Do you have a cooking method which you have found works best for creating the perfect roast potatoes?

I normally pre-boil them then stick on tray and put oil on them then into oven.

Par boil them for 3 minutes, put goose fat or oil in a tray and put it in a hot oven. Let the potatoes dry, shake them about to bash them up a bit then put in the hot fat back in the hot oven until they're beautiful

Par boil for around 5 minutes, drain and shake vigorously to rough up the edges, transfer into a tray of smoking hot goose fat, making sure all potatoes are coated in the fat and have adequate space in between them. Turn halfway through. Cook for about 45 minutes at 200 degrees. Take out and sprinkle with some sea salt.

Works every time, perfect roasties.

For me my perfect roast potatoes are to just peel, put in a bowl, add a little oil, smoked paprika, salt & pepper, mix altogether and cook in a halogen oven at 200°C for 45 mins.

i boil for 7 minutes, roughly shake the lidded pan, then tip onto a baking sheet and spoon over veg oil

oven for 20 minutes then turn and apply more oil if needed, another 25 mins

and we love them lke that!

the pre boil and roughen is essential IMHO

Par boil until edges go fluffy, then cook in pre-heated oil.

NOT olive oil.

Tip is to add a little salt to the water when par boiling them.

We rarely have roast tatties though so can afford to be liberal with the salt when we do.

find goose fat makes them too greasy, just use standard sunflower oil myself and they crispy on the outside without being greasy.

Some people must have special potatoes or water as for me 3 minutes par boiling wouldn't make a dent and would be a waste of boiling water.


I've always had issues with chefs' timings on boiling root veg. I've always found it taking 5 to 10 minutes more and i'm not cooking the buggery out of them - they're not falling apart of anything, just cooked through.

I boil them in salted water first for a while until they're soft. Drain them and lightly shake them. I boil them long enough so I don't need to vigorously shake them. Cover them in oil (usually loads of oil) then bake on gas mark 5 and then gas mark 7 or 8 to darken them.

I love my spuds.

New tip..... get hold of a small closeable net bag, eg those used for laundry of women's smalls......make sure it is thoroughly clean!
Wash & peel the spuds & put the peelings in the net bag & par boil with the potatoes. Gives a wonderful rich, earthy taste....

Do you live at the top of a mountain?

Air pressure affects the boiling point of water, so the higher above sea level you are the longer it takes to, eg, boil an egg.

Put some oil (whichever is your favourite, I use sunflower) in a deep baking tray and place on top shelf of a preheated oven, approx 200C, 180C Fan.

Meanwhile peel Maris Piper potatoes and dived into 2-4 pieces each, place in cold water and bring to boil, then boil them for 10 minutes.

Remove from water and place in bowl and shake vigorously.

In anther bowl put 2 tablespoons of plain flour and then place the potatoes in there and shake again until completely covered.

Place in the hot oil and return to oven and baste them every ten or fifteen minutes.
Turn after 30 minutes and remove after one hour.

I prefer to use a shallow roasting tray as it lets the heat get to the potato better. Never found the need to coat them in anything but do agree with the basting every 15 mins.

After boiling, I always hold the pan outside for a few mins to get as much of the steam and moisture out as possible.

Sorry, that is what I actually meant, and use.

Change of clocks has frazzled my brain obviously.

I live at sea level and unless your potatoes are cut into tiny pieces, 3 minutes is hardly going to make any difference.

When cooking two or three servings, I par cook chunks of potatoes for four minutes in the microwave, drain, sprinkle oil & seasonings,coat evenly by stirring through with silicone spatula, then roast on a flat baking sheet. High sided roast pans can inhibit crispness, especially in a crowded oven.

Edited to state don't use too much water for the microwave pre cook, just a little in the bottom of bowl.

I don't like the goose fat method as it tends to leave a fatty residue in my mouth. I par boil until just soft enough to roughen the edges, drain well to dry as much as poss. and cook in heated oil with a knob of butter for enhanced colour. You can also use some of the cooked meat fats if there is any. Depending on my mood I usually add a few cloves of garlic and some rosemary . Experiment with different herbs if you fancy. I've read that a dusting of semolina will make them more crispy but it's not an ingredient I keep in the cupboard and I find them crispy enough anyway. I always use Maris Piper potatoes and make sure they are covered in fat all over, turning during cooking if nescessary. Temperature and timing will depend on if you are cooking anything else at the same time and the size of tht pots.

Here are some I cooked a while back

http://i3.minus.com/jmxi4iKVJ2Q1r.JPG

I boil for longer than three minutes. In fact I boil until they're almost cooked, though still maintaining their shape obviously.

Goose fat isn't essential. The fat off the roast or ordinary sunflower/veg oil works ok AFAIC.

I parboil too, but I like to add in a lemon that I've heated in the microwave for 10 seconds, several whole garlic cloves and a few sprigs of rosemary. When I drain the potatoes, I rough them up a bit, and they go onto a hot tray, with the lemon, garlic cloves and rosemary, I pour some oil over, and then season them, and then they go into the oven, and I turn them half way through..

Pretty much the same method as everyone else but I use beef dripping as the fat. Gives a great taste and crispy roasties

I par boil and rough up the outer before putting into a roasting tin of hot sunflower oil.

Just wondered if anyone here has made hasselback potatoes?....I have never made these before and thought I would give them a go this weekend.

Put fat into shallow roasting and put into hot oven until smoking hot. Meanwhile, par boil large chunks of potato for 8-10 minutes in lightly salted water. Drain potatoes in a colander, cover colander with a tea towel and let potatoes steam dry for a couiple of minutes. Shake colander to roughen edges of potatoes. Put the roasting tray of hot oil or fat (I use duck fat for Christmas dinner, sunflower oil normally) over a burner on the hob and tip in the potatoes. Turn the potatoes in the fat until coated, grind dome sea salt and black pepper over them and return the roasting tray to the hot oven for 30-40 minutes, turning the potatoes once or twice during that time. The result is roasties that are fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside.

I have tried adding semolina when I shake them in the colander, but find I prefer them without.

Parboil them then shake thoroughly & roll in flour put them back into a hot oven beef dripping is best but if you're a veggie us a mix of sunflower oil & olive oil you can buy it in supermarkets was taught to flour them at Catering college on a City & Guilds course
mind you these days I'm on my own so usually cheat & buy Aunt Bessies !!

This is my method too except I parboil just for 5 mins. At Christmas I use duck fat to make them a bit special but veg or sunflower oil works fine for a standard roast.

Can't multiquote on my phone...

I tried hasslebacks a little while ago. And after an hour the potato was still raw. I just sliced it, oil, bung it in the oven. No parboiling which is maybe where I went wrong, but I was just following the recipe. Maybe 10 mins of parboiling before slicing the potato might do the trick next time.