preparing roasties then freezing and cooking

[minnietheminx007]

Me again with yet another "help" quesion. On the thread about roasties someone mentioned they prepare their roasties, parboil them then freeze them and i think they said when the time comes they just bung them in the oven frozen. Does anyone know if you need to partially roast them or cover them in fat or would you just parboil and freeze? And would it really be ok to chuck them in frozen, i have visions of xmas day people breaking their teeth on frozen bits of potato!!!

I would just buy Auntie Bessies frozen roast potatoes that's what I've done - they are better than I can do!

xx

im not a big fan, they taste a bit like flour!! i was hoping someone would have a time saving preparation tip on home made roasties

in 2006 there was a fab thread on here with LOADS of tips - if someone can be bothered to search the archives for december 2006 christmas thread then PLEASE link it was FAB

hi

i watched on nigella christmas thing the other day and she parboiled her potatoes and just put them in the freezer once they had cooled a bit my freezer is too small to do this but if it was bigger i would try this myself

Why not just parboil the night before and keep them in the fridge? Much less risky than freeze/defrost and probably likely to get a better texture.

Then roast them as you would normally, allowing extra time for the fact that they are going in the oven cold.

I always do this:
peel
parboil ie bring to boil then drain.
cool
space them apart on baking trays and freeze
once frozen, pack into bags and store in freezer
tip straight into hot fat from frozen

Good Housekeeping usually has a recipe on its website.

Hi. Well, I have done the very thing this evening. I saw on a programme last week (Kirsty's homemade christmas) that they did the potatoes as normal e.g par boiled, then roasted them. They then froze them on a tray with clingfilm over the top. You then bung them in with the roast. I am freezing mine tonight so will see how it goes.

See this link to the recipe www.channel4.com/4homes/on-tv/kirstie-s-homemade-home/kirstie-s-homemade-christmas/kirstie-s-homemad e-christmas-recipes-09-12-10p2.html

tonight i have done 4 bags potatoes to frozen mash

2 bags to parboil/roast and freeze

they are currently chilling outside and gradually being transferred to the freezer

PIC on my profile

great tips here

Today I have made:

Bread sauce
Cranberry sauce
Prune, pork, chestnut and red onion stuffing
Apple, parsley and spring onion green stuffing
Cauliflower cheese
Viennese red cabbage
All enough for 18 people. All now in the freezer which is heaving. No space for roasties or anything else.

And I still had to make spag bol for the six of us for dinner.

I've yet to buy a bird of any description.

I really like being in the kitchen on Christmas morning. I always plan to get out of my apron and waft into the sitting room for champagne and nibbles at noon, looking glam and smelling feintly of Jo Malone. But in reality I collapse on a sofa in the sitting room still in my apron at about 12.30 gasping for a glass of something - me with ruddy cheeks and smelling of goose fat. There is always this year.

those are great, so cremedementhe, how long do they take to cook from frozen?
and im very impressed with your day today Swedington!! I guess if i was catering for 18 id do the same, ive got 7 to feed (7 and a half including 7 month old dd) and its scaring the bejesus out of me!

oh and also, do the potatoes go black if they are just parboled, i thuoght i heard this somewhere.

PMSL at NotAnOtter's tatties in the snow

fanjolina!

it's working really well - cools them off so they freeze quicker in batches!

now I am doubly jealous of people who have snow

I parboiled potatoes in advance and they went black. I also tried freezing par-boiled ones and then cooking straight from the freezer and they went mushy - good roasties come from being cooked in hot ft and I think as they were frozen it reduced the temp of the fat too much. Maybe you're supposed to defrost them first though, I didn't try that...

Oh dear if they taste like flour - my own must be really bad.

anyone else's gone black? I was going to parboil and freeze today, but am worried now.

im parboiling as we speak, i think after the many things i have read you are ok as long as you boil them for at least five mins...i shall let you know how i get on!

I think I will risk it. Will take the stress out of Christmas day!

fanjolina....i put my in cold water, bought them up to the boil and boiled for about 4-5 mins until they were softish around the edges and flaked a bit around the edges when i chuffed them up and they havent gone black, they are cooling on baking trays ready to go in the freezer. I think ill freeze them then maybe test a few tomorrow just to make sure.

That is SO funny NAO!

thanks. I am going to do this evening when I get home from work. If it all fails then I will defrost some of the baby's pureed potato for Christmas dinner

might have been me on the thread you were talking about as I tend to talk about "chucking" potatoes in the oven!

I just parboil the potatoes, lay them on a flat tray and pop in freezer so they don't stick together and then when they're frozen, transfer them into a freezer bag.
When the time comes to roast, I just put them on a roasting tin and give them a quick spray with oil and roast as normal.
They are crispy on outside and fluffy on inside.
I am going to be parboiling mine this eveing for Christmas dinner in fact as I don't want an extra job on Christmas day so will be able to just take them out of the freezer and put them in the oven without need to peel spuds along with everything else!
hth