Jamie Oliver’s roast potato hack makes the ultimate crispy roasties & saves you time on Christmas Day
Roast potatoes are a much-loved staple in a traditional Christmas dinner.
A good chef will find it easy to perfect their crispy outer skin and soft, fluffy middle.
And luckily Jamie Oliver is on hand with all the tips and tricks you need to achieve potato perfection.
He’s teamed up with Channel 4 to present ‘Jamie’s Time-Saving Christmas Roast Hacks’.
Jamie starts by advising on which variety of potato to buy: “When it comes to the humble potato, I buy the Maris Piper, it’s brilliant.”
Don’t fear if your local supermarket’s shelves have been swept – you can also use King Edwards.
“I peel these, I keep them whole and I par-boil them in salted boiling water for 15 minutes.”
Jamie then allows the potatoes to sit in the colander and drain.
“Now the first part of the recipe is just that.
“Having that residual moisture just steaming away is really, really important.”
Jamie then goes on to explain how your choice of fat will affect your roastie: “Butter gives an amazing sweetness and richness.
“Turkey fat gives a stocky, depth of flavour.
“Olive oil is just fantastic, you get that peppery grassiness.”
In the video, Jamie chooses to use a blend of all three fats.
He adds a drizzle of olive oil and a knob of butter to his cooking tray, with just a little bit of turkey fat.
He allows his fats to warm by popping the tray on the hob, before topping with a few sprigs of rosemary.
He then adds some fresh garlic cloves – but leaves their skins on to protect them.
Now back to the potatoes – Jamie gives them a good shake in the colander, giving their edges a rough texture, before tossing them into the warm fat.
He says: “The fats are going to flavour the potatoes. It’s also going to create that crunch, and colour on the outside.
“You can do this the day before, cover it up, put them in the garage, or somewhere cold.
“Then, you’re properly ahead of the game, which is really great.”
Jamie then adds them to the oven at 180° Celsius (350° Fahrenheit) for about an hour and twenty minutes.
He tells the viewers to take their spuds out halfway through the cooking process, then use a fish knife to squash them a little bit.
“This creates even more surface area and even more crunch.”
Jamie takes his potatoes from the oven and shows the viewers his golden results: “That is a thing of joy.
“Oh my god,” he says between mouthfuls of potato “that is so good.”
Jamie's step-by-step to perfect potatoes
- Peel and par-boil your potatoes for 15 minutes.
- Leave to cool and allow residual moisture to escape.
- Warm up chosen fat, adding rosemary and fresh garlic.
- Give the potatoes a good shake before transferring them to the fat.
- Pop in the oven at 180° Celsius (350° Fahrenheit) for around an hour and twenty minutes.
- Halfway through cooking time, squash down slightly with a fish knife.
- Enjoy the happy faces around your dinner table!