This month, we are celebrating roast potatoes, one of the most important and beloved aspects of Sunday lunch. Everyone’s got an opinion on how to make them, but we’re all united on what makes a good one – namely that coveted combination of fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside. Here, we sit down with Head Chef Ben Tish to find out his insider tips on how to make the perfect roast potato, what to do with any leftovers and what vital mistakes you might be making with yours.
Why are roast potatoes such an essential part of a Sunday roast?
For me, I think it’s because they’re naughty. When you think about it, they are basically chips, crispy and cooked in oil. And they are a great vessel for gravy, soaking it all up.
Do you have a personal memory or tradition involving roast potatoes that inspires your cooking?
To be honest, both of my nans made rubbish roast potatoes! They were never crispy enough.
What makes the perfect roast potato in your opinion?
The crispiness. I think you need to get the ‘right’ potatoes – King Edward or Maris Piper are best – but if they’re not cooked right, or they’re slightly out of season, it can still go wrong. We try not to do roast potatoes in the summer, because they are at the end of their life span then, so they can be a bit sugary and disappointing.
What are your insider tips for home cooks to level up their roast potatoes?
I think a really good tip is to pre-cook them properly – I don’t mean just parboiling, I mean fully cooking. Then, you fluff them up in the pan you just boiled them in, and add a little heat to get rid of any residual water.
Before you add them into your baking tray you want to be heating your oil or fat for a while first, so that they sizzle when they go in. Another great tip is to cook your potatoes and then freeze them to roast another day.
You can just let them cool in the fridge first and put them in a freezer bag or lie them on a baking tray with cling film around them and freeze them so that they won’t stick together.
Are there common mistakes people make when cooking roast potatoes, and how can they avoid them?
I think the main one is not cooking them properly first, as well as not heating the oil enough. The oven has to be really hot! And while you can make roast potatoes from most varieties, sticking to the ones where it says on the bag that they are for roasting is definitely best.
How do you achieve that perfect golden crust while keeping the inside fluffy?
You achieve fluffy potatoes by shaking them after they’ve been boiled first. Letting them cool down first increases the fluffiness too. Then it’s all to do with the heat of the oil for the crispiness. If you put the potatoes into an oven that isn’t hot enough, then the potatoes can collapse.
And finally, if there are any leftovers, how would you use them?
You can’t go wrong with a simple bubble and squeak for breakfast the next day – you could even add it to a sandwich made up of other Sunday lunch leftovers.
Ben Tish’s Roast Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients:
1kg of King Edward or Maris Piper potatoes
Olive oil
Sea salt
Method:
- Peel your potatoes and chop to the desired size.
- Add to boiling water and cook through completely.
- Drain the potatoes and return to the sauce pot.
- Fluff the potatoes up and add a low heat underneath to soak up any excess water.
- In the meantime, heat your chosen fat – I use olive oil at home, and beef fat in the pubs – so that it is sizzling when you add the potatoes, with a sprinkling of rock salt. You can also add various herbs like thyme if you like, but I prefer not to.
- Cook for 20 minutes at 200 degrees before turning the oven down to 180 degrees for the final 15 minutes.
- Ensure they are golden and crispy before serving.
