Celebrity chef James Martin has revealed that the majority of people are ruining their roast potatoes by making the same common error.
While many people may not feel like having a roast dinner in this weather, when temperatures drop they will be back on the menu – and no roast is complete without roast potatoes.
The roast potato mistake
The ITV star is one of the most celebrated and well-known culinary figures in the UK, and has been a fixture on British television for decades. He knows his way around a kitchen and he has offered guidance on the simple mistakes people make when roasting potatoes as part of a traditional Sunday roast.
In a previous YouTube interview with Fane Productions, James explained how one crucial error occurs when people attempt to cook their meat and potatoes simultaneously, reports the Express.
Alongside highlighting the importance of water when cooking potatoes, James explained: "Potatoes. Plenty of water. What you don't want with potatoes is you need to make sure the starch is taken off it so don't cram the pan full."
"So, plenty of water, pinch of salt, bring it to the boil, cook them for about three or four minutes, drain them off into a colander. Like I said what a lot of chefs do is put them in straight into a tray with some, it's either lard, dripping, or duck fat nowadays over the top, put them in the freezer."
"When you want them, take them out, one hour in the oven, really hot oven, 200 degrees. When your meat's out of the oven, that's when your roast potatoes should go in. Do not put the potatoes in at the same time as the meat otherwise everything doesn't cook well."
Perfect bacon sandwich tips
Elsewhere, James has previously shared his expertise on how to create the perfect bacon sandwich.
Drawing on fond memories of visiting his grandmother's home for one, James explained his preference for dry-cured bacon when making his own version of the beloved British staple.
He said: "What I mean by proper bacon is this stuff. It's dry-cured fat bacon. I pretty much dry-fry the bacon for this, so it gets all crispy with only a smear of butter."
James also recommended spreading butter on white bread to accompany the pork, while dismissing other varieties of bread as unsuitable.
He said: "You take the softened butter like this and you butter the bread. So much that it almost comes through to the other side."
There are few things more enjoyable than a bacon sandwich. Too many chefs are messing around doing ciabattas and focaccias and all these different sorts of stuff.
"White sliced bread. When you eat this, you should feel as if you're about to go to heaven. A real good bacon sandwich should fill you up for the entire day."
Back on ITV
James returns to the UK's screens this morning (August 1st) on ITV with James Martin's Saturday Morning from 9.30am.
