A couple weeks ago, I caught the flu, and it was terrible, as you could guess. Overall, it took me a week and then some to get back to almost normal — the first five days were hell. Once I was over the hump and at least not bedridden, I decided to attempt some cooking. After all, it is a favorite hobby of mine, and I was stuck in the house for days. During my bedroom hibernation, I did manage to watch a little YouTube and find some inspiration. “Proper roast potatoes.” Say it with your best English accent. It’s fun, and makes it sound more fancy.
First things first: Get some quality gold potatoes; if you can’t find gold, yellow is fine. Preheat your oven to 360°, then peel your potatoes, and give them a good rinse under cold water. While they dry, pluck about three leaves off your fresh thyme. Fill a pot with water, add some salt, and bring it to a boil.
Cut the potatoes into even pieces that have at least two flat sides. I did mine the size of roughly two bites. It is super-important to make sure they’re the same size, as this ensures even cooking for all the potatoes. Once your water is boiling, carefully add in your cut potatoes, and boil for about 8 to 10 minutes. You’re looking for your potatoes to still be somewhat firm. You should be able to stick a knife into a piece without it falling apart or slipping off the knife like butter. Once they are parboiled, pour them into a colander, then cover lightly with a rag and let rest for 8 minutes. This allows them to steam a little, and gets us ready for the next step.
While we wait, get a good oven-safe pan that can be used on the stovetop as well. Put it on the stove, and fill the bottom with a healthy amount of duck fat. If you don’t have duck fat, a good olive oil is great, too. I personally used some quality beef tallow I had in the house, since I did not have duck fat. Your fat should be at least a centimeter or two up the sides of your pan; don’t be shy — fat equals flavor.
Heat the pan over medium heat. Grab the colander, and toss the potatoes almost like you’re flipping wings in sauce. This roughens the edges and will give you a nice crust. This part is crucial, and the only reason we can toss them without them falling apart is because we parboiled them correctly. If you toss them in the colander and they fall apart, you’ve boiled them too long. Now take the potatoes, gently pour them into the pan, spread them apart, and sear for one minute. Next, you’ll want to salt the potatoes before putting them into your preheated oven.
Then you’re going to roast them in the oven for about 30 minutes, safely flipping them every 8 to 10 minutes, so each side of the potatoes gets a nice golden-brown crust. Cooking times may vary depending on the oven, so make sure you keep flipping them every 8 to 10 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when all sides are golden brown. Once they’re done, pull them out, and season with a pinch of salt and the fresh thyme. (Insert British accent:) Well, proper job, mate! You just made some top-notch roast potatoes. You can use these as a side for so many meals and impress those eating your cooking. P.S.: My wife fancies these with some sour cream! Cheers.
360°F oven
Good-sized OVEN-SAFE pan
6 to 8 medium-sized potatoes (gold or yellow)
3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme
Duck fat (olive oil or beef tallow is great, too)
Kosher salt