Those of us that cook Christmas dinner will brag that ours are the best roast potatoes and they can’t be beaten.
Of course, roast potatoes are a long-standing Christmas dinner staple and, chances are, everybody who takes pride in theirs is joint winners with one another. There’s no competition here.
Well.
There’s no competition among home cooks because I am actually the champion of roast potatoes and there really isn’t a close second to my crunchy, fluffy taters. Everybody’s are great, mine are the best.
You know how I know they’re the best? Because they’re adopted from none other than Mary Berry.
When it comes to the ingredients for her recipe featured in her show Mary Berry’s Ultimate Christmas, our Mary keeps it simple with just these:
However, the real magic is actually in the method.
Mary says: “A roast potato should be ultra crispy and golden on the outside with a fluffy light middle. Par-boiling and roughing them up before roasting gives a lovely crunchy exterior and the semolina adds an extra crunchy coating.”
That’s the first stage of her magic.
The second, though, is baking them twice.
Mary advises: “You can prepare the potatoes up to 12 hours ahead of serving. The potatoes can be part-roasted for 35 minutes until golden. Then, before serving, roast again in the hot oven for about 20 minutes.”
TWICE ROASTED. The imagination! The depth of flavour! The looks on my loved one’s faces as they tuck into yet another culinary marvel!
Now, for my final twist on this method — some cheesy goodness. What is Christmas without cheese?
On the second bake, put some grated parmesean over the potatoes and give them a good shake-up before popping them in the oven. Measure with your heart, a little goes a long way.
That’s what Christmas is really about. Potatoes and cheese.
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