Michelle's Roast Potatoes

I could eat these every night. With Wednesday night's herb salad, and a slice of prosciutto cotto, or jambon de Paris, with a nice tub of mustard nearby. Maris Piper are great, but if you can get a Scottish variety all the better. Blue-skinned Arran Victory is the king of roasties, a claim backed up by Heston himself (natural dryness guarantees crispiness). Other good British varieties include the sweeter Dunbar Rover, British Queen, King Edwards and the red Duke of York. On the issue of fat, I think below is the best way to go; although I'd like to try the Michael Caine (apparently a very good cook!) method of soaking the boiled potatoes in a 1 cm of cold EVOO, adding some rosemary and sage leaves for extra taste (marinating them in cold EVOO allows the fat to be absorbed into the fuzzy surface and makes a thicker crust). Below can also be tried with duck or goose fat, pork lard or beef drippings for a more old-fashioned flavor. Also in step 7 below, consider heating oil before putting spuds into the baking tray.

Maris Piper Potatoes, about one large potato per person, peeled & cut into quarters (4cm)

1 tblsp EVOO

S&P

1 tsp saffron, if desired

baking tray to accommodate all potatoes comfortably in one layer

1. pre-heat oven to 220*C and place baking tray with 2 tblsp of oil in it
2. put potatoes in a pot with boiling water to almost cover them
3. add 1 tblsp of salt (and half of crushed saffron powder if using); salt speeds the crumbling of the cells, making the potato a fraction crunchier
4. bring potatoes back to a boil then cover and simmer gently until outer edge of potatoes are fluffy (approximately 6 minutes, depending on size)
5. drain water with potatoes in the pan. Holding lid firmly on pan, shake vigorously to create a fluffy surface on the potatoes
6. remove baking tray from oven and place on direct medium heat
7. place potatoes into baking tray and turn potatoes so they are evenly coated with oil (if using saffron, baste potatoes with remaining oil/saffron mixture)
8. return tray to highest shelf in oven and bake for 40-50 minutes until potatoes are golden and crunchy
9. 15 minutes before end of cooking time, add rosemary sprig and a few cloves of garlic
10. season with salt and serve straightaway