Crispy roast potatoes

Edinburghlass_2

heatherw_01 wrote:

Thanks for merging me in, I did search but found nothing.


What potatoes would you all say are best?
Maris Piper or Desiree?

Maris Piper for me and as one of the TV chefs said, drag a fork on them after par boiling and that makes them nice and crispy on the outside

[Deleted User]

Curry_Queen wrote:

I agree, and duck fat or beef dripping works just as well. The trick is to get the fat as hot as you can (same as for yorkshires) so once they hit the pan (having been par-boiled and roughed up in the pan with seasoning as described above) they immediately create a seal which stops them absorbing fat and going soggy, and they come out lovely and crunchy on the outsides

For years I had a dripping jar with the drained off fat from the joint,I used to hide it when my husband was about as he loved dripping toast with pepper and salt on it. You used to get quite a bit of fat off a joint in those days and the bottom of the jar was about a couple of inches of 'jelly'.
Can't even buy dripping from the butchers anymore ,my butcher told me that it was something that was banned ,along with the kidneys that used to be on a pork chop.
So much for progress,I grew up eating big chunks of 'dripping toast' after the war and it didn't seem to do me any harm.
We also had condensed milk on bread. When you have lived with rationing you will eat almost anything.

dora37

Parboil the potatoes & rough them up a bit (!)
Place in a shallow dish.
Make up a chicken stock cube (must be chicken).
Pour the stock into the dish.
Spray Fry Lite on the potatoes (or use a knob of butter on each potato).
Put in oven (210 - 220) for approx 1 hr - turning 1/2 way and spray with Fry light).

Because the stock cube is soaked up by the potatoes, they are the crispiest,fluffiest, moist tasting potatoes, we have ever tasted and foolproof to make every time!

PS They do not taste of chicken!
:xmassign:

thriftlady_2

JackieO wrote:

Can't even buy dripping from the butchers anymore ,my butcher told me that it was something that was banned ,along with the kidneys that used to be on a pork chop.

I can get real beef dripping,pork dripping and proper suet from my fantastic butcher.The dripping even has a layer of jelly at the bottom of the carton.They all freeze well.

I always save all meat drippings including bacon fat for frying up cold potatoes or croutons for soup.I'm sure this is extremely bad for you but I just don't care,as you say people did it in the war and we were supposed to have been healthier than ever during rationing.

Edinburghlass_2

According to Marks and Tesco, its King Edwards for roasting so I take back the Maris Piper suggestion and bought King Edwards

gixxerchick_2

Don't know if this is the right place to post?
I can never get a perfect roast spud, no matter what i do, they end up either taking ages to cook or shrinking, and yep i do parboil them first.
Any of you got any suggestions to help me out and tell me where i'm going wrong?
I do find that quartering a onion and placing it in the roasting dish with the spuds gives them a really scrummy flavour.

onesocklizzie

Try shaking the par-boiled pots in the saucepan to roughen the edges - they catch the hot oil and go nice and crispy. Heating up the oil before you put the tatties in is also a must, as is a hot oven. One thing I fing is they don't come out so well if you cook them in a ceremic or pyrex dish. Hope that helps x

Curry_Queen

It depends what type of potato you are using, as some are better than others. You need one of the white floury type - King Edwards, Maris Piper, Cara etc - I made lovely roasts with Cara at the weekend.

When you've parboiled them (9-10 mins) drain the water and give them a shake in the pan to fluff up the surfaces, then leave to cool. Use beef dripping, duck or goose fat for best results and get your fat really hot in the oven first. Pop the spuds in the tin, turning them to coat in the fat, then season and return to oven for about 40-45 mins, turning once during cooking.

They should come out crispy with lovely soft and fluffy centres

Pink.

Hi gixxerchick,

This older thread has lots of hints and tips that might help.

Crispy roast potatoes

calleyw

My husband is a whizz at doing roasties.

He boils the potatoes for about 10 mins. Then gives the pan a drain and then a good old shake. While he is boiling the potatoes he puts the fat in the pan and puts that in the oven at gas mark 6. We use spreadable butter so it butter and a little vegetable oil. He uses about a dessert spoon full of fat.

In the roasting tray and in the oven for about an hour. I tell him that each week he can stay another week because he did some gorgeous roasties :rotfl:

And it does not seem to matter what type of potatoes we use they his 99% of the time come out gorgeous.


Yours

Calley