Simple Roasted Potatoes

Actually, “simple” doesn’t really do these potatoes justice.  Believe me, I spent hours trying to make the perfect roasted potatoes.  I’ve par-boiled them, used all kinds of different oils, fats, different varieties of potato, followed all the recipes I could & still ended up with what can only be described as cremated (but somehow still raw) missiles that you could injure yourself with!   So one day, I decided I was going to do it my way & it worked – crispy on the outside, fluffy in the middle & really easy to do.

For roasting potatoes, you need to invest in a heavy-duty baking tin for the oven & the more you use it, the better it gets.  Before using them, I like to season my tins – which is basically heating them up with a little oil in, wiping it off with kitchen paper & repeating a couple of times. Please don’t put them in the dishwasher – rinse them with hot water, dry well with kitchen paper & put them away.

What you need:

Some washed & dried Baby Potatoes, skin on (I use about a kilo to feed 4 people, so just add more if you have more guests)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
Some chopped fresh Rosemary – optional (just strip the leaves from a sprig & chop finely)

What to do:

Heat the oven to 220*C.  On a chopping board, cut the potatoes in half lengthways.  If you want to give them a bit more texture, cut little slices in the curved top all the way along (hasselback style) to almost halfway through – don’t go all the way though, otherwise you’ll just have thin slices of potato!

Spread some olive oil on a baking tin, put the potato halves in curved side down & then drizzle more olive oil on the top, give them a good sprinkle of the sea salt & pepper.  If you want to add some rosemary, sprinkle some of that too.  Get your hands in, toss the potatoes in the oil & seasonings, making sure they are well coated & that they are all returned to their curved side down position.

Put them in the top part of the oven, for about 15 minutes until they are sizzling & golden.  If they have stuck a bit, just use a spatula or tongs (nothing metal though or you’ll damage your tray) & ease them away from the tin.  At this point, turn them over carefully & return to the oven for about 10 minutes or so until crispy.

Remove them from the tin & serve – if you want to, you can always pop them on some kitchen paper to remove any excess oil, but I find a good shake does a pretty good job & it’s not lard, so you’ll be fine.

They tend to evaporate pretty quickly in my house (which is why there’s no picture at the moment), so I suggest keeping a few back for you!  These go with everything from roast dinners to salmon fillets.

Enjoy!  Stay hungry! 😉 A x

 

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