Perfect roasties

Roast potatoes are basic, I suppose. Lots of people make them and everybody has a different recipe/method in which to do them, I knew someone who would coat them in flour and I know of people, myself included at times, that roll them in marmite too. I’ve been searching though for the perfect roast potato recipe, one that is golden and crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy in the middle. I have often gotten close but until I tried this recipe I had never really managed the ‘perfect’ roast potato, clearly I am very fussy! This is I will admit a rather time consuming recipe and short cuts don’t work, I have tried. They are really worth the effort though, assuming you have the time.

Perfect Roasties

Enough large maris piper potatoes (about 200/230g per person)

Olive oil or goose fat if you prefer

8 cloves garlic

1tsp dried rosemary

1tsp thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

1.       Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F. Peel the potatoes and cut into quarters, then let them run under cold running water for about 5 minutes, giving them a few shakes during the process, to get rid of as much of the starch as you can.

2.       Cook the potatoes until they are very soft in boiling salted water, once they have finished cooking, carefully drain them, leaving them to cool in the sieve.

3.       In a roasting tray big enough to hold all the potatoes with a little space let over, put enough oil/fat so that it is about ½cm deep and heat it in the oven for about 15 minutes, so it is really hot, then add the garlic and the potatoes carefully spoon some of the hot fat over the potatoes and then place them in the oven to roast, taking them out every 20 minutes to turn. When you have been roasting them for an hour, add the Rosemary and Thyme and bake for a further 20minutes until they are golden and crispy. Drain the potatoes on kitchen paper, season with salt and pepper and serve.