Roast potatoes as a subject hardly seems worth a post. But I struggled with these for years, and now that I have the process down pretty well, I still get a sense of satisfaction from making something simple and good come out just right. So let's do it.
You want a good roasting potato. I like the mealy ones - Dutch Creams, Russet Burbanks. The ones in the photos are Beechworth Beauties, a breed discovered in Beechworth a few years ago. No one is sure yet whether they are an heirloom variety left over from the gold rush days, or a more recent hybrid. They have a pink, slightly scaly skin, and a mealy interior. Roasters!
Scrub them down but don't peel unless the skin is just awful. I recommend 150 - 200g of raw potato per person.
Cut the potatoes into chunks about 2" by 2", very roughly.
Heat oven to 180 C.
Bring a fair amount of water to the boil and cook the potatoes for about 7 minutes or until they are mostly done and the skins are just starting to come loose from the edge.
Drain, let cool somewhat and then scrape the flat edges with a fork (this encourages crispiness, as edges absorb heat from both sides and hence become crispy).
Put on a sheet pan lined with baking paper and sprayed with a little oil. Spray the other surfaces of the potatoes with a little oil too (vegetable or olive, whatever). Sprinkle with some salt.
Cook in a medium hot oven (180 C) for about 30 - 40 min. Shake every 10 - 15 minutes to help them brown evenly. If they're not brown and crisp enough at that stage, turn the grill on and cook them at 220 C for about 5 min, watching carefully.
If you have fresh herbs to put in, like thyme or rosemary, do it in the last ten minutes or they will burn. Burnt herbs = bad herbs!
Mmmmmm, crunchy golden roast potatoes.
Happy spudding,
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