Cooking With Xander – Roast Potatoes

Cooking Sunday Lunch is where it all started for me, a sneaky post-pudding leftover roast potato dipped in warmed up gravy was the real treat. Everyone has their own way with Roasties – they’re a staple of the British dining table and can elicit pretty strong opinions on the best way to cook them. I’m a Delia Smith man through and through – she’s a fantastic home cook who has educated and inspired many in her own unique way – I hope I can do the same for Xander and his brother.

Ingredients

2kg King Edward Potatoes, Peeled

3 Tablespoons of Duck/Goose Fat

Maldon Salt

1 Head of Garlic

1 Bunch of Thyme

Method

Place the fat in a large roasting tin and put it in an oven pre heated to 190 Degrees Centigrade.

When cutting the peeled potatoes, try and achieve a similar size throughout whilst making each piece as angular as possible. This approach creates a greater surface area to become roughed up, or fluffy, during the steaming phase, leading ultimately to more crunch in the finished product.

Put the potatoes into a large pan of cold salted water, bring up to the boil and then turn down to a slow simmer for approximately 5 minutes. Your potatoes should exhibit a tender outer layer and relatively firm centre when you insert a sharp knife.

Drain the potatoes through a colander and leave to steam dry in the open air for at least 5 minutes. This evaporation is vital to achieve a crunchy exterior and can be helped by a quick rumble with the lid on in the pan you boiled them in once they’re dry.

Carefully remove the roasting tin from the oven (the oil will be very very hot) and gently add the potatoes – there should be a satisfying sizzle - turn them so they’re fully coated in the hot oil, then add a whole head of garlic cut in half to the pan, along with a big sprig of fresh thyme and plenty of Maldon Salt.

Roast the potatoes in the oven for 20 minutes and then give them a quick turn to achieve an even colour. After another 20 minutes, or until they reach a rich golden brown colour, take them out, remove the garlic and thyme and serve.