Jamie Oliver's 'best roast potato' recipe tried and tested (2024)

FAQs

How to make the best roast potatoes James Martin? ›

Melt the lard in a deep flameproof roasting tray on a high heat and fry the potatoes on each side until they begin to brown. Sprinkle with salt and roast for 30 minutes, or until starting to colour. Turn the potatoes and return to the oven for a further 20-30 minutes, or until golden-brown and crisp.

Once the potatoes have been partially boiled after six minutes, drain them using a colander and shake them while in the colander to fluff the edges up. Next, sprinkle the semolina and shake the potatoes again to make sure they are evenly coated. Then allow the the potatoes to steam dry for five minutes.

Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes.

Do I have to boil potatoes before roasting? Not necessary but this can help get the perfect consistency and crispiness. Make sure you boil them but leave them a bit al dente and they will crisp up perfectly in the oven.

The potatoes cook on the inside when you parboil, so the baking time is basically crisping them up to perfection, which we do at a high oven temperature. If the potatoes are raw, when you use a high temperature, the outside of the potatoes will burn before the inside cooks.

You want to use an oil with a mild flavour for your roasties. We prefer olive oil, but you can opt for vegetable, canola or grapeseed oils instead.

Cooking potatoes twice—once in water, and a second time in hot oil—is hands-down the best way to achieve extra-crispy potatoes at home.

Parboiling potatoes allows you to get crispy roasted potatoes that have a nice crust on the outside while being soft on the inside.

4. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Take the potatoes out of the fridge and roast for 1 hour, or until the potatoes are crisp and golden all over. 5.

What kind of oil does Gordon Ramsay use for roast potatoes? ›

For Gordon's roast potato recipe you'll need: 1.2kg floury potatoes, such as Maris Piper or King Edward. 100g goose or duck fat (or olive oil) 2 tbsp semolina.

Corey Williams is a food writer for MyRecipes and Allrecipes. She has a decade of journalism experience. If you're here, you'll probably be glad to know that yes, you can peel and cut potatoes the day before you plan to serve them — and that it's super easy!

TIP: parchment paper is better to prevent sticking, but aluminum foil yields crispier results. If you use foil, you'll want to lightly grease it to prevent the potatoes from sticking. Note that even if you do that, they may still stick.

You should certainly rinse the potatoes — we prefer russets — to remove any dirt and debris. You can even give them a quick scrub with a vegetable brush. But you need to dry the spuds well after the bath. Excess moisture on the skin can seep into the potato during baking and cause soggy skins.

Sprinkle your parboiled potatoes with flour. This gives potatoes extra crunch. A tablespoon is all you need! Throw in some whole, unpeeled garlic cloves or a handful of herbs (thyme, sage or rosemary all work well) with the potatoes when adding them to the hot roasting tin.

Neutral, low-cost oil such as vegetable oil, canola oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, corn oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, etc., work well for roasting. These oils have a high smoke point, allowing the potatoes to get very hot to achieve maximum crispiness.