Name: British Roast Potatoes
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 20 min
Total time: 2 h 5 min
Yield: Serves 6-8
Ingredients: 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) King Edward or Maris Piper potatoes (US: Russet or Idaho potatoes), peeled; 175 ml (3/4 cup) goose fat, duck fat, beef dripping or neutral vegetable oil; Salt

Instructions

Heat the oven to 210°C/410°F, or 190°C fan.
Cut the potatoes into evenly sized pieces, using a few angled cuts to create extra edges for crisping.
Put the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and season generously with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes. The outsides should be tender while the centres still offer slight resistance.
Drain carefully. Return the potatoes to the saucepan and shake gently to roughen the surfaces without breaking them apart.
Spread the potatoes out and leave them to steam-dry for at least 20 minutes.
Put the fat in a large, shallow roasting tin and heat it in the oven for 5 minutes.
Carefully add the potatoes to the hot fat. Turn to coat, season with salt and arrange in a single layer with space between the pieces.
Roast for about 1 hour, turning after 30 minutes, until deeply golden, crisp and fluffy inside. Serve immediately.

Notes

Russet or Idaho potatoes are the closest widely available US equivalents to King Edward and Maris Piper potatoes. Their high starch content gives a fluffy centre and crisp exterior.
Yukon Gold potatoes can be used, but the centres will be creamier and the edges slightly less fluffy.
For a herb-flavoured version, add a few sprigs of rosemary or thyme to the roasting tin.
After steam-drying, freeze the potatoes in a single layer, then transfer them to a freezer bag. Roast from frozen and allow a little extra cooking time.

British Roast Potatoes

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Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

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