Roast Potatoes

[Milo2]

I always seem to have problems with making roast potatoes really crisp. Has anyone got a tried and tested method for these?

[-SharonA-]

One the odd occasion when I've cooked too many potatoes and have froze them. These frozen ones roasted come out really crispy. I have started par boiling them and freezing.

[ubasses]

Use floury potatoes, and rough them up a bit in the saucepan after parboiling, dry before putting in fat.

[Atheist]

Try this...
Cut up the potatoes (peel first if you like), and boil for 5-10 minutes, just long enough for the corners to soften a bit, but not too long. Floury potatoes like King Edwards are good for this.
Drain them, using the lid to keep them in the pan while you pour away the water, and then pour oil onto the spuds in the pan and stir them around to coat with oil and slightly break up the sharp corners.
When you want to roast them (whether straight away or after they have cooled) tip them into a roasting tin and pop them into a pre-heated oven (quite hot - they need to be roasted fairly vigorously, not cooked for a long time, as they are already cooked.) While they are roasting, wash up the boiling pan, so all you have to do after the meal is clean the roasting tin.
A sprinkle of salt and pepper and chopped rosemary before roasting is nice.
Good luck.

[bainbrig]

Also less oil is better.

[Tilly2]

Have a look here.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1303/ultimate-roast-potatoes

[MargoTester]

Parboil and give them a good shake to rough up the surface. Put roasting tin with duck of goose fat in the oven to heat and when really hot put the potatoes in (I do the with the tin on the hob) and baste with the hot fat. Put back in the oven until crisp

[sunny-dave]

Parboil and drain and rough-up, as already suggested.

People always bang on about Goose Fat for roasting spuds - and yes it is good, as you can have the oven at 200°C without the fat 'catching' and this will crisp up the spuds nicely.

But ... a decent quality rapeseed oil with a small knob of butter (not any sort of 'spread' - real, proper, butter) melted into it will work just as well, for a fraction of the price.

[gness]

Exactly as Margo except I par steam....and it has to be goose fat for perfection....other fats are available....just less good......... :-)

[Samuraisan]

Do you roast them from frozen SharonA ?

[Jackdaw33]

Never tried to make them as I don't really like them. Boiled or mashed for me.

[MargoTester]

Gness - I seem to remember it was a Delia Smith recipe, especially the putting the tin on the hob to keep the fat really hot. I must admit that Christmas is this only time I use goose fat, hang the expense

[hc4361]

I do use goose fat when I have it but lard is just as good and a lot cheaper

[ummmm]

I steam them first.

Get the oil really hot, throw them in and add a knob of butter and seasoning, stir.

[sunny-dave]

I think you have to have a doctor's note to buy lard these days, hc4361 :)

[Atheist]

BB Less oil than what? Do you mean use as little oil as possible? My method avoids the need to preheat the roasting tin and its oil or fat. Mind you, I'm not claiming I have the best method; love and experience and personal taste is the best method.

[Atheist]

When I was a lad, the roast potatoes at school dinners were leathery rather than crispy. I loved them!

[-Talbot-]

For leathery roast spuds cook them with the meat from raw and keep basting them ( My sister is an expert on them) :0/

[woofgang]

I have got ghee this year and it makes a lovely roasty. Failing that I like rapeseed oil

[Milo2]

Thank you for all the suggestions. Hopefully we will have crisp roast potatoes this Christmas.

[Barmaid]

Parboil, drain and then dry. Dry heat the pan with the spuds in it but keep shaking.

I use goose fat. But if i dont have that i also use a mix of veg oil and olive oil. Works brilliantly.