I think potatoes might be my favourite versatile vegetable. You can make them into fritters, vegetable pancakes, chips/fries, salad, gnocchi, hashbrowns, baked, baked skins, and honestly, is there anything better than a warm plate of mashed potato? What about the best roast potatoes you’ve ever tried?
I make delicious seasoned wedges, topped with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce. I sometimes put cheese and onion in mine for something different. They make the best topping for cottage or shepherd’s pie, and I’m sure almost every Aussie home has a recipe for potato bake.
And then there’s my favourite way to eat them. Roast potatoes roasted to perfection with gravy.
The Best Roast Potatoes
What Makes A Good Roast Potato?
I don’t know about you, but a good roast potato for me is brown and crispy on the outside and soft and melty on the inside. When I make them, I usually top them with whatever gravy I have to accompany the meat I’ve cooked that night. Sometimes, I’ll make them for lunch because they’re so good.
Does UK Mum, Jane, Make The Best Roast Potatoes?
Her daughter Kate seems to think so. The UK digital creator took to social media telling everyone her mum makes the best roast potatoes and films her mum making them, complimenting her the whole time. Their relationship is one of the cutest things about this video. It’s clear to see Kate has a lot of love for her mum.
It’s All About The Spud
Some potatoes lend themselves to roasting better than others. In this video, Jane uses Maris Piper Maris potatoes. They have golden skin, creamy white flesh, and a fluffy texture, making them perfect for roasting. The closest you’ll get to those in Australia are King Edward, Sebago and Dutch Cream.
So How Does She Do It?
Jane starts by cutting them in halves or quarters and putting them in a saucepan. She leaves the skin on, but you could peel them if you like, but she adds the skins make for great crispy shells.
Jane is a woman after my own heart. She doesn’t measure anything. She says to boil the potatoes until they’re the tiniest bit soft. You don’t need to boil them to fork tender.
Once boiled and drained, she pours a bit of flour in the pan, puts on the lid, then gives them a good shake. This coats them in the flour and roughens them up a bit which helps with both the crispiness and the fluffiness.
She puts a baking tray in the oven with a good drizzle of oil to heat up and get the oil sizzling. You could probably do this while preparing the potatoes, but make sure the oil needs to be sizzling hot.
Then she pours the potatoes into the oiled tray and spreads them out before placing them in the oven on the top shelf.
They don’t give temperatures or times in the video, but I would estimate using a hot oven and cooking them for close to an hour, turning halfway, until they are golden, crispy and delicious.
Comments and Advice
You can’t post anything on social media without someone coming along to tell you how they would do it better.
Some people said to wash the bulk of the flour off. Some suggested using two fats (oil and butter), some said to use duck fat, others advised to season the flour with salt and pepper, and some suggested adding baking soda to the boiling water.
Everyone has a way to roast potatoes that’s been taught to them by someone they love, or from a recipe they looked up and adapted to their liking. I’m going to give Jane’s way a go next time I make roast potatoes and see how they fare. I wonder if the pre-cooking method will work for wedges.
