My children know that I have spent an inordinate amount of time trying to work out how to cook the perfect roasted potato! The problem is that most roasted potatoes are crunchy when you take them out of the oven but very quickly go soft and certainly don’t stay crunchy when you add gravy. I spent about a year of Sundays trying different techniques, as per the Internet, to create perfect roast potatoes.
It being a Sunday, and I’m cooking my usual potatoes now, I thought it might be worth sharing my experience and eventual findings.
There are various techniques described on the Internet for roasted potatoes, some involve using animal fats (Goose or beef fat), some a very high temperature and some using cornflour. Each of these have merits, but it’s either expensive or results in a crunchy potato which resembles a golf ball in hardness - e.g.the cornflour method.
I eventually landed on a method which adapted Heston Blumenthal’s triple cooked chips technique for roasted potatoes.
I do benefit from having a thermostatic controlled deep fat fryer which it would be difficult to make these without. However what I end up with now is crispy light roasted potatoes that stay crispy over time including adding gravy, but are not too hard to eat. Sadly this is what my children have got used to and I make these most Sundays now.
Start with a proper roasted potato variety, either King Edward or Maris Piper. These should be cut into pieces not larger than a typical lime. contrary to the usual technique for boiling potatoes, these should be added to boiling salted water, which ensures the outside is cooked more than the inside. Cook until the outside of the potato is soft. I use a barbecue round skewer to test them which should easily pass through the potato - about 8 - 10 mins. Drain and tip between the colander and the pain two or three times until the outside of the potatoes is fluffy. Now leave these to cool thoroughly, I put the colander outside or in the garage, for about an hour at the minimum.
deep fry at 120° for approximately eight minutes, the outside crispy bits should look lightly golden. Allow to cool again, typically at least half an hour. If time is short they can be taken straight from this step to a hot oven, but the coating will be lighter and more chip like than a roast potato if you do so.
Roast in the bottom of a hot oven, at least 200 C fan, 220 C conventional for 30 to 40 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes and how dark you like them.
these can be frozen after the deep frying stage and used similar to supermarket bought roast potatoes add five minutes onto the cooking time. Cooking in a hot oven will not necessarily shorten the time required, but will make them darker with a thinner crust.
I’ve also spent more time than I really should on mashed potatoes- but that’s another story . I have also tried pomme Anna but the amount of butter involved is a bit much!
It being a Sunday, and I’m cooking my usual potatoes now, I thought it might be worth sharing my experience and eventual findings.
There are various techniques described on the Internet for roasted potatoes, some involve using animal fats (Goose or beef fat), some a very high temperature and some using cornflour. Each of these have merits, but it’s either expensive or results in a crunchy potato which resembles a golf ball in hardness - e.g.the cornflour method.
I eventually landed on a method which adapted Heston Blumenthal’s triple cooked chips technique for roasted potatoes.
I do benefit from having a thermostatic controlled deep fat fryer which it would be difficult to make these without. However what I end up with now is crispy light roasted potatoes that stay crispy over time including adding gravy, but are not too hard to eat. Sadly this is what my children have got used to and I make these most Sundays now.
Start with a proper roasted potato variety, either King Edward or Maris Piper. These should be cut into pieces not larger than a typical lime. contrary to the usual technique for boiling potatoes, these should be added to boiling salted water, which ensures the outside is cooked more than the inside. Cook until the outside of the potato is soft. I use a barbecue round skewer to test them which should easily pass through the potato - about 8 - 10 mins. Drain and tip between the colander and the pain two or three times until the outside of the potatoes is fluffy. Now leave these to cool thoroughly, I put the colander outside or in the garage, for about an hour at the minimum.
deep fry at 120° for approximately eight minutes, the outside crispy bits should look lightly golden. Allow to cool again, typically at least half an hour. If time is short they can be taken straight from this step to a hot oven, but the coating will be lighter and more chip like than a roast potato if you do so.
Roast in the bottom of a hot oven, at least 200 C fan, 220 C conventional for 30 to 40 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes and how dark you like them.
these can be frozen after the deep frying stage and used similar to supermarket bought roast potatoes add five minutes onto the cooking time. Cooking in a hot oven will not necessarily shorten the time required, but will make them darker with a thinner crust.
I’ve also spent more time than I really should on mashed potatoes- but that’s another story . I have also tried pomme Anna but the amount of butter involved is a bit much!