) to heat up.
6) Drain the potatoes, put the lid back on the pan and then give the pan a good shake. And then another shake. And then another. This will fluff up the outsides of the potatoes and help them to get super crispy.
7) Use oven gloves to take the hot roasting tin out of the oven and then carefully, very carefully (scorching hot fat alert) use a spoon to place the potatoes gently into the fat in the roasting tin.
8) Then you need a baster. A baster is like a bigger version of the pipettes we use in science class. Basically, it’s a long thin pointed tube with a round rubbery ball at one end. You squeeze the rubbery ball, dip the pointy end in the goose fat (the extremely hot goose fat) and then gently release your grip on the ball. This sucks the fat up into the tube. When the tube is full of goose fat press on the rubbery ball again to squirt the fat all over the potatoes. They all need a good coating. This is called basting.
9) Put them into the oven and leave them there for half an hour.
10) After half an hour, take them out, turn them over in the tin (just give them a good muddle about) and then repeat step 8.
11) Back in the oven for another half an hour.
12) And they’re done. They’ll be golden and crisp on the outside and lovely and fluffy on the inside (guaranteed). Don’t worry if other things aren’t ready. You can turn the oven temperature down a bit and leave the potatoes in there. They’ll get a little darker in colour but they’ll still be great. If you start the whole process one and a half hours before you plan to eat then everything will work out well."
From Emmabella's Christmas Alphabet