to ask for help from MN in overcoming my secret shame?

[HedgehogsDontBite]

I can't cook roast potatoes. There, I've finally admitted it.

I've reached the grand old age of 45 and am utterly incapable when it comes to these little buggers. They either come out rock hard and inedible or they resemble one of the dog's chew toys. I've tried loads of different 'recipes' but it's always the same. Failure. I'd buy frozen ones if they sold them where I live, but they don't.

Now I'm hosting Christmas dinner and I can hide no longer. WIBU to do chips instead and tell our non-British guests that this is traditional?

[CallieG]

To my ultimate shame I have never been able to make decent roast potatoes, they usually end up losing their crispy outer surface it breaks off in the pan and they end up mushy. I worked in a Bistro for a while and we used to par boil the spuds and drain them, when someone ordered a roast dinner we would just pop the required number in the deep fryer they always came out nice and crispy outside and lovely and fluffy inside, so I started doing it that way at home , pumpkin goes straight in the fryer with no par boiling needed, I found this method so easy with 7 to feed so I have continued to do it that way for decades, I use lard not vegetable oil.

[CallieG]

I add the cut potatoes to Boiling water and boil for 5 minutes, remove and drain immediately. Allow them to cool before frying.

[Cecilychampagne]

This is my mum (champion roastie maker)'s recipe:
Cut potatoes into pieces. About 5cm not too small. Turn the oven to as hot as it will go. Put roasting pan with corn oil covering the bottom and turn on potatoes and hour before you want to eat. Par boil potatoes 5 min, drain, put lid on pan and shake to roughen edges so you get crispy bits. Put in roasting pan spoon over oil and leave them too it.
You need a hot oven and oil/fat with a high smoking point. And lots of practice.

[nikki1978]

I tried this method yesterday and they were amazing. Something about lurpack cooking liquid made them better than just run of the mill oil. So good I ate about 15!

munchiesandmunchkins.com/tag/lurpak-cooking-liquid/

[Sparkles07]

Thank God I'm not the only one!! I LOVE roasties, but can not make them usually, then i followed a recipe online on bbc, and where i was going wrong was not enough fat in the pan to cover the spuds, and not turning them every 15 mins the recipe suggested, and they were the best roasties ever! oracticing them every week at the moment so they're perfect for the big day. Does anyone know, do roasties reheat well?? can I cook the day before?

[BaffledSomeMore]

Ooh no, I don't like reheated roast potatoes sparkles
The only way of reheating them is in a fry up the following day imo :)

[Solo]

Reheated roast potatoes taste stale in my experience. What you can do is peel and parboil, drain and fluff, cool and freeze. You can roast from frozen but make sure you haven't got a lot of frost/ice on them or you'll water down the oil/fat.

[Ormally]

2 ways of cheating, although one of them is not going to be terribly compatible with Christmas dinner:

1. Saute potatoes in a pan with a fairly generous amount of oil - cut them up much smaller (think squared big chips), then finish off in the oven for browning up purposes. Use an oven tray, not anything ceramic or glass as that won't cut it.
   
   
2. Dry roast. Small potatoes (new/salad ones), halved and positioned low in the oven on an oiled baking tray - this is the one that isn't compatible as it may not fit in with roasting other things. Turn a few times until crisp and soft inside. They turn out like little jacket potatoes.
   
   All other advice about the shaking up thing is true, however. Also, in general, don't cut them too large - quarters, say.

[3boys3dogshelp]

Make sure you don't have too many potatoes in your roasting tin. They need to be a bit spread out so that the oil stays hot when you put the potatoes in. Cool oil = leathery roasties.

[trixymalixy]

Agree with checking your oven temp. My fan oven is way hotter than on the dial. My roasties used to be awful until I turned the oven down.

My shameful secret is that I don't actually like roast potatoes. I have never heard of anyone else like me! Most people are horrified when I confess.

[Munchiesandmunchkins]

Thanks Nikki1978 for linking to my blog post. Glad they worked for you, I've made many roasties over the years but these were by far my best.x

[mrstowers]

Always always always cook them in the juices from the meat. End of.

[Seriouslyffs]

I think you probably did use too much oil. They look tasty though.
When are you trying again?

[Peepants78]

Check out these beauties!
I tried the nicky (and munchie!) method tonight. Absolutely gorgeous. My family thank you for sharing

I'm going to try adding a few herbs for variation tomorrow next time.

[ipsofacto73]

buy waitrose's frozen goose fat oven ready. my dh is a roastie addict and he cant tell the difference. its utter joy for me and no faffing with oil and black smoke

[londonrach]

Very simple. Part boil for a few minutes then put in tray in oven with oil and butter. Turn once. If i have no time i dont part boil. I dont even peel then, just wash, cut then put in tray. Seems to taste ok. I just made dropped scones for first time yesterday and not far off your age... New experiences are good.