Mary Berry has shared her "best" recipe for roast potatoes, which home cooks say "works every time". The recipe, from her book Simple Comforts, promises "perfect crisp roast potatoes" with a fluffy centre.
Why the recipe works
The recipe description reads: "For the ultimate roast potato to serve at your Sunday roast, look no further than Mary Berry's failsafe recipe. It delivers perfectly crisp roasties with a fluffy centre every time."
Happy Foodie, which shared the recipe, explained: "A roast potato should be ultra-crispy and golden on the outside with a fluffy light middle. Par-boiling the potatoes ahead and roughing them up before roasting gives a lovely crispy outside, with the semolina adding extra crunch. If you don’t have any goose fat, use extra sunflower oil."
Home cook reviews
The recipe has received positive reviews from those who have tried it. One person said: "Perfect crisp roast potatoes. Works every time!! Thank you Mary!" Another added: "I simply love using this recipe. It is easy to follow and it never fails to impress dinner guests. The end result is worth it. They are tasty and full of flavour."
Someone else commented: "Genius! The semolina addition was fabulous!" A fourth shared: "Fantastic, now I have to do all the roast potatoes for my family, whether it’s my turn or not!!"
Ingredients and method
The recipe serves six and uses 1kg of potatoes such as Maris Piper or King Edward, 50g semolina, three tablespoons of goose fat, three tablespoons of sunflower oil, and salt.
To make it, preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Put the potato chunks into a pan of cold, salted water and bring to the boil. Boil for around five minutes until the potatoes are starting to soften around the edges. Drain in a colander until completely dry, then return them to the pan and shake to rough up the edges. Sprinkle in the semolina and shake again until coated.
Preheat a roasting tin in the oven until hot. Add the goose fat and oil, and heat for five minutes until smoking. Add the potatoes and turn them in the fat until coated. Return to the oven and roast for around 45 to 55 minutes, turning the potatoes over halfway through. The potatoes should be golden brown and crisp. Serve hot.
The potatoes can be roasted up to 12 hours ahead. Before serving, reheat in a hot oven for 15 to 20 minutes without any extra fat.
