Chef Tom Kerridge has shared some top tips for making the perfect roast potatoes – and it turns out many of us have been cooking them wrong all along
Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge has dished out some revolutionary advice on how to achieve the perfect roast potato, asserting that many have been getting it wrong all this time.
In a promotional Instagram video for the latest episode of the Proper Tasty podcast, Kerridge was asked about his secret to the ideal roastie.
The culinary genius from The Hidden World of Hospitality revealed that many cooks are messing up the process and consequently missing out on that “lovely, creative, crusty beautiful skin”.
Tom explained: “Don’t do that thing where you put a lid on and you shake it once you drain the water. You gently poach them all the way through, then lift them out.”
Chris Stark from the podcast queried: “You don’t boil them? ” To which Tom responded: “No, boil them, but a lot of people boil them for five minutes, then drain the water with the lid on a saucepan and then shake the saucepan.”, reports Gloucestershire Live.
He continued: “Don’t do that! Gently, softly boil them away in salted water; then, when they’re cooked, with a slotted spoon, lift them out and put them onto a cake rack, alright.”
“Then leave them to cool. Then take the potatoes and gently place them into the oil and all you’re doing then, it’s almost frying and roasting them at the same time.”
“They’re already cooked; you haven’t got to worry about them being soft and fluffy. So you’re giving them just a lovely, creative, crusty beautiful skin. It’s the best way of doing it.
Tom previously dished out his secrets for nailing the ultimate roast potatoes.
Chatting on Joe Marler’s Things People Do podcast, he spilled the beans about his journey through the culinary world and served up a step-by-step masterclass on crafting the perfect roasties.
He suggested kicking things off by simmering them in briny water until they’re perfectly tender, warning cooks to steer clear of overdoing it.
After they’re done, Tom recommends fishing them out with a slotted spoon and letting them air-dry on a cake rack at room temperature, which will make them “go all crackly and broken”.
To finish off, he says to toss them onto a preheated tray slicked with hot veggie oil and roast them in the oven at 200-210C until they turn “golden and crispy”.
