Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
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Instruction

  • <p><strong>Put the potatoes in a saucepan</strong>, cover with cold water, and add 11/2tsp fine salt. Cover and bring to the boil over a high heat, then turn the heat down to medium. Simmer gently (don’t boil) for 15 minutes<br /> until the potatoes are almost cooked. The tip of a small, sharp knife should go in easily without breaking the potato up.</p> <p><strong>Heat the oven</strong> to 200ºC fan (220°C/gas 7).</p> <p><strong>Drain the potatoes in a colander</strong> and shake well, then leave to dry out for a few minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a sturdy roasting pan in the oven until very hot.</p> <p><strong>Remove the roasting pan from the oven.</strong> One by one, carefully place the potatoes in the oil (don’t tip them from the colander into the pan or you’ll get splashed with hot oil). Season the potatoes with<br /> a good pinch of fine salt and turn them in the oil until they’re coated, then return the pan to the oven.</p> <p><strong>Roast the potatoes for 30–40 minutes</strong> until crisp and golden. Turn them every 10 minutes, and sprinkle with sea salt about halfway through when they’re starting to colour.</p> <p><strong>Take the potatoes out of the oil</strong> with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Serve hot, sprinkled with more sea salt.</p> <p><strong>Key to perfection</strong><br /> Golden and crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy inside – these are the perfect roast<br /> potatoes. To achieve this result, there are two crucial stages.</p> <p><strong>1. </strong>Once the potatoes are dry, scratch them all over with a fork. By making the flesh rough on the outside, the hot oil will be able to penetrate into the surface quickly, which will make the potatoes crisp.</p> <p><strong>2. </strong>After boiling and draining, the potatoes must be allowed to dry out. Shake them in the colander<br /> to get rid of excess water and lightly break up the outsides, then leave for a few minutes for the steam to escape.</p> <p><strong>All Is Not Lost</strong><br /> If the potatoes aren’t getting crisp enough towards the end of cooking, put the pan over a high heat on top of the stove, and toss and turn the potatoes until they crisp up.</p> <p> </p>