Rocking Roast Potatoes!

 At this time of year the flowers are beginning to appear on the potato plants in the nearby fields and within another week it will be time to dig those first potatoes of the season. These delicious new potatoes require a simple quick wash to remove any soil, and then they can then be steamed or lightly boiled in their skins, dollop on a lump of real...and I mean REAL butter, a dash of sea salt and away you go....one of the most Irish of Irish dishes, and quite divine it is too!

But we all love a roast potato too yet it it not the done thing to roast a newly dug spud, sacrilege at it's worst! There are many schools of thought out there on how to achieve the perfect roast potato and every chef and home cook has their own philosophy about how it should be done.....I am no different....so don't act surprised!




There are a few rules one should follow to help you achieve that perfect blend of crisp exterior and fluffy dry centre, so.....

• choose a potato that when cooked has a naturally dry, starchy, fluffy texture...I find the rooster potato fits the bill
• choose large potatoes you can cut to size yourself....if the potato has more sides exposed to the heat and the fat....the final result is better
• choose a fat that has a high heat point....by that we mean a pure fat that has to get really, really hot before it begins to smoke.....beef dripping, duck or goose fat, or as I have now discovered....bacon fat!
• make sure your oven is at temperature before putting in your potatoes
• DON'T CROWD THE POTATOES!....leave space between each one

And so with that behind us...on with the recipe

You will need: feeds 4 - 6 people

1 kilogram rooster potatoes....try to get the dark pink skinned ones 

4 tablespoons bacon fat.... from either smoked or ordinary bacon....you may be able to buy it or you can just save it every time you grill your bacon...it keeps for weeks in the fridge! if that doesn't appeal to you then try and get pure pork dripping

sea salt

How to: 

1. pre heat the oven to 200oC
2. peel the potatoes using a potato peeler so they are nicely rounded all over, roosters rarely have eyes so you won't be gouging at the potatoes
3. cut the potatoes in half then cut them into even pieces, try and get as many sides as you can to each roasty, 3 or 5 is good
4. wash the pieces in cold water quickly so they don't loose a lot of their starch, and drain
5. place the potato pieces on a fluffy, clean tea towel and dry thoroughly!
6. take a deep sauteuse suitable to put in the oven or a deep roasting pan and heat your fat
7. when the fat begins to shimmer add each potato piece gently so you don't splash and get burnt!
8. let the potatoes sizzle on each side for a moment then turn and sizzle the next side
9. when all sides have had a go, turn the heat off and make sure the potato pieces are well spaced and not touching each other
10. place the tray in the oven and cook for approx 10 minutes
11. take the tray out and turn each potato, return to the oven for another 15 minutes
12. check the potatoes to see if they are cooked in the centre, if not then give them a little longer in the oven
13. remove from the oven and transfer to a serving dish, use a slotted spoon for this task, we don't want them swimming in grease on the dinner plate, feel free to drain them on kitchen paper if you like
14. dust with a good smatter of sea salt and serve up

If you are not pushed for time you can leave your potatoes whole without cutting them, you can score them along one side and this will help them crisp up and absorb that delicious fat!