For many across the UK, a Sunday roast or Christmas dinner is simply incomplete without a serving of perfectly crispy and fluffy roast potatoes. Now, a social media food expert has revealed the one crucial step that home cooks frequently forget, promising to elevate this classic dish to new heights.
The Secret to the Ultimate Roasties
Harrison Webb, a food content creator with an impressive following of 816,000 on TikTok, has shared his straightforward method for creating the ideal roast potato. In a recent video that has captivated home cooks, he emphasised that the key lies not just in the ingredients, but in a specific timing technique often overlooked.
Harrison begins his process by peeling the potatoes and cutting them into uniformly sized pieces to ensure even cooking. He then stresses the importance of rinsing them thoroughly to remove all excess starch, continuing until the water runs completely clear.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Perfection
The next stage involves infusing the potatoes with flavour. Harrison advises adding two garlic cloves, four sprigs of rosemary, and a generous amount of salt to the potatoes before simmering them until they are soft. Once drained and left to dry, the potatoes are coated in goose fat in a hot tray for their initial 30-minute roast.
While they are in the oven, he recommends preparing a homemade rosemary salt by grinding down a tablespoon each of salt and fresh rosemary, and adding a touch of lemon zest for a citrus kick.
The Crucial 'Forgotten' Final Step
After the first half-hour, Harrison reveals the step that most people miss. "Take them out and baste them again, then chunk them back in," he instructs. But the real secret comes next. After this baste, most cooks would consider the job done. Harrison insists otherwise: "Give them another toss, just another 20 minutes. I promise you it'll make the difference."
This final 20-minute blast in the oven is what transforms the potatoes from simply cooked to supremely crispy and golden. The finished potatoes are then drained, sprinkled with the aromatic rosemary salt, and given a final mix before serving.
The method has proven incredibly popular online, with the original video amassing a staggering 360,000 likes and hundreds of comments from eager foodies. One enthusiast wrote, "Roast potatoes are so good, especially with gravy!" while another declared, "I might have to try them for sure." Some viewers inquired about sourcing goose fat, while others confirmed the cooking temperature is around 180C.
For those seeking an alternative technique, another reliable method involves spreading the potatoes in a single layer with plenty of room, roasting for 15 minutes, turning them over, and repeating this process before finally scattering with sea salt flakes and serving immediately.
