Roast potatoes are the crowning glory of any roast dinner, but simply cooking them in the oven won’t guarantee that crispy, golden finish most crave.
On the BBC Food website, James Martin shared his “foolproof recipe” for achieving “perfectly crispy” results “every time”.
James suggests that to get a good crispy crust on your roasties, you should heat either lard or vegetable oil on a tray in the oven before adding your potatoes.
Ensuring your cooking tray is piping hot will instantly sear the potatoes, helping them to start crisping up straight away.
This method prevents the potatoes from absorbing too much fat, which can lead to them becoming soggy, greasy or lumpy during cooking.
Ingredients (serves six to eight)
10 large King Edward potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
50g lard or vegetable oil
Two pinches of salt
For the best results, James recommends using King Edward potatoes for your roasties. These have a high starch content, which helps them crisp up beautifully in the oven while keeping the inside light and fluffy.
Method
Start by preheating your oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas Mark 6 before cutting any larger potatoes in half so that all of them are roughly the same size, and then add salt to a pan of water.
Pop the potatoes into the pan of water and bring it to the boil. Cook the potatoes for four to five minutes, then drain them and give them a good shake in a colander.
It’s crucial to give the potatoes a good shake before cooking them. This creates more ridges, resulting in an even crispier texture once they’re roasted in the oven.
Melt the lard in a deep flameproof roasting tray on high heat and fry the potatoes on each side until they begin to brown.
Add a sprinkling of salt and roast for 30 minutes, or until starting to colour. Ensure the potatoes are spread out as much as possible to avoid stacking.
Turn the potatoes and return to the oven for a further 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden-brown and crisp
You can “add extra flavour” to the potatoes by adding a few whole garlic cloves and sprigs of thyme or rosemary to the roasting tin before they go in the oven.
