Roast Potatoes

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No roast or Christmas dinner is complete without roast potatoes and quite frankly, unless the potatoes are gorgeously golden with a crispy crust and a soft melting centre, they shouldn’t be there!

Roast potatoes are not difficult to make but there are certain key steps you cannot miss in order to ensure the correct texture, both on the outside and inside of the potato! Whilst I make mine quite traditionally, I do things a little differently at the end of the process, particularly at Christmas when I am trying to get organised in advance. So I shall explain how I do it, but also include details, of how they are traditionally made!

In a nutshell, I prepare my potatoes in advance, until the point they need to go in the oven – sometimes a few hours in advance! I save the cooking water to make my gravy later and I can wash the pan and leave the kitchen a little clearer for later.

Most roast potato recipes will specify that the oven should be set at Fan Oven 180°C/200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 or higher. The reality however, is that whichever roast you are preparing, it will still be in the oven when you need to cook the potatoes and may well be cooking at a different temperature. Practically therefore, it is difficult to specify oven temperature and cooking times! The good news is that, all roasts should be left to rest for at least 15 minutes once out of the oven and before serving. In fact, up to 30 minutes is just fine, so you have time to adjust the oven temperature and finish cooking your perfect roast potatoes.

Cooking times:

As a general guide, you need to allow 50 – 60 minutes cooking time in the oven for roast potatoes to achieve that gorgeous crispy outer layer and a soft melt in the mouth centre.

How to make Roast Potatoes:

Below are details for 3 different options when cooking roast potatoes:

1. How to prepare potatoes in advance and cook them with a roast dinner!
2. How to prepare potatoes in advance and cook them with nothing else in the oven!
3. If you are not preparing the potatoes in advance and cooking them immediately.

Collect all your ingredients together:

• potatoes. You need a floury potato such as Maris Piper or King Edwards
• salt
• water
• fat – the best would be goose or duck fat but if you have a vegetarian in the house (like we do) vegetable oil is an excellent alternative

How to prepare your roast potatoes:

1. Peel the potatoes and cut into similarly sized even pieces. (Around 5-7cm cubes)
2. Place in a saucepan, with some salt and cover with cold water.
3. Bring to a simmer over a hot heat and when boiling, simmer gently for 5 minutes.
4. After 5 minutes drain immediately. NB – I always keep this cooking water for use in the gravy later. Leave the potatoes in the sieve or colander for a few minutes so water on the surface of the potatoes evaporates.
5. Make sure the inside of the saucepan is dry and return the potatoes to the pan. Cover with a lid and, holding the lid down tightly, shake the pan.
6. You do this to rough up the outside surface of the potatoes. This increases the surface area for the fat/oil and will help to ensure you have crispy potatoes.
7. Add the oil to the potatoes and stir well ensuring all the potatoes are evenly coated. If you are using goose or duck fat, you will need to melt it first.
8. Add some oil to your baking tray and ensure it covers the whole surface area.
9. Tip the potatoes onto the tray, making sure they are well spread out.
10. Your potatoes are now ready to go in the oven.

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How to cook your pre-prepared roast potatoes, with a roast joint already in the oven!

1. Prepare the potatoes as described above in ‘How to prepare roast potatoes’ points 1 – 10.
2. When ready to cook your potatoes, pop them in the oven with the meat around 35 – 40 minutes before you expect to remove the roast meat.
3. Remember to baste and turn your potatoes every 15 – 20 minutes.
4. You then have 15 – 30 minutes to continue cooking the roast potatoes, once the meat is removed, and you can adjust the temperature of the oven if necessary.
5. After removing the meat, I ensure that the oven temperature is set at a minimum of Fan Oven 180°C/200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. If the potatoes are looking quite pale, I would increase to Fan Oven 200°C/220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7.
6. The potatoes are ready when they are golden and crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.

How to cook your pre-prepared roast potatoes, with nothing else in the oven!

• Prepare the potatoes as described above in ‘How to prepare your roast potatoes’ points 1 – 10.
• Preheat the oven to Fan Oven 180°C/200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
• When ready to cook your potatoes, pop them in the oven 55 minutes before you expect to eat.
• Remember to baste and turn your potatoes every 15 – 20 minutes.
• If, after 45 minutes, they are looking a little pale, crank the oven up to a hotter temperature.
• The potatoes are ready when they are golden and crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.

If you are not preparing the potatoes in advance and cooking immediately:

1. Before peeling the potatoes, turn on the oven to Fan Oven 180°C/200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
2. Tip the fat/oil onto your baking tray and pop inside the oven to heat up as you prepare the potatoes.
3. Prepare the potatoes as described above in ‘How to prepare your roast potatoes’ points 1 – 6.
4. After roughing the outside of the potatoes, remove the baking tray with the hot fat from the oven and carefully tip the potatoes onto the tray.
5. Turn the potatoes over using kitchen tongs, ensuring they are all covered in the fat.
6. Return to the oven and cook for 50 – 55 minutes or until cooked to your liking.
7. Remember to baste and turn your potatoes every 15 – 20 minutes.
8. The potatoes are ready when they are golden and crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.

Made this recipe?

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