Roast potatoes are one of the most popular side-dishes for any meal, and is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. However, one issue most of us face with our roast potatoes is that it never seems to be crispy enough. As per one top chef, this is because many of us are making a major mistake while preparing our roast potatoes.
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As reported by Nottingham Post, Chef Marc Williams, who's the cookery school director at five-star hotel The Grand in York, has revealed his top tips for making perfect crispy roast potatoes. Read ahead to find out how to make the best roast potatoes.
The major roast potato mistake you’ve been making
As per Chef Williams, in order to make your roast, peel your potatoes and then set them in a pan with cold water and par-boil the potatoes. Once the potatoes have been half-boiled, do not put the potatoes on to roast immediately. In fact, you should let the potatoes cool and strain them until the steam stops before putting them in the oven.
So ensure that there is no excess water in the potatoes. It is this step right here which adds to the crispiness to the potatoes.
As quoted by Nottingham Post, Chef Williams says,
To get the perfect potatoes, peel them, add to cold water and bring to boil. Boil for around six minutes until the edges soften. Then, strain them and wait until the steam stops. You'll never get a crisp result if they are full of water.
Perfect crispy roast potatoes
The chef then recommends cooking your roast potatoes in duck fat. He says,
Preheat your chosen fat in a hot oven - duck fat is my choice! Don't forget to season the potatoes and then carefully add and baste them in the duck fat.
Roast for around twenty minutes in a hot oven before turning them over; this allows a crust to form underneath, so you won't leave half the potato stuck to the tray.
It seems that as with most things in life, just a little patience can make a world of difference when it comes to achieving the perfect texture in your roast potatoes.
Sources used:
Nottingham Post: 'Top chef reveals roast potato mistake everyone makes to stop them being crispy'
