No roast dinner is complete without a delicious helping of roast potatoes – especially when they’re nice and crispy.
However, nailing that perfect crunch isn’t always easy, meaning your roasties could end up falling flat when it’s time to serve them.
Thankfully, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has come to the rescue with his ‘best ever’ roast potato recipe – and although it requires one key additional step for that crunch, it’s well worth the effort.
He says the recipe is ‘super easy’ but puts a slight twist on the classic side dish, making it even more delicious.
And with a near-perfect rating from fans who have tried it out at home, it certainly seems to be a real crowd-pleaser.
On his website, he wrote: “Simple as roast potatoes are, there’s a handful of tiny, but important, details – picked up throughout my cooking career – that when combined give you this ultimate recipe, which I believe creates the perfect roast potato. What a luxury.”
And even better, you’ll only need five ingredients to throw this tasty dish together.
The preparation actually starts the day before, so make sure you factor in enough time to carry out this vital step – chilling the potatoes in the fridge overnight.
Here’s everything you need to make Jamie Oliver’s ‘best roast potatoes ever’.
Jamie Oliver’s roast potatoes
Ingredients
- 2.5kg medium Maris Piper potatoes
- Four tablespoons goose fat or unsalted butter
- Olive oil
- One bulb of garlic
- ½ a bunch of fresh sage (15g)
Method
Peel the potatoes, keeping them whole, and ideally all about the same size (8cm). Parboil them in a pan of boiling salted water for 15 minutes, then drain in a colander and leave to steam dry for two minutes.
Give the colander a few light shakes to chuff up the edges of the potatoes, giving you maximum surface area for a crispy exterior as they roast.
Place the goose fat or butter and one tablespoon of oil in your largest roasting tray. Tip in the potatoes, add a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then toss to coat, and spread out in one fairly snug, even layer but with small gaps between them.
Cover and pop in the fridge overnight.
When you’re ready to cook them, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
Squash the garlic bulbs, then lightly crush each unpeeled clove and add to the tray. Roast for one hour, or until the potatoes are crisp and golden all over.
Remove the tray from the oven and gently half-squash each potato with a fish slice or masher. Pick the sage leaves and toss with a little oil, sprinkle them over the potatoes and roast for a further 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and amazing.
