How To Make English Roast Potatoes

Two weeks ago, Joanna came back from visiting her family in England and shared a bunch of great photos with us: London! Ocean swims! POTATOES!!! The last one stopped me in my tracks; I immediately sent Jo an all-caps text, demanding the recipe for her cousin Livvy’s gorgeous roast potatoes. Thankfully, I wasn’t the only one (I knew I could count on you, readers!). So, the other day, I hopped on the phone with Livvy herself, and got all the tips and tricks.

“I call them Dilly Roast Potatoes, because this is how our grandfather — Dilly — used to make them when we were children,” she told me. “He’d spend hours peeling potatoes, while everyone was out on the boat in the sea. We’d come back absolutely ravenous and dive into a pile of the dreamiest roast potatoes.” Here’s how to make them yourself…

Step 1. Start with the right potato
“It pretty much all comes down to this,” says Livvy. “I use Maris Piper potatoes, which are a very British variety, but wherever you live, just look for the type of potatoes used for fries.” FYI, my fellow Americans, the best swaps for Maris Piper are russet potatoes or Yukon Gold. Livvy adds: “I’ll often grab the generic bag at the supermarket that’s just labeled ‘roasting potatoes.’ You want the kind that turn fluffy on the inside when cooked — that’s how you get your good roasties.”

Step 2. Peel, chop, and parboil.
Set a large pot of water to boil on the stove. While it’s heating, peel and chop your potatoes into not-too-small pieces. “You want them quite chunky,” says Livvy. “For a medium potato, you’ll maybe just cut it in half. For larger ones, quarter them. Once the water boils, drop in the potatoes and let them parboil for 7-10 minutes.” Test them gently with a fork after 7 minutes or so; They should be soft on the outside, with hard, uncooked centers. Once they’re done, drain them and leave them to sit in the colander.

Step 3. Pre-heat your oil.
“Now this is the trick. You want the oil heated in the roasting pan before you add the potatoes. I fill an aluminum roasting pan with a good 1-1.5 centimeters of sunflower oil, turn the oven to about 165°C (330°F), and let the oil heat up in there for 5-10 minutes, until it’s good and hot. You may need to let it heat longer if you’re using a thicker roasting pan, like a ceramic one. The key thing is that you want the potatoes to fizzle when you drop them in the oil.” Any oil with a high smoke point will do, and Livvy typically uses sunflower oil because it’s readily available. “My mum would use goose fat at Christmas, because it’s kind of a classic, celebratory thing. But it’s quite thick, and has a very strong flavor — and I never have it on hand anyway. Just don’t use olive oil, because it has a lower smoke point!”

Step 4. Roast low and long — and turn often
Once the oil is hot, carefully pour the potatoes into the pan and let them “fizzle” in the oil. “That way they go back in the oven nice and coated. Leave them to roast for about an hour, turning them in the pan regularly (about every 15 minutes). Doing it this way — on a low-ish heat, for a long time, with frequent turning — is how you get that golden, gorgeous roasted exterior. It’s almost like when you’re frying something, and rotating it so each side cooks evenly.”

Step 5. Salt well, and serve.
Check the potatoes after an hour. They should be deeply golden and soft in the center when poked with a fork. “I put them in a bowl, then salt them,” Livvy says. “I like a crumbly type of sea salt (versus a chunkier one, like Himalayan), because it sticks to the hot potatoes really nicely.”

Thank you so much, Livvy (and Dilly)! I cannot WAIT to try this method! Do you have a family potato recipe (or other type of recipes) you’re willing to share? We love potatoes!!!

P.S. Want something to go with your pile of roasties? How about Lulu’s beloved carrot soup, or salmon (for beginners)?