THE BEST ROASTIES
Ingredients:
(SERVES 6)
1.5kg Maris Piper / Kind Edward potatoes
60g Butter
4tbsp Olive Oil
8 Sage Leaves
4 Sprigs of fresh Thyme
2 Sprigs of fresh Rosemary
1 Bulb of Garlic
Salt - To taste
Black Pepper - To taste
The Secrets:
No.1 - The combo of butter and oil. The butter creates a nice thick, crispy crust on the outside and the oil stops the butter from burning.
No.2 - DO NOT OVERCROWD YOUR TRAY. Make sure your potatoes are not on top of each other, even if this means doing it over multiple trays..
No. 3 - Midway through the cooking process you want to gently press down the potatoes when they are in the tray. This increases the surface area, maximising the space for crispiness to happen.
Method:
STEP 1: Peel your potatoes and cut then into 4 (or in half if they are smaller). You basically just want them to all be a similar size so they cook evenly. You can go slightly bigger or smaller depending on preference. Once peeled and chopped, you want to parboil them for about 8 - 14 minutes (dependent on size) by placing them into a large pan of salted boiling water.
STEP 2: Once the potatoes are cooked and the edges have begun to soften, drain them into a colander and leave to steam dry for about 5 minutes. After this, give the colander a little shake to rough up the edges of the potatoes, this will maximise the crispiness.
STEP 3: Pre-heat your oven to 200°C. Put the butter and oil in your tray and place it in the pre-heated oven until the butter melts and starts to bubble.
STEP 4: Carefully chuck the potatoes into the tray and season generously with salt & pepper. Mix the potatoes so that the butter and oil fully coat them and spread evenly in the tray. Place them into the oven for about 20 minutes or until they just begin to start picking up a bit of colour.
STEP 5: After the potatoes have started picking up some colour, take them out of the oven and give them a shake and place back in for another 5-10 minutes. Take them out again after this and using a potato masher, or the back of a large spoon gently press the potatoes down to flatten and squish them slightly. This will increase the surface areas, meaning there is more space the get that potato as crispy as possible. Once pressed, chuck back in the oven.
STEP 6: When the potatoes have really started to crisp up, (this should take about another 20 - 30 minutes after you pressed them) bash up the bulb of garlic and add it to your tray of potatoes and return to the oven. If you add the garlic to early it will burn and go bitter.
STEP 7: When you are happy with the level of crispness and colour on your roasties, add in your ripped up herbs and turn off the oven. Spread the herbs evenly across the potatoes and give the tray a good shake.
Let them sit in the oven for 10 minutes or so before serving so the herbs can infuse into the potatoes without burning and going bitter.
TO SERVE: Sneak a cheeky potato to ensure you are happy with the seasoning, add more salt before serving if needed.