AlanHo Posted December 31, 2007 Report Share Posted December 31, 2007 Is your sunday or new year's day roast rather spoilt by soft and greasy roast potatoes.If so - your salvation is at handFirst - Buy the best potatoes for roastingIts no good trying to produce the perfect roast potato from waxy varieties - you must use a floury potato. If you live in Ireland - you are lucky because Kerrs Pinks are available - in England our best floury varieties are King Edwards and Maris Piper.Use the right fat for roastingPutting potatoes in the same roasting tin as the meat is not the best way to get the perfect roast potato. Prepare a separate roasting pan with about 4 mm of pure beef dripping or goose fat and pre-heat it to 220 centigrade.You could instead use a pure vegetable oil such as sunflower seed or rape - but they will be less flavoursome. Do not use olive or cheap vegetable oil - it does not like high temperatures and will develop an unpleasant taste.Prepare your spuds for roastingIt is essential to par-boil the potatoes to produce a floury surface. Peel them, cut them to size (a little bigger than a large egg) and boil for exactly 5 minutes in salted water. Pour off the water, replace the pan lid and put the pan back on the cooker to reheat and dry the potatoes - at the same time vigourously shake the pan to roughen the surface of the potatoes. (It is at this point you will recognise if you cut the potatoes too small and they have boiled through - they will break up into a mash. So start again).Roast your tattiesTake the roasting pan out of the oven and carefully (using tongs) transfer the potatoes into the boiling fat. Baste them thoroughly and place into the oven (at 220 centigrade). Roast for 35 minutes - turning and basting the potatoes regularly to ensure they are evenly crisped on the outside.Easy innit...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irene Posted December 31, 2007 Report Share Posted December 31, 2007 So what else are you serving with the roast potatoes? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanHo Posted December 31, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2007 We could try perfectly boiled eggs in perfect golden batter - and a nice bottle of wine of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irene Posted December 31, 2007 Report Share Posted December 31, 2007 We could try perfectly boiled eggs in perfect golden batter - and a nice bottle of wine of course.Chablis or Sancere for me please, very well chilled. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackrat Posted December 31, 2007 Report Share Posted December 31, 2007 I have made my perfect egg, but I fear it will go hard waiting for instructions on how to do the toast soldiers. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchful Posted December 31, 2007 Report Share Posted December 31, 2007 You're a bit late with that advice Alan as I've been doing them that way for years and passing advice on to daughters. :D Achieving the perfect soft-boiled egg (not too runny) still eludes me though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted December 31, 2007 Report Share Posted December 31, 2007 Achieving the perfect soft-boiled egg (not too runny) still eludes me though. My way is to lift the egg out of the water with a spoon and, whilst holding it over the the pan for drips, watch how quickly the shell dries. It is a fairly precise method because the speed of drying depends on the temperature within, and the convection of heat in a solid body is different from that in a liquid one.I find it is best when it takes about a second to dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanHo Posted December 31, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2007 Achieving the perfect soft-boiled egg (not too runny) still eludes me though. My way is to lift the egg out of the water with a spoon and, whilst holding it over the the pan for drips, watch how quickly the shell dries. It is a fairly precise method because the speed of drying depends on the temperature within, and the convection of heat in a solid body is different from that in a liquid one.I find it is best when it takes about a second to dry.This cannot possibly be a precise method - the rate of evaporation will also be affected by the barometric pressure, purity of the water, ambient air temperature and relative humidy of the air in the kitchen and how still you are able to hold the spoon. It is possibly also influenced by the moon's phase, your alcohol intake and the cleanliness of your spectacles.Not only is your method misplaced - so is your post - which properly belongs to my thread on boiled eggs - not roast potatoes. It would be a culinary disaster to get your roast spuds confused with boiled eggs. Ova and out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted December 31, 2007 Report Share Posted December 31, 2007 Ova and out.Why aye man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted January 1, 2008 Report Share Posted January 1, 2008 Been doing the spuds that way for many years. They are delicious. :D :D :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tankus Posted January 1, 2008 Report Share Posted January 1, 2008 Add some coarse chopped raw onion and a couple of dollops of patacks vindaloo curry paste (to taste) to the first post for Bombay roasties (baste and turn a couple of times , some of the onions will caramelise and stick to the spuds ......excellent side dish while making a few currys my fav Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irene Posted January 1, 2008 Report Share Posted January 1, 2008 Add some coarse chopped raw onion and a couple of dollops of patacks vindaloo curry paste (to taste) to the first post for Bombay roasties (baste and turn a couple of times , some of the onions will caramelise and stick to the spuds ......excellent side dish while making a few currysSounds very interesting, Tankus. My problem would be that I don't like hot spiced flavour.... ...Love the aroma, but can't take the heat! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchful Posted January 1, 2008 Report Share Posted January 1, 2008 No curry for me either Tankus. Does not agree with my delicate digestive system Regarding the boiled egg advice (haven't yet seen the egg thread ) could you make it a little less complicated? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tankus Posted January 1, 2008 Report Share Posted January 1, 2008 You could always try Korma taties Sliced potatoes slow cooked in a Korma sauce (turmeric coconut milk/paste and a bit of dessicated cocconut or ground almonds thrown in to thicken the sauce ) ...no onions .... keeps the flavour gentle I'm also rather partial to curried boiled eggs ...have to live with yourself the next day though ....er ....perhaps rephrase that ...other people have to !cook them with meatballs , (ground beef some shaved ginger ,sliced shallotts , sliced mild chilles and an egg to bind , palm into egg sized balls) ....cook in a vindaloo sauce open the doors , 3hrs 40 min after consumption ( thats how long my dietry tract needs to build up a head of gas for unstoppable cheek vibrating window rattlers ) Ive timed it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irene Posted January 1, 2008 Report Share Posted January 1, 2008 You could always try Korma taties Sliced potatoes slow cooked in a Korma sauce (turmeric coconut milk/paste and a bit of dessicated cocconut or ground almonds thrown in to thicken the sauce ) ...no onions .... keeps the flavour gentle I'm also rather partial to curried boiled eggs ...have to live with yourself the next day though ....er ....perhaps rephrase that ...other people have to !cook them with meatballs , (ground beef some shaved ginger ,sliced shallotts , sliced mild chilles and an egg to bind , palm into egg sized balls) ....cook in a vindaloo sauce open the doors , 3hrs 40 min after consumption ( thats how long my dietry tract needs to build up a head of gas for unstoppable cheek vibrating window rattlers ) Ive timed it :lol: :lol: :lol: I do make curry myself.... with celery, green peppers, oinions, garlic and enough turmeric, ginger etc etc, to make it curry. Yesterday, I used some of the dark meat from the turkey to make one. I served it with boiled rice and naan bread... It was delicious! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalph Posted January 1, 2008 Report Share Posted January 1, 2008 Why aye man.An excellent quote of the Geordie twang there catgate, well done! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artist Posted January 2, 2008 Report Share Posted January 2, 2008 God! I've only been gone two days and I've missed a cookery course!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rong Posted January 2, 2008 Report Share Posted January 2, 2008 God! I've only been gone two days and I've missed a cookery course!! Why blame me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchful Posted January 2, 2008 Report Share Posted January 2, 2008 Cooking doesn't appeal to me except the eating of it :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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