Recipe: Roast Potatoes

I've become rather fond of roast potatoes, which probably has something to do with the fact that they're served quite often for lunch in the UK. Properly done, they're crunchy and crispy on the outside, but still soft and fluffy on the inside; a perfect accompaniment to any roast or grill.

Recently we had to cook up a storm for Christmas dinner, and one of the side dishes was garlic roast potatoes.

This recipe comes from Steaks, Chops, Roasts and Ribs by Parragon Publishing, but I've tweaked it a bit.

Ingredients (Serves 6)
10 large potatoes, peeled and cut into even-sized chunks
3 Tbsp dripping, goose fat or olive oil
Salt
5 cloves garlic, peeled (optional)
5 cherry tomatoes (optional)
Rosemary (optional)



Notes on Ingredients: Goose or duck fat work very well with roast potatoes, you can probably buy them from gourmet supermarkets or Culina.

Preheat the oven to 220°C.



Cook the potatoes in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water over medium heat, covered, for 5-7 minutes. They will still be firm.



Meanwhile, add the fat to a roasting pan and place in the hot oven.

Drain the potatoes well and return them to the pan. Cover with the lid and firmly shake the pan so that the surface of the potatoes is slightly roughened to help givem them a much crispier texture.



Remove the roasting pan from the oven and carefully tip the potatoes into the hot fat. Baste them to ensure that they are all coated with it. Lay two or three sprigs of rosemary over the potatoes and scatter the cloves of garlic among the potatoes.

Roast the potatoes at the top of the oven for 45-50 minutes until they are browned all over and thoroughly crisp. Turn the potatoes and baste again only once during the process or the crunchy edges will be destroyed.

In the last 5-10 minutes of roasting, toss in the cherry tomoatoes, which will help to keep the potatoes moist as they finish cooking.



Using a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to a warmed serving dish and sprinkle over with some salt.

Technorati Tags: Recipes, Sides, Roast potatoes