How to make roast potatoes

Get the perfect roasties with this easy recipe.

Roast potatoes

by Lorna White |
Updated on

There's something so special about the perfect roast potato. Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside packed with plenty of flavour is the dream combination we all strive for when making our roast potatoes.

Whether you're making them with Christmas dinner, a Sunday roast, or you're just really craving some roast potatoes (we don't blame you), we've found the perfect roast recipe from Jamie Oliver. You can either use goose fat for this recipe or unsalted butter if you prefer.

Jamie Oliver's best roast potatoes

Serves: 10 people as a side | Cooking time: 2 hours

Ingredients

2.5 kg medium Maris Piper potatoes

4 tablespoons goose fat or unsalted butter

olive oil

1 bulb of garlic

½ a bunch fresh sage (15g)

Method

Preparation

  1. Peel the potatoes, keeping them whole, and ideally all about the same size (8cm). Boil them in a pan of boiling salted water for 15 minutes – this will ensure that the insides become really fluffy.
  1. Drain in a colander and leave to steam dry for 2 minutes – this will help the fat to stick to the potatoes. 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.
  1. Place the goose fat or butter and 1 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.
  1. Cover and pop in the fridge overnight.

On the day

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
  1. Squash the garlic bulbs, then lightly crush each unpeeled clove and add to the tray – this gives you sweet, caramelised garlic and adds a gentle perfume to the potatoes.
  1. Roast for 1 hour, or until the potatoes are crisp and golden all over.
  1. Remove the tray from the oven. Gently half-squash each potato with a fish slice or masher so they kind of push into each other and fill the tray.
  1. Pick the sage leaves and toss with a little oil (this will transmit the flavour and make them deliciously crisp). Sprinkle the sage over the potatoes and roast for a further 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden.

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