Don’t be a spud when it comes to cooking delicious, not-just-a-side-dish worthy, perfect roast potatoes. Elevating them from ho-hum to WOAH is as simple as heading to the soup aisle…
If you’re a child of the 70s or 80s you’ll know where I’m headed with this conversation. Because if there’s one soup mix that’s worth its weight in gold, it’s a packet of good old fashioned French onion soup mix. SAY WHAT YOU WILL, I’m not hearing it. It’s the flavour-packed cooking hack everyone needs in their apron pocket.
And the cost of this flavoursome hack? Just 45 cents at Woolworths.
Level up your roast potatoes with French onion soup mix
Honestly, there’s no faffing about with par-boiling or duck fat or using the potatoes from a unicorn farm here. It’s as simple as gathering your potatoes and preparing them with the usual peel and cut. You can place them on a baking tray at this point and sprinkle with the soup mix and oil but my favourite method is to throw them lightly oiled into a freezer bag with a tablespoon (or more) of French onion soup mix and give them a good shake. It makes for less hit and miss mess and even flavour distribution.
Pop the seasoned spuds on a large baking tray (don’t crowd them!) and into a hot oven (220°C) until the potatoes are crunchy on the outside and tender in the middle. Holy roast potato YUM!
Not JUST for perfect roast potatoes…
Oh no, the magic doesn’t stop at perfect roast potatoes. An old favourite in my home is creamy French onion potatoes. They’re also dead simple to cook. Cut potatoes into chunks and boil them until just tender. Drain the potatoes and return to the saucepan. Add cream with a couple of tablespoons of French onion soup mix in and let them absorb that deliciousness. You can make it as creamy as you like – just enough for them to be wet or swimming in it. Let your taste buds do the deciding on this one. Trust your gut instinct, literally.
There you have it, a blast from the past kitchen hack that I don’t doubt for a second our own mothers and grandmothers used also. Perfect roast potatoes for everyone!
For more potato know-how, see how to make your very own chip on a stick at home. It’s SURE to be a crowd-pleaser with the kids!
