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Try our best roast potatoes and then check out our hasselback potatoes, goose fat roast potatoes, confit potatoes and parmentier potatoes. Also discover a range of roast recipes for all the trimmings to accompany them.

olive’s cookery writer Adam says…”Coming from a Scottish/Irish background, I can attest (from bitter experience) that the success of a roast dinner can hinge on good or bad roasties. These are the crispiest, crunchiest spuds – with perfectly fluffy insides – that’ll have the whole family squabbling over the last one. With just a few simple hints and tips, here’s how to get it right."

Perfect your roasties with these useful tips and tricks…

WHICH POTATO VARIETY TO USE

Maris Pipers are best because they produce the perfect balance between fluffy, soft insides and crisp, shard-like exterior.

BOILING FROM COLD WATER

Bringing the potatoes to the boil from cold water ensures that they are evenly parboiled from the inside out. This stops the outer edges from collapsing when they’re in a hot oven.

HEAVILY SALTED WATER

The potatoes will soak up the cold salted water before they start to cook – salt draws excess starch from the potatoes, ensuring maximum crispness.

COOLING AFTER PARBOILING

When the potatoes are roasted from cold they will have set and stopped cooking, and excess moisture from the boiling process will have evaporated. So when cooked in hot fat the outside will have a headstart and become perfectly crisp while maintaining that delicious fluffiness inside.

HOW TO GET FLUFFY ROAST POTATOES

Roughing up the edges of the potatoes once parboiled created a larger surface area for the hot fat to work on.

WHICH FAT TO USE

With it's high smoke point and rich flavour, duck fat will make ultra-crisp roasties with a savoury meaty taste. To make these roast potatoes vegan, simply swap the duck fat for vegetable oil.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 kg Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut into chunky pieces
  • 200g duck fat
  • sea salt flakes

Method

  • STEP 1

    Tip the potatoes into a large pan of cold, heavily salted water. Put on a lid and slowly bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes, until the edges of the potato are just starting to soften. Drain using a colander and toss to rough the edges slightly. Season the potatoes generously, then tip out onto a tray and allow to cool completely.

  • STEP 2

    Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 and put the fat into a large baking tray, then transfer to the oven for 20 minutes. Once hot, remove from the oven and put the tray over a medium heat. Carefully add the potatoes, turning each one to ensure that they’re completely covered in the fat.

  • STEP 3

    Put back in the oven and roast for 40 minutes, then turn all of the potatoes and roast for another 20-30 minutes until deeply golden and really crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and season well with sea salt.

Try these three twists on classic roast potatoes:

Goose fat roast potatoes

Goose fat, English mustard and semolina are the key for making these perfectly crispy roasties. They can be made, covered and kept in the fridge for up to 48 hours. Get ahead and give them a go this Christmas.

Goose Fat Roast Potatoes Recipe

Parmesan roast potatoes

Level up your roast potatoes with the addition of Parmigiano Reggiano – it may just become your new go-to recipe for crispy, golden roasties.

A silver roasting tray filled with golden, crisp potatoes with a serving spoon and a small bowl of grated parmesan

Hasselback roast potatoes

Want an alternative roast potato recipe? Our easy recipe for hasselback potatoes is a great way to spruce up your roast potatoes over the festive season. The dill and lemon crumbs add zest and texture. Why not make our perfect Yorkshire puddings to go with your crunchy spuds.

Hasselback Potatoes Recipe With Dill and Lemon Crumbs

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