Christmas Dinner -Potatoes

Whatever roast Turkey, Ham or Beef you have chosen for your Christmas Dinner you will need some potatoes to help mop up the delicious gravy and I am going to give you three recipes. The first is guaranteed to give you a plate full of Perfect Roasties to serve up on the table. The second is for luxurious butter and stock braised Fondant Potatoes, packed full of flavour, and the final recipe is for my new favourite that doesn’t even need peeling and are really, really, crisp. You need a fluffy, floury potato such as a King Edward or Desiree for the first two recipes and Charlottes are perfect for the third.

Perfect Roast Potatoes

Some people will consider it a tragedy to put anything on a roast potato to make it crispier, but I have tried both flour and cornmeal and you do get an extra crunchy texture. The greatest heresy is however what you cook the potatoes in. I am from the North of England and only Beef Dripping will suffice, the chef’s choice is Duck or Goose fat. There is a sensible reason for both of these choices, the high temperature both of these fats can reach without burning helps achieve an excellent crisp potato. You can, however, achieve perfectly satisfactory results with a quality vegetable oil.

1 kg Potatoes, peeled and halved or quartered if very large

2 tablespoons Flour or fine Cornmeal ( entirely optional )

6 -8 tablespoons Beef Dripping or Duck Fat

Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

Heat your oven to 220 C / 425 F / Gas Mark 6-7. Put the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with water and to the boil. Cook for five minutes, then remove from the heat. Drain the potatoes well, then return to the pan and shake in order to rough up the edges a little. Sprinkle with some salt and freshly ground pepper and the flour or cornmeal if you or adding it. Place the dripping or duck fat in a large roasting tray and heat in the oven until it is hot ( about five minutes ).

Remove the tray from the oven and very carefully add the potatoes, stirring with a wooden spoon to make sure they are totally covered with the fat. Roast the potatoes for fifty to sixty minutes then give them a stir and cook for around another fifty to twenty minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain and serve.

Allergens in this recipe are;

Please see the Allergens Page

Fabulous Fondants

Fondants are often cooked totally in butter and are very indulgent, this recipe uses a mixture of butter and stock to give the finished potatoes a lot of flavour. This recipe is flavoured with garlic and thyme but you can use fresh rosemary, sage and bay leaves.

4 medium sized Potatoes, peeled and cut into barrel shapes

150 gr Salted Butter

100 ml quality Chicken or Vegetable Stock

2 Garlic cloves, peeled, slightly crushed

2-3 sprigs fresh Thyme

A grate of fresh Nutmeg

Sea Salt flakes and freshly ground Black Pepper

Heat your oven to 220 C / 425 F / Gas Mark 6-7. Heat the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat. When the butter is starting to foam, add the potatoes and fry on one side until deep golden-brown, then turn and cook on the next side. Continue until the potato is golden-brown on each side, do not be tempted to move the potato whilst it is browning as it may stick.

Remove from the heat and carefully pour in the stock, then add the garlic cloves and thyme sprigs. The fat will spit, and splutter so make sure your arms are covered when you do this. Generously season and place in the oven. Cook for around thirty-five to forty minutes or until the potato is soft when pierced with a skewer or small sharp knife. Carefully transfer to serving bowl or plate.

Allergens in this recipe are;

Please see the Allergens Page

Crunchy Crushed Spuds

This recipe is flavoured with garlic and thyme, but you can use fresh rosemary, sage and bay leaves.

2kg New Potatoes

A good Slug of Olive Oil ( around 4 tablespoons )

A large knob of Butter

6 Garlic cloves, unpeeled and bruised

A small sprig of Thyme

Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

Preheat the oven to 200 C/ 400 F / Gas Mark 6. Place the potatoes in a pan of salted water, and bring to the boil then simmer for ten minutes until just tender. Remove from the heat and drain. Heat the oil and butter in a roasting tin in the oven until the butter has melted and it is starting to bubble in the meantime lightly crush the potatoes with the back of a wooden spoon or a fork. Carefully remove the tray from the oven and add the potatoes, garlic, and thyme and turn in the hot oil and butter. Sprinkle with sea salt and plenty of black pepper and roast for twenty minutes until golden and crusty, then turn the potatoes and roast for a further twenty minutes. When the potatoes are crisp remove with a slotted spoon, drain and serve.

Allergens in this recipe are;

Please see the Allergens Page