How Do I Make Perfect Roast Potatoes?

Pre-heat some goose fat in a tin in a really hot oven, parboil the potatoes, rough them up in a colander and add to the tin pan, tossing to coat in the oil. Cook for about 30 mins or until crispy. If I know I have other stuff in the oven and won't be able to get it really really hot, I sometimes lightly coat them in flour or some other stuff whose name escapes me and that helps to crisp them up a bit.

Thank you! Sounds perfect except for the goosefat part - it's almost impossible to get over here (at least where I am).

Can I do the same with normal oil etc?

Par boil the potatoes and then ruff them up a bit after boiling by shaking them about in the pan. Transfer them to an oven tray and shake them in virgin olive oil. I always add rosemary, thyme and crushed garlic to the oil and heat it a bit before I add the potatoes and shake them (gives a nice flavour).

By shaking them up and crushing the outsides a bit the outsides go lovely and crisy when cooked, but the insides stay fluffy and light.

Like Aji said - pre heat the oil, parboil for 10 - 15 mins, shake them in the pan to rough up the outsides with a desert spoon of flour, salt and pepper and roast till crispy.

I had to teach my H's mum to make roasties - hers are great now!!

If I'm making a roast chicken I tend to sit the potatoes around the chicken, that way it soaks up the fat from the chicken as it cooks. What are you cooking them with?

Erm, pork chops cooked on the BBQ ? (not through choice)..

I am just tired of mashed potatoes/rice and fancied doing something different..

Thanks for all the tips

You can use normal oil. Although whenever I cook a duck I strain and keep the fat for cooking my potatos after!

Thanks..I think its the swap we make for having access to so much steak and fish..its almost impossible to find lamb, duck, goose etc..at least in the stores around where we live..

?

I sometimes par boil, then put in a bag with semolina, plain flour, paprika, salt and pepper, shake, then put in hot goose fat, or olive oil.

yumyum

We had duck with roasties tonight. I used fat from the duck for the roasties, but if I was doing most other meats I'd just use olive oil. As the others have said, par-boiling and shaking after draining to rough up the edges of the spuds helps make them really crispy. I lurve roast potatoes!

I parboil for 7 minutes (any longer and I find they fall apart when I shake them - or maybe I'm just too rough with them!), drain, shake in the saucepan, then add to the roasting pan of lard (or goose fat at Christmas) which I keep really hot over the gas ring until all the potatoes are in and coated with fat

Then into the oven for an hour

All your replies look good but since last xmas I saw Nigella Lawson do a demonstration and she par boiled them, scored them a little and then tossed them in semolina and then into the oven in hot fat (I used lard)

couldn't eat them myself as I am veggie and but everyone has paid them compliments ever since

Thanks everyone..made them, they were not perfect but they were a hell of a lot closer thanks to all your tips..and practice makes perfect, I foresee many meals containing roasties

Thanks again

Par boil the potatoes for 15 mins

Put in tray/dish and cover with oil, crushed garlic and herbs

Turn every 15mins

cook for 45 mins