I haven't blogged for a couple of days in order to give you chance to buy your chestnuts - you have bought them by now I take it? How many times do you have to be told?
Anyway my tip for tonight as all about spuds (No, Recovering Vegetarian its not all about the coursework!)
Every celebrity chef and food writer will tell you that there is only one way to make roast potatoes and you need flour, polenta, semolina, a particular type of potato grown only on the Gower Peninsula and fat taken only from geese called Fred. This, of course, is complete nonsense.
To make beautiful roast potatoes you need two things - potatoes and high quality fat. Goose fat is great, but so is duck fat and don't knock lard until you've tried it.
Corner Cottage Roast Potatoes
Main Crop Potatoes
Fat
Peel and cut your spuds into chunks which you could eat in three bites. Pop these into cold salted water and bring to the boil. Boil for 7 minutes then take off the heat and leave for 5. Strain the potatoes (keeping the water to help enrich your gravy if it needs it). Pop the spuds back into their pan, put the lid on and give them one big shake so that all the edges crumble up a bit.
Now concentrate. If it is a clear cool evening, pop your pan (without the lid) outside in the cool air for 5-10 minutes. Yes, yes I know this sounds bonkers but it will help them fully steam off and become dry - much better for roasting!
Your fat should be hot and the potatoes should be tossed into the roasting pan (please be careful - Christmas evening in A&E is not a great place to spend a couple of hours.) Roast the spuds at the same temperature as your roast flesh for 30 minutes then turn them (once only mind) and pop them back for another 20 minutes.
The truth is if they are not wonderful people will notice - The roast potato is a thing of great beauty and if you don't deliver people will talk. Its worse top serve bad roasties than bad meat - trust me I've done both!
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