Thank you all for sharing in the potato joy.
Here’s my method, perfected over the last few years.
Peel and chop potatoes at least an hour in advance and place into cold water to remove some starch.
When you’re ready to get cooking-
Preheat oven to 200°/180° fan.
Boil water in a large pot.
Take the largest roasting tray/tin you have an add enough oil to coat the bottom generously. I use olive oil because I love the flavour, but vegetable or sunflower is fine too. Obviously, goose/duck fat is a good option.
I add dried thyme and rosemary at this stage.
Don’t use too small a tin as the potatoes will be too crowded and won’t get crispy- you want them to roast, not steam.
Put the tin into the oven to allow oil to get nice and hot. It should be shimmering, not smoking.
While the oil is heating, par-boil or par-steam the potatoes for about 5-7 mins. You want the outsides to start getting a little fluffy but the middle to still be uncooked. Personally, I find steaming earlier as it’s easier to eyeball the potato and see if it’s getting fluffy.
Here’s the important bit-
Take the parcooked potatoes and drain off all water, return them to the pot and keep them over a low heat to allow any additional water to evaporate. Shake vigorously. You want the outsides to get as fluffy as possible as these are the bits that will get super crispy.
Remove from heat and place a clean, dry tea towel right over the potatoes in the pot to allow any remaining moisture to be captured.
Add black pepper and salt to the potatoes and shake once more. I also had about 5 garlic cloves (unpeeled) once this is done.
By now, your oil should be nice and hot. Remove tin from the oven.
Gently placed the potatoes (annd garlic, if using) into the hot oil and turn them so that each side has had a coat of the hot oil.
Into the oven for about 80-90 mins, turning halfway.
Serve with a sprinkle of salt and enjoy.