Once again, the time of year is upon us when everyone starts off on ‘the best…’ routine concerning Christmas dinner. The best carrots, the best sprouts, the best turkey. And so on. That usually translates to ‘how much extra stuff can I add so I can get lots of hits on Instagram and become a talking point?’
For me, I’m not bloody interested in the tinsel and presentation aspects. I want decent turkey, decent potatoes, decent carrots and sprouts, decent cabbage (we always have that too), decent stuffing, decent gravy, and then just to chow down when it is ready.
I don’t want sprouts or carrots cooked in bacon and tossed in butter, then sprinkled with sesame seeds. I don’t want them roasted, grilled, or barbecued. Or coated in a honey glaze. I want them boiled in salted water until they’re soft (and ditto the cabbage). It takes about 20 minutes (give or take for the particular vegetable involved). They taste like carrots and sprouts (and cabbage) if you do that, which is the whole point. Quite frankly, the way I was brought up with veg, it was a case of ‘if it crunches, it ain’t cooked’. I stick with that for Christmas dinner – even if I do like raw carrots and cabbage much of the time.
But with so much to prepare, timing on the day is always the main issue.
This year, I wanted to get prepped ready to cook dinner Christmas Day quickly, so I started looking at preparing ahead. Every year, my biggest issue is timing the potatoes and veg due to the variable cooking time of the turkey or other bird. In particular, I wanted really crisp but soft in the middle roast potatoes.
After some experimentation, I came up with this method for make-ahead roast potatoes.
It doesn’t really matter what kind of potatoes you use. I use Maris Piper or Marfona (they’re two of the most widely available ones in the UK), but King Edward or Desiree work just as well.
Step 1
Peel about 1 kg of potatoes and cut them into roughly 5cm/2 inch chunks. Leave any small ones whole, but you want each roastie to be about the same size for even cooking. I chose 5cm as a typical size – any size will work, though you will have to reduce the cooking time in Step 4 if you go for smaller pieces. Put them in cold salted water, place on the hob, and bring to the boil. Cook for exactly six minutes once boiling. Any longer any they’ll break up. They are not fully cooked through at this stage.
Pour them into a colander to drain, and allow to stand for a few minutes to dry off.
Step 2
Toss a couple of times to roughen them slightly, then tip gently into a large bowl. Sprinkle on 1-2 tablespoons of plain flour, season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss or gently mix with a spatula (don’t break them up). Now add either Rapeseed Oil or melted Goose Fat – enough to coat them – and again mix gently. It doesn’t matter if you add a bit too much oil, as it will just drain to the bottom. Simply turn the potatoes to make sure they’re coated in the fat/oil.
Step 3
Place a piece of baking parchment paper on a flat tray, then line up the potatoes neatly and not touching. Place in the freezer until they are frozen solid. You could do this on a plate or saucer if you don’t have enough space in your freezer. Once frozen, transfer to a plastic freezer bag and store in the freezer until needed.
You can do all of this up to three months in advance. So you can store batches for when you need them.
Step 4
When you want to cook them for serving, put some Rapeseed Oil or Goose Fat in a baking tray and put it in a preheated oven at Gas Mark 6 (200°C) to sizzle. When ready to go, place the required amount of frozen potatoes (don’t defrost) into the hot oil and cook for 20-25 minutes. Turn the potatoes over and cook for a further 20 minutes.
The result is the crispiest golden roast potatoes you could imagine, with a floury soft middle. And trust me – I may have taken that picture with my phone, but they are cut-your-gums crispy, and floury inside.
I’ll be using some I made on Christmas Day.
Oh yes. And they don’t necessarily have to be frozen. You can prepare them up to Step 2 and let them cool right down, so they are cold (this is critical for getting crispy potatoes). Store them covered in the fridge until you need them. Then, when you’re making your dinner, proceed with Step 4, allowing about 35-40 minutes in total to finish them off.
What oil should I use?
In all honesty, pretty much any oil or fat will work if it has a high smoke point. I use Rapeseed (Canola) or Goose/Duck fat, and both give a crispy result – though I’d give the nod to Rapeseed if I was rating crispiness. In the past, I’ve got crispy potatoes using Olive Oil and Sunflower Oil. Just make sure it is sizzling hot before placing the cold/frozen potatoes in it.
Do I have to freeze the potatoes?
No. The secret to getting crispy potatoes is that the parboiled potatoes are allowed to cool right down before being roasted in your chosen oil/fat. So you could parboil in the morning, then let them sit in the fridge until you need them. But not for too long (i.e. days), as they might dry out.
The reason I have frozen them is so that they can be quickly prepared whenever I want them without having to worry about timing everything else to get it right for the meal.
Why do you toss them in flour?
It helps crisp them up. You can leave it out if you like.