Ultimate Roast Potatoes

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Ultimate Roast Potatoes

Ingredient Notes

Starchy potatoes:

Variety matters here. Starchy potatoes have a dry, fluffy interior that breaks down beautifully when parboiled aggressively and tossed in the colander, creating the craggly surface that forms the crust. Waxy varieties like Desiree or Kipfler have too much moisture and won’t develop the same texture. In Australia, Sebago is the most widely available starchy variety and my go-to. In the UK, Maris Piper or King Edward are the standard. In the US, look for Russet Burbank.

Beef tallow:

Tallow is rendered beef fat and it’s the key to the crust on these potatoes. It has a smoke point of around 250°C, well above what’s needed for roasting, and conducts heat into the potato surface more efficiently than most plant-based oils. It also adds a subtle beefy richness that makes these taste like proper roast potatoes. Tallow is available from good butchers and some supermarkets. Lard or duck fat are the best substitutes. Avoid butter or olive oil as their low smoke points will cause them to burn before the crust has a chance to form.

Beef stock:

Parboiling in beef stock instead of water seasons the potato from the inside out and adds a savoury base note that stays through to the final bite. Use a good quality store-bought stock. The leftover stock after parboiling will be starchy and enriched with the aromatics. Don’t tip it down the drain. Save it as a gravy base or soup starter. It won’t be crystal clear but the flavour is excellent. Chicken stock works well as a substitute and keeps the recipe lighter in colour.

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Ingredients

2kg (4.4 lbs) starchy potatoes (Sebago, Maris Piper, Russet Burbank)
6 cloves garlic
4 fresh Bay leaves
6 sprigs thyme
6 sprigs rosemary
Sea salt, to season
2 L beef stock
beef tallow, for roasting (approximately 500ml/2 cups)
flakey sea salt, to serve

Equipment

Chopping board
Chef’s knife
Large saucepan with lid
Colander
Stovetop-proof roasting tray (or heavy-based oven tray)
Tongs
Sieve (for straining tallow)
Paper towel
Serving platter
Airtight container (for storing infused tallow)

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Directions

PARBOIL THE POTATOES

Peel the potatoes and rinse in cold water. Chop into 5cm (2in) chunks. Place them in a large saucepan.
Add 2 of the garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves, 2 sprigs each of the thyme and rosemary, a pinch of salt and the beef stock.
Cover and place over a medium heat. Bring to a light boil.
Uncover and cook for 30 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender and almost falling apart. While you’re waiting for these to cook, start step 1 and 2 in the First Bake section.
Transfer the potatoes to a colander and leave for 6-7 minutes to steam, reserving the stock for another use (see notes).

FIRST BAKE

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan forced (390°F).
Place a stovetop-proof roasting tray over a medium high heat. Add enough tallow to be 5mm (0.2in) deep and let it melt (or you can heat the tray with tallow in the oven if it is not stovetop-proof).
Toss the potatoes in the colander to rough up the edges.
Carefully add the potatoes to the tray in a single layer. Season with salt and cook for 5 minutes, until golden brown on one side.
Carefully turn the potatoes over and transfer the roasting tray to the oven. Roast for 25 minutes.

SECOND BAKE AND SERVE

Remove the tray from the oven and turn the potatoes over again. Add the remaining garlic, bay leaves, rosemary and thyme.
Return to the oven and cook for a further 30 minutes, until golden brown and crunchy all over.
Transfer the potatoes to a paper towel lined bowl to drain briefly, then place them on a serving platter and season with flakey sea salt. Serve immediately.

Notes

Chef Tips

Parboil until the potatoes are almost falling apart

After 30 minutes in the stock, the potatoes should be very soft with edges starting to break. That degree of cook-through is what gives you the rough, craggly surface when you toss them in the colander.

Get the tallow ripping hot before the potatoes go in

This only works if the tallow is fully hot before the potatoes go in. Add the tallow to your roasting tray and put it in the oven to heat through until it is shimmering and almost smoking. When you carefully slide the first potato in, you should hear an immediate, aggressive sizzle. If you don’t, give it a few more minutes. If the fat isn’t hot enough, the potatoes will stick and stew rather than get that crust. Work in a single layer so every potato has direct contact with the hot tallow. Please be careful with this step and the tallow will get very hot!

Storage

Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in a hot oven at 200°C for 15 minutes to bring the crust back. Don’t microwave them as they’ll steam and go soft. The infused tallow can be strained through a sieve, stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to a month. It’s excellent for roasting vegetables or searing meat and comes with the garlic and herb flavour already built in.

FAQs

Can I make these ahead of time?

Yes. Parboil the potatoes, rough them up in the colander, then spread them on a tray and refrigerate uncovered for up to 24 hours. The cold air dries the surface out further, which actually improves the crust. Go straight from the fridge into the hot fat. No need to bring them back to room temperature first.

Can I use a different fat instead of tallow?

Lard is the closest substitute and gives a very similar result. Duck fat is another excellent option with a slightly richer flavour. If you need a vegetable-based option, choose a high smoke-point oil: rice bran, sunflower, or refined coconut all work. Avoid olive oil, butter, or anything with a low smoke point as they will burn before the crust has a chance to form properly.

Can I make these vegetarian?

Yes. Swap the beef stock for a good quality vegetable stock and use a neutral high smoke-point oil or vegetable shortening instead of tallow. You won’t get the same depth of flavour from the parboiling liquid, but the technique works just the same and the result is still far better than a standard roast potato. The recipe is gluten free as written regardless of which stock you use.