How do you make your Christmas roast potatoes?

[IWIllDoItNowInAMinute]

I’ve always parboiled mine, then put them in with the meat and brush them with olive oil. I fancy jazzing them up a bit this year for Christmas dinner. So, tell me, how do you make yours?

Parboil then dry them. I mix flour, salt and garlic granules and then shake the mix over the potatoes. They then get out into a tray of hot duck or goose fat and I brush the fat all over them. After ten minutes they get turned and again after another ten minutes to stop them sticking.

Cover the bottom of the tray with fat!

I do think some of the fat should be animal fat though even if you use olive oil you can still mix it with butter or beef dripping .

Parboil on Christmas Eve, let steam dry and leave in the colander covered with a clean tea towel. On the day tip them into a tray of scalding hot beef dripping and baste thoroughly every 20 minutes until they are golden nuggets of glory.

I make really good roasties... 😘👌

Maris pipers, always.

I parboil in salted water with a bit of apple cider vinegar, which makes the surfaces go a bit flakey

Drain, shake to bash them up a bit, then leave them to cool until they stop steaming.

Season.

Heat oven to 220c fan. Fat in roasting tin (I use goose, duck or dripping depending on what meat we are having, with some real butter which makes them go really golden). Fat in oven for at least 5 mins until sizzling.

Remove tin from oven and pour hot fat into a jug (not plastic!), add potatoes to hot tin then pour over the fat making sure every spud is coated. I find this quicker than basting with a spoon so the fat stays hotter.

Back in oven for 45 to 60 mins depending on the size of the potato chunks. I turn the temperature down to 200 after 30 mins, and I turn them quickly once.

We are lucky to have a double oven now so they go in on their own, but previously I would cook them after the meat was out and resting. If you've got a bird in the oven the steam ruins the spuds.

I think the key things are the right variety of potato, letting the steam come off after parboiling so they don't end up soggy, and having really really really hot fat. And not opening the oven too much.

I want one now.

Yes, and this. The whole of the bottom of the tray needs to fat, so they're essentially very shallow frying.

I've tried various oils/fats but you can't beat butter!
Parboil, sprinkle with flour then coat in melted butter If you want to mix things up a bit, add some paprika. I learnt that when I did work experience in a hotel 😄

I do them last, so they come to the table hot and crispy. They need a higher temperature than the meat does - if they’re cooked alongside they get a thick, soft outside rather than a crispy one. I actually like them both ways.

me too

People using dripping - is this saved from a previous roast or done on the day? Run me through the logistics

Buy beef dripping from the fridges at supermarket .

Marks and Spencer roast potato seasoning! Literally the best roasties ever regardless of what fat I’ve cooked them in.

I usually use beef dripping, cook the beef, remove from oven about 1.5hrs before due to serve, have potatoes par boiled, seasoned with above and ready to go. When beef is removed, put potatoes in, cover beef joint with foil and tea towel to rest.

I do the parboil, fluff up and let steam. Into hot oil and make sure they're covered. I put in bashed garlic cloves, rosemary sprigs and salt and then I grate over the rind of half a lemon and half an orange. Hot oven for an hour, after half an hour I turn them and grate over the other halves of the lemon and orange and a little more salt.

Exactly this. ^ Is there any other way? Who can be arsed to peel and cut and prep and 'par boil!' 😆

Fuck that! Life's too short!

3/4 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in the pan when par boiling is a game changer.

3 quarters. Not 3 or 4 teaspoons.

Parboil, shake, leave a bit, shake over a little paprika, salt, and white pepper, put into tray with hot rapeseed oil (olive has too low a smoke point, I think) and give them a good turn and baste halfway through.

I tend to cut them so most of them have two long surfaces as they crisp better.

Boil.
Bash about in the pan
Cook in goosefat till crunchy outside abd fluffy inside
Add salt

Fanciness is not needed, but brushing with oil is definitely not going to cut the mustard

No, I am very much of the CBA mentality myself, but a properly done roast potato is of the fucking gods. Aunt b’s simply are not.

Par boil. Maris piper or King Edward as they cook right.
Put them in cold vegetable oil and sprinkle with mixed herbs. Cook.

Sorry - it has to be clarified butter. You can even buy big tins of ghee from Indian supermarkets which is butter that's already been clarified. Clarifying the butter raises the smoke point. Goose fat etc. is just flavourless.

Parboil, then drain them and put them back into the pan over a low heat to dry them off, shaking them about a bit. Then tip into hot roasting tin with hot olive oil in, add a bit of salt, and then a little later add some sprigs of fresh rosemary.

I used to use goose fat or fat from the joint, but one daughter is now a vegan. The first year I did two separate batches of potatoes: one for the meat eaters and one for the others, but it was a bit of a faff and took up too much room in the oven and on the table, so now I just do one lot of potatoes that everyone can eat.

Goose fat with some dried rosemary.

Less fat is more of you want them crispy

Coconut oil. Game changer!