Roast potatoes

Your cut-out-and-keep guide to the fundamentals of cooking

With roast potatoes, the variety of potato you use is very important. New potatoes go a bit soapy.

Old potatoes like Golden Wonders and Kerr’s Pinks are more floury, and they are better for achieving a crust. Their fluffy centres are then a good vehicle for the butter.

Don’t blanch the potatoes for too long or they’ll disintegrate. Blanch briefly, then drain and score them with a fork — or some people just shake them in the pot. That slightly breaks up the outside of the potato, for a deeper crustiness; then sprinkle over a little flaky salt.

Then pat dry the potatoes. If they’re wet, they will stick to the roasting tin and you’ll lose the crust. And the oil should be hot, so it seals the potatoes.

Beef dripping is terrific for roast potatoes. You can get that in the butchers, or supermarkets now have duck or goose fat. All have good flavour and a high burn point. Butter has too low a burn point, and if you’re going to use oil, it should be extravirgin olive oil.

On Christmas Day, oven space can be limited, so you may want to roast the potatoes with the meat. Bear in mind that the meat is in at a lower temperature than in this recipe. The potatoes will work, but they will take longer, and the end result will be different.

They’ll get a bit soft and soak up some meat gravy, so they’re a bit more squishy-delicious. It’s just degrees of deliciousness, really.