Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large roasting tin (heavy, flat-bottomed)
• •Large saucepan
• •Colander
• •Slotted spoon or tongs

Instructions

1. 1

   Get the oven roaring

   Set the oven to 220C/200C fan. Put a large roasting tin in while it heats. The tin needs to be properly hot before anything goes in. This isn't negotiable. A lukewarm tin is where roast potatoes go to become sad, steamed things that nobody reaches for twice.

2. 2

   Boil the potatoes

   Put the potato chunks into a large pan of well-salted cold water. Bring to the boil and cook for ten to twelve minutes, until the edges are soft and a knife slides in easily but the centre still has a little resistance. You're not making mash. You want them cooked enough to fluff up on the outside, not so much that they fall apart in the pan.

   Start in cold water, not boiling. This lets the outside cook at the same rate as the inside, which means a thicker starchy layer on the surface. That layer is what turns into the crust.
3. 3

   Rough up the edges

   Drain the potatoes in a colander and let them sit for a minute so the surface moisture steams off. Then give the colander a few good shakes. Not gentle. You want the edges battered and roughed, the corners broken, the surface chalky and ragged. Every rough edge is a future crisp bit. Smooth potatoes make smooth roast potatoes, and nobody wants those.

4. 4

   Into the hot fat

   Take the roasting tin from the oven. Add the fat and put it back for two minutes until it shimmers and spits when you flick a drop of water at it. That's the signal. Carefully tip the potatoes into the hot fat. They should hiss and crackle the moment they hit the tin. Turn each one so all sides get coated. Spread them out in a single layer with space between them. Crowded potatoes steam. Spaced potatoes crisp.

   If you're using goose fat or dripping, the flavour will be richer and more savoury. Olive oil gives a lighter result and a slightly different character. All three work. Use what you have or what you prefer.
5. 5

   Roast without fussing

   Roast for twenty minutes without touching them. Don't open the door. Don't check. Don't turn. Leave them alone. After twenty minutes, open the oven and look: the undersides should be golden and starting to crisp. Turn each one over with a spatula or tongs. If you want rosemary and garlic, tuck the sprigs and unpeeled cloves between the potatoes now. Return to the oven for another twenty-five to thirty minutes, turning once more if you remember.

6. 6

   Finish and season

   They're done when they're deep gold all over, with edges that have gone dark and craggy and a sound, when you tap them with a spoon, that's more knock than thud. Lift them out of the fat with a slotted spoon onto a warm plate. Hit them immediately with flaky salt while they're still glistening. Serve straight away. A roast potato waits for no one.

Chef Tips

• •The potato variety matters more than the fat you use. You need a floury potato: Maris Piper and King Edward are the standard choices in Britain, and they're standard for good reason. A waxy potato will never crisp the same way, no matter what you do to it. The starch is the thing. It's what creates the crust.
• •Get the fat genuinely hot before the potatoes go in. Not warm. Not shimmering. Spitting. If they don't hiss when they hit the tin, take them out and wait longer. That initial sear is what seals the outside and starts the crust forming. Everything else follows from this moment.
• •Don't crowd the tin. Give each potato space, an inch or two between them at least. If they're touching, they'll steam instead of roasting, and a steamed roast potato is a contradiction and a disappointment. Use two tins if you need to. Nobody ever complained about too many roast potatoes.
• •Goose fat is the classic and it gives a depth of flavour that's hard to match. Beef dripping is excellent too, slightly more savoury and robust. Olive oil works if that's what you've got, and the potatoes will still be good, just different. Use what your kitchen has. Your kitchen, your rules.

Advance Preparation

• •The potatoes can be peeled, parboiled, and roughed up several hours ahead. Spread them on a tray and leave them uncovered in the fridge. The dry surface will crisp even better. This is the only shortcut worth taking.
• •Roast potatoes do not reheat well. Make them last and serve them first. Cold roast potatoes have their own quiet charm the next day, eaten standing at the fridge, but they won't crisp up again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 250g)