Best Roasted Potato Recipe - How to Get the Best from Roasting Potatoes

Potatoes are an important source of vitamin C, higher in protein than most other vegetables and, cooked with their skins, also a good source of fiber.My absolute favorite way to cook them is to roast them in the oven, preferably in duck fat.

It always amazes me that potatoes in the grocery store are displayed in bright light, washed and prepackaged in see-through bags. This is, of course, a ruse by the grocery stores to get you to throw away more potatoes and therefore buy more. Here is my reasoning:

Washing potatoes in warm water causes them to begin to rot. How many times have you taken a bag of potatoes home and had to throw half of them away a week later? And why wash them anyway? Potatoes grow under ground – in the dirt – why on earth (sic) should anyone want a washed potato? The answer is because Kroger or Sainsbury’s are trying to convince you that dirt on a potato is bad – therefore they wash them – therefore they rot quickly – therefore they get thrown away – therefore you buy more. Simple.

Bright lights are what make them go green. No one wants to eat a green potato. Therefore the supermarkets place them in open bags on display in bright lights. This makes them go green quicker, therefore you throw them away, therefore you buy more. What a waste – Supermarket chain bosses should be taken out and shot - they are scum. If I can possibly avoid it, I will not shop in a large supermarket. Sometimes I have no choice because they have put the little guys out of business.

So, what can you do to prevent this waste? First, if possible, buy unwashed potatoes. Buy them in closed, PAPER bags and reseal the bag after opening. This will make them last a lot longer.

My favorite potato recipe is roast potatoes. Here is my recipe.

You will need:

Equipment:

• A large saucepan
• A roasting tin
• A cutting board
• A sharp knife
• A fork

Ingredients:

• Potatoes (1/2 lb per person)
• Fat
• Salt and pepper

First, peel and quarter the potatoes. Next, place them in a saucepan full of cold water and bring to the boil on a high heat with a big pinch of salt. Boil for 10 minutes.

• Arran Victory
• Cara
• Celine
• Desiree
• Maxine
• Picasso
• Remarka
• Romano
• Dunbar Standard
  
• King Edward
• Kondor
• Maris Piper

While the potatoes are boiling, preheat the oven to 425F. Place the roasting tin in the oven will a large dollop of fat in to heat up (2 oz per pound of potatoes). My favorite is duck fat, followed by lard (beef) followed by peanut oil. These are the best fats to use for cooking roast potatoes. When the potatoes have cooked for 10 minutes, drain them in a colander and put them on the cutting board. Take the fork, and rough up the outside of the potatoes, scraping with the tines of the fork. Take the roasting tin out of the oven.

The fat should be hot now. Put the potatoes in the tin , sprinkle with salt and pepper and give them a good shake to cover with fat. Place them back in the oven and cook for about 45 minutes, until brown and crispy. If you are serving them with roast beef or turkey, this should be about as long as you leave the meat to stand, so time it so the potatoes go in as the meat comes out.

Enjoy!