Failed roast potatoes. Have I lost it?

[PollyOrange]

Done roasties on Christmas Day and also the week before and both batches weee awful. I've previously been good at roast potatoes but no more.
Maris piper potatoes. Par boiled for 15 mins from cold water. Mix of olive and rapeseed oil. (No animal fats ). The oil was hot or so I thought. Oven 180 fan. They just didn't seem to sizzle or crisp up no heated oil up and put more on but only a few were crispy.
Could they have been crowded ?
Ideas welcome please. I feel scared I've lost it.

Yes, if you’re cooking loads in there and cramming all the trays cos it’s Xmas then it would all take a bit longer. I wouldn’t have them in at the same time as the meat as it might all get a bit steamy and overcrowded.

I think 180 fan is totally fine but make sure they’ve got room to rattle around in the tray and plenty of fat. (I often fry them around on the hob for a few mins before putting them in the oven to make sure they get well coated with the fat and start crisping all over).

I use olive oil and they’re crisp on outside and soft inside. I parboil them,dry and shake some flour (wheat or rice) and use plenty of oil. I roast for 50 minutes at 180 fan. And they’re the last things I take out-pots don’t like sitting around.

Olive oil works fine.
Boil spuds from cold, start the timer when they start to boil. How long depends on the variety, I use King Edward mostly which collapse really easily so 7-8 mins from the boil is enough. Just give a little poke with a knife, a bit of give but not cooked right through. Then drain and leave under a tea towel to absorb moisture before adding to the hot fat.

I find the my just taste of oil if I make them like that

Have you tried marmite or veg stock cubes ?

I would suggest vegetable or sunflower oil instead of olive oil, works for me whenever I remember to use either of those :-)

Parboil 5 mins. Oven at 220c rapeseed oil. Fluff up parboiled spuds by tossing in pan with lid on. Tip into hot oil. Close oven door and don’t touch for 20 mins. Then turn and repeat. Don’t over crowd or they will steam.

Today's batch is in. Potatoes are generic "Lancashire white potatoes ". Boiled for 8 minutes as 5 hadn't made any impact and no surface softening.
I shook them and left them in the pan to dry. Oil was heated for 10 mins. Rapeseed and vegetable today. Let's see. Will report back! Only done 10 as opposed to 40 on Christmas Day. Spacious tin.

Good luck! 🤞

My son is coeliac and I couldn't locate the rice flour so nothing added by way of coating

Rather than heating it on a tray, I put the oil in the saucepan while I am shaking the parboiled potatoes to fluff them. Warms it and makes sure they all get a good oil coating.

40 roast potatoes in 1 tin? were always going to struggle

I make roasties once a week and like to make them without the hot oil (because a friend of mine burned her arms down to the tendon doing that in a rush).

I cook them until probably a minute or so before I would mash them. I don't want mush but you want the edges to go soft. Sometimes I put bicarbonate in the water while boiling but I usually forget. I then drain them off and bang the colander to rough up the sides. I spray a tray with oil (not too much) probably better with better quality oil but I tend to use 1 cal because my DH is slimming. Then I put them on the tray with plenty of space and put a sprinkling of flour on them, then a few spray of oil then some salt and pepper then a last wee spray of oil. Try to aim for above 200 but depends what else is in the oven. I'll leave them as long as I can in the oven, usually about 45 minutes turning every 15 mins, sometimes an extra wee spray if they need. We love them super crispy and that's the best way I've found even if a little controversial. We used to do hit oil and goosefat etc but I found they went soggy rather than crispy for us.

If they’re not crispy enough, just turn the oven up and maybe separate them across two trays and give it 10 mins. Add more oil if you need to.

They’re cooked. You’re just trying to get them crispy.

Mary Berry was on the radio and mentioned selamenia ( spelling might be out there!) put some on top prior to going into a hot oven. I tracked down a bag of it on e bay as the supermarkets didn't have any.
I also try and use King edwards and goose fat
Best ones ever this year , but I've had disasters too and it can be hit or miss with roasties
A good shake of them after par boiling them for 10 mins too

I did spread the 40 potatoes across 3 massive trays ! Here's the in progress pic

It's probably a little risky but I put the roasting tin of piping hot oil on the gas hob when it comes out of the oven so no chance of it cooling while I put the potatoes in and get them covered. Then tray back in a screaming hot oven for fifteen minutes or so then turn down to around 200. I also leave the potatoes in the colander for a good ten minutes or more before roughing up and putting in the oil (discovered this by accident when I'd forgotten to put the oil in the oven)

Ooh no that sounds terrible! I think you need to have the oven hotter. I start mine at 200C or even 210C (fan) until the oil is smoking then turn it down when they go in. Rapeseed oil is fine (I wouldn't mix with olive oil).

Oven doesnt sound high enough, I put mine on nuclear

Also not olive oil, use sunflower.

Longer than you think, just keep them in until they clatter on the plate when dropped. You need to be able to hear people crunching them with their mouths shut

Part boil them but then give a really good shake so they go all fluffy, look like they're falling apart, leave to dry for a while, heat oil so its dangerous, then put them in and turn a few times, baste them in the oil. Lots of oil

Oh yes and bashing them! Are you bashing them after par-boiling? Makes all the difference if you rough them up a bit :)

Maybe your oven thermostat is going. Do other things come out disappointing too? It's worth getting someone to look at it as iirc it can be a cheap fix compared to a new oven.

I do this - it really helps to start the crisping process. I now put them in one by one with tongs or a big spoon though, as I’ve splashed myself with the hot fat too often when just tipping them in!

I put them in boiling water. Or steam them with the water already boiling.

I don't parboil at all and mine are always lovely! I suspect getting them dry if you parboil is an issue. Mine do need 45 mins in the oven though and I rough them up just as they start to cook.

Looks promising! Though maybe I’d had fluffed them up a bit more, I generally think the best roasties are not smooth on the outside in any way!

One or two of the smaller ones looked ok but were stolen by starving teenagers before I could do a final pic