Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels? These do, and you’ll get that santa physique in no time.
I love a good Christmas roast.
In fact, Christmas dinner was the first big meal I cooked for others, and the thing that got me into cooking for pleasure.
And for me, the biggest indulgence is the roast potatoes (and the roast parsnips and carrots – but that’s for another time).
I think it’s because it’s the time of year where its entirely legitimate to coat everything in artery-blocking levels of fat.
So here is my recipe for the crispiest, fluffiest Christmas roast potatoes.
(serves 6)
You need:
• 2-2.5kg Albert Bartlett potatoes
• One large jar of goose fat
• A couple of handfuls of plain flour
• Fleur de sel or kosher salt flakes
• Regular table salt
• A handful of fresh sprigs of rosemary
• 1/2 a bulb of garlic
Part 1: fluffy
• There’s nothing worse – okay there are probably worse things – than hard, slippery roast potatoes. Getting the fluffy right is the key to enjoying the crispy.
• So where do we start? Peel the potatoes and chop them into equal pieces, around the size of a golf ball.
• Fill a saucepan with cold water and a couple of large handfuls of table salt. Don’t worry – most of this will wash off. The purpose of the salty water is to diffuse into the potato and break down the internal structure, creating that fluffy texture we’re looking for. Add the potatoes to the pan, stir the salt through, and bring to the boil.
• Once the water is boiling, bring it down to a simmer. After ten minutes, take a potato out with a slotted spoon and drop it into a colander.
• Give it a strong shake for twenty seconds. Look what happens. If it has fluffed-up on the edges, with little pieces of potato peeling off, you’re good. Imagine someone has stuck bits of mashed potato to the sides of a boiled potato – that’s what we’re aiming for. Take out all the potatoes and do the same.
• If the potato slips and slides in the colander, it needs longer in the pan. Put it back in but check every thirty seconds or so. Don’t be relaxed about this bit. If you leave the potatoes in slightly too long they’ll just fall apart when you shake them.
• Once the potatoes have been shaken up, add a couple of handfuls of plain flour and shake again until they’re coated. This effectively turns those mashy bits on the sides into more structural components that will keep their shape ans crisp up nicely when roasted.
Part 2: crispy
• Now for the easy bit.
• Preheat the oven to 180.
• Coat the bottom of the roasting tray with a thin layer of goose fat. Place the potatoes onto the pan one-by-one, being careful to leave space between each one. Any which are touching won’t crisp up as well.
• Using a teaspoon, add a small blob of goose fat to the top of each potato. Don’t be frugal – it’s Christmas after all! Use your fingers to spread the fat over the potatoes.
• Sprinkle each potato with a pinch of fleur de sel.
• Bash the garlic cloves with your wrist on the heavy end of a flat knife blade, and lay these in the oil at the base of the tray.
• Slide some sprigs of rosemary into the gaps between the potatoes.
• Place the tray into the hot oven and roast for 45 minutes. Take the potatoes out and carefully turn them upside down so the less-browned bits are facing up. Return the potatoes to the oven and check every ten minutes for them to finish crisping-up. And serve!
Have a great Christmas and eat like there’s no tomorrow!
Nathan in the kitchen 