The ultimate roasties

[aquilegia]

What's your method of making roast potatoes?

Mine are pretty good, but I never actually know how I make them. We just eat them when they are ready and judge everything else according to how the tatties are doing.

I par-boil them for 10 mins, then shake them in the saucepan before bunging them in pre-heated olive oil and putting in the oven at whatever temperature I fancy that day. They are ready when they are lovely and crunchy on the outside. I usually turn up the heat at the end as I'm getting hungry.

Would it be best to start the oven hot and then turn down, or start cooler and turn up?

[aquilegia]

[Jendaffodil]

You make them exactly the same way as I do, I start on 180 degrees (fan oven) and always turn them up after I take the meat and vegie alternative out of the oven to rest, just to crisp them up.  I always use King Edwards though as I think they make the lovliest crispy outsides.  Ooh I could eat some now!! :)

[tim]

Good old Delia!!

But I don't think you can generalise - with our present fresh dug tubers, bringing them to the boil is plenty. As soon as you can score the surface, they're OK. = Tim

[Mrs Ava]

For me, the ultimate is duck or goose fat, hot so that it is smokey.  Boil the spuds and rough them up, then carefully plop them into the hot hot hot fat and cook for about an hour or so.  Bung the heat up when the meat comes out to rest and the yorkies go in!  DELISH!!  Course, don't do that often, but once in a blue moon as a treat.

[tim]

If only it weren't for the veggies in the family!! = Tim

[Doris_Pinks]

I cook them like my Nan did, same as everyone else, but bung them in around or if you use a trivet, under the meat, then as everyone else, after you have removed the meat turn up the heat till they are lovely and crispy! They do taste great cooked in the goose fat (sorry vegetarians!)but I can't stand the smell when they are cooking....bleah!

[tim]

Duck fat has very little smell?? = Tim

[Mrs Gumboot]

Pretty much the same - par boiled, shake in a metal colander to roughen up, shake a bit of plain flour over to coat them & then into hot fat in the oven. (Usually use olive oil & a thingy of butter)

Making me hungry now - time to go get some breakfast I think ;D

[Moggle]

Same here, par boil, shake up in the pan, then in to the oven around the meat, pour a bit of olive oil over the top and turn a couple of times. Yum! :P :P

[aquilegia]

Mrs G. I'll have to try the floor thing next time.

It's only olive oil for me - no goose fat as I'm one of those annoying veggies!

[Sarah-b]

I use pretty much the same method.
Bring to boil - couple of mins, drain, shake, bung into hot oil - but always sunflower or rapeseed oil - think that it remains more stable at higher temperatures. Then I really blast them 200 C usually and often for nearly an hour.
My top tips are use plenty of oil (around 1cm deep in stainless steel roasting pan and always King Edwards.

Delish,
Sarah

[gavin]

Ultimate?  Hmmm - I've got one of those funny handtools that you can pull long strands of lemon rind off a lemon; no, I don't know what it's called ----- but add the rind of a lemon in these long strands, and the juice of a half lemon, when you put the potatoes in the oven.

I've tried with other citrus, but IMHO it doesn't work.  But lemon?  Go on - have a go!

All best - Gavin

[Justy]

the lemon sounds gorgeous - can't wait to try it.  I always put rosemary in the oil when it goes into the oven along with some freshly ground black pepper.

[gavin]

Yup - rosemary and pepper sounds sublime (or some roast garlic?) ---- with the lemon, though!

All best - Gavin

[Val]

 ;DI do the same as most, par boil, then put them round the meat, just love them with roast beef or lamb, not so much with chicken ,turn the oven right up at the end to do the yorkshires and finish off the tatties....oh I'm hungry.....


forgot to say I've had them with spicy seasoning sprinkled over, they are lovely.