Roast Potatoes

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F, gas mark 7). Peel the potatoes and cut them into quarters or eighths. Smaller pieces turn out crispier and larger pieces turn out softer.

Put the potatoes in a saucepan of water, adding a pinch of salt if you like. Cover, bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes to parboil them.

Drain the potatoes with a slotted spoon or a metal colander. Put the lid back on the pan and shake vigorously for 20 to 30 seconds, so the surfaces are roughed up. Scraping them with a fork also works.

Toss the potatoes lightly in oil or fat, for example by hand in a bowl, and put them in a roasting tin. Choose a deep tin, since a shallow one tips easily and spills hot fat. Sprinkle salt over the top.

Roast for 20 to 50 minutes, depending on your oven and taste, until the potatoes are golden brown. You may turn them halfway through or baste them with the fat if you wish.

For extra crispness, dry the parboiled potatoes well and deep fry them briefly in hot oil before roasting. The oil must be hot enough that they sizzle when added, and you should know deep frying safety first. Then roast as above.

Another method is to heat the fat in a deep tray in the oven and add the dried, parboiled potatoes to it. Wear an oven mitt, stand behind the oven door, pull the rack out only slightly, and turn each potato in the fat using tongs. This is the riskiest method, because hot fat can splash.

Take the tin out carefully, since any extra fat is hot enough to burn. Letting the potatoes cool a little in the oven first is the safest approach, or pull the tray partly out and lift the potatoes with tongs. Serve hot, without piling them up.