You’ll never suffer lacklustre roast potatoes again if you follow this cooking hack.
We all know that no Sunday dinner is complete without a large helping of perfectly cooked roast potatoes. But it’s also common knowledge that there’s some disagreement over how roasties should be cooked. Some argue that they’ll never crisp up properly if you don’t use goose or duck fat, while others say the key is in the herbs you add to your roasting tin.
There are countless recipes for roast potatoes online that all promise to take your spuds to the next level, but now a chef who specialises in all things potato has shared her “ultimate” method on social media – and it will revolutionise your next roast dinner.
Poppy O’Toole first went viral on TikTok for her “15-hour potato” recipe, and even has a cookbook called The Potato Book that lists 101 different ways to enjoy the humble vegetable. But in a new video, she promises viewers “perfect” roast potatoes.
The Michelin-trained chef has several tips that will elevate your roasties, but one of the most important things she does involves an extra step that comes right before you put your potatoes into the oven.
Make sure your potatoes are the right size
Poppy suggests using Maris Piper spuds for the best roast potatoes. If you’re in the US, she says they’re most similar to a Yukon Gold. Once you’ve got the right variety, cutting them to the right size is vital. The chef claims “larger” potatoes work best, and no matter what size you go for, you should make sure all your spuds are a “similar size” so that they cook evenly.
Salt your water
Once you’ve added your potatoes to cold water in a saucepan and placed it on the heat, Poppy said it’s crucial that you add “plenty of salt”. She said: “You want to make sure that your water is seasoned so it tastes like the sea. Like you’re in the Cornish sea and you just got a mouthful of wave.”
Leave your potatoes to cook in the salty water for around 10-15 minutes or until the potato passes the knife test. You should be able to push a knife into the potato and have the spud “sit on it” for a moment before dropping off.
Leave them to rest
This is where Poppy’s extra step comes in. She drains her potatoes into a colander to get rid of the water and then rests the colander on top of the pan the potatoes were in. Then, she covers the whole thing with a clean tea towel and leaves them to rest for around 10 minutes.
She said: “We’ve put the colander back into the pan they were in, and you’re going to then put a nice, clean tea towel over the top of the colander. The steam that’s in there and the residual heat from the pan is going to keep drying your potatoes out. The drier your potatoes, the crispier they are going to be. Give them 5-10 minutes.”
Use whichever oil you prefer
Poppy insisted you don’t have to use goose or duck fat for the best roast potatoes, as it all comes down to personal preference. She said she loves using vegetable oil for her spuds, which she uses to line a roasting tin before placing it in the oven to heat up while her potatoes rest.
Roughen your potatoes
Once your potatoes have dried out enough, Poppy recommends shaking the colander to roughen the edges. She said this also contributes to the crispy results you’ll get once they’ve been in the oven. She takes the roasting tin out of the oven and tips her potatoes into the hot oil, giving them each a turn with tongs to make sure every spud is coated in oil.
Roast your potatoes
Now, it’s finally time to pop your potatoes in the oven. Poppy says she cooks hers for 20 minutes at 220C (gas mark 7), before taking them out and giving them a turn to make sure they cook evenly. Once they go back in the oven, the chef also turns the heat down to 200C (gas mark 6) before cooking for another 15-20 minutes.
Serve
After their second time in the oven, your potatoes should now be ready to serve. Poppy said in her video: “Look at those beauties! They’re gorgeous, they’re golden, they’re crispy, they’re fluffy, they’re everything you want in a roast potato.”
