Dobby's Roast Potatoes - ChilliesnSpiceandAllThingsRice

Finally she did it! She made some roast potatoes, recipe noted and logged!
This post and whole website came about really because of my girls and particularly it started with my roast potatoes as you’ll know from reading my previous blog posts!
I created this site for my girls and in particular is the favourite roast potatoes which my youngest finally made herself.

Every family has their favourites and I’m sure that these potatoes are not anything different to what other people prepare however for my family these were always something that they all dived into and would get really excited about from a really young age.

Sunday dinners and weekday roast tatties were always winners! When preparing them all the girls would make a point of saying make lots of potatoes. We love them skin on or off!
So at last I have finally got these up on the website!

As with all roast potatoes, the key is in using the right type of potatoes for that crispy finished texture and I always go for the baking potatoes, King Edwards or Marris Piper.

Cut your potatoes at an angle. Usually 1 potato into three. Imagine cuting a letter V. Larger potatoes into W. This provides a larger exposed surface area! More crispy!

Now for prepping the potatoes. We need to be simmering them gently until they are cooked through.

You want to remove as much water as possible, and cooking the potatoes dries them. A dry inside is essential, since steam escaping from the inside of the spuds while they roast will stop the crust crisping up properly.

But hang on a minute, what do you mean cooking potatoes in water makes them drier? Because water will always migrate to a greater mass of water!

For this reason, boil your potatoes, it’s better to boil than steam them. The water needs to be salted, too, not just for flavour. It gives a crisp glassiness to the outside of the roast potato.

After draining the potatoes shake them gently in the colander as they should be falling apart a bit already, but they do need to cool, which will dry them even more.

Our spices are black pepper we love lots of it on our potatoes and thats what we used today.

Garlic cloves are always a must and we always have a few in the little skins thrown into the tray. Rosemary is always optional and and based on our mood. We have it in the garden, we put some in today just so she would know at what stage to add them, how and mostly remember the aroma.

There are little tricks that we always have and I showed my daughter today how seasoning the tray first and then putting her potatoes in ensures that your potatoes get a good covering of the spices from the infused oil be it pepper, chilli flakes, garlic or herbs. Whatever you put in.
She also understood the key starting point of potatoes, that being, how far to take them when you boil them in order to get that lovely rough surface.

I think is always important to ensure that you have a hot baking tray and oil before the potatoes go onto the tray.
I do that by heating the oven tray on the stove with the oil in, the seasoning, herbs and then putting the potatoes on top. You want hot oil…not smoking hot as that will change the fat profile specially duck, goose or olive oil.

I heat the tray with the potatoes on the stove. I give it a good few minutes till oil heats without moving the potatoes. When oil is hot I turn over potatoes, quick few minutes and straight into hot oven.
To me that is just a no fail method. What fat you use is entirely of personal choice. We use vegetable oil, duck or goose fat. Whichever you use, ensure its hot not smoking.

Another technique which is similar to the twice fried chips is when you put the potatoes into the hot oil give them a good covering of the oil and spices, cover all sides, switch of heat and leave them.
Leave them for about an hour or till they go cold. Later when you are ready to roast, heat the tray again on the stove till the oil starts to heat up and your potatoes start to get a little colour. Turn them over to do the same on the other side.Then put them in the oven.

If entertaining I prepare my roast potatos way ahead up to the point where I put them in the hot oil and then I’ll let them be and I leave them to cool down and then I start from this point later.

Cook the potatoes in a hot oven till crispy.
Turn them over half way.