Roast Potatoes

Following on from the previous post on my blog, I would like to share with you a scrummy recipe for roast potatoes. There is always someone that you know that can cook fab roast potatoes - crispy on the outside, fluffy in the middle and really flavoursome! The person I learnt from was my mum's second husband. They were so light and delicious, the only thing was they weren't that flavoursome, so I always felt I needed to put loads of salt on them. So, I adapted his recipe, as you will see...

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Ingredients

Potatoes (whatever kind you want, I normally use baking and however many you like)

Sunflower oil

Mixed Herbs

Salt

1. Pour sunflower oil into a roasting tin until the oil is about 1cm deep throughout the pan. Add the mixed herbs to the oil and allow to infuse for about 10mins. Put the roasting tin into a pre heated oven at 180degreesC.

2. Peel and cut your potatoes into reasonable sized roasties. Put them into a pan of boiling, salted water and allow the potatoes to cook for about 10-15mins or until you can fluff them with a fork. Drain the potatoes and shake vividly in the colander until they look all scratched and rough. 

3. Remove the roasting tin from the oven and place one potato in the oil. It should sizzle VERY loudly - that is how you know the oil is hot enough. Place all of the potatoes in the scorching oil very carefully and making sure that every side of the potato has been touched by the herby oil. Allow to cook for 1hour and 15mins. Shake half way through and make sure every side is even in colour.

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There we go, perfect home made roasties that are a much healthier alternative to many recipes you will find, due to the sunflower oil instead of lard or goose fat, and mixed herbs for flavouring instead of salt. If I had to choose between having a joint of meat on my Sunday roast, or home made herby roasties, the potatoes would win hands down...every time!

Bon Appetit!!