Michelin-starred chef Angela Hartnett has shared her fool-proof recipe for achieving perfectly crispy roast potatoes, with the secret lying in the choice of fat. Speaking on the Dish from Waitrose podcast alongside Nick Grimshaw and actress Keira Knightley, Hartnett revealed that duck fat is her preferred fat for creating a crunchy exterior and fluffy centre.
Hartnett recommends using Maris Piper potatoes, which are excellent for both chips and roasting. She advises boiling the potatoes in cold water with a pinch of salt, bringing them to a gentle simmer for six to eight minutes, leaving them slightly underdone. After draining, the potatoes should be returned to the pan over heat for one to two minutes to remove excess moisture.
The chef emphasises preheating duck fat in a roasting tin at 180°C before adding the potatoes. Once coated, the potatoes should be roasted at 200°C. The recipe has garnered over 275,500 views on social media, with many users eager to try it.
For home cooks, the full method involves heating the oven to 180°C, warming the fat in a roasting tray, and boiling chopped potatoes for nine minutes. After draining and shaking to roughen edges, the potatoes are rolled in hot fat and roasted for 30 minutes. The temperature is then increased to 200°C for a further 30 minutes, with a turn halfway through. Finally, the potatoes are tossed with rosemary salt before serving.
