The perfect roast potato - how ??

[maumau]

geez guys:
peel and halve or quarter the potatoes (depending on size).
stab each piece once right through.
place 1/2 cm water into the bottom of a large flat pyrex dish and pour a couple of tablespoons of oil on top of the water.
put the potatoes into the dish, turn them over once or twice to coat them with oil.
sprinkle with salt
bake on 220C for about an hour or if you like them really crisp for 90 minutes.

yum yum yummy.

 

[ponder]

Parboil until a sharp knife easily goes straight through.
Place on cutting board and score grooves into the surface with a fork, chuck the small bit on top.
Place in buttered dish and brush with melted butter.
Place in preheated oven at 200C, you can take them out midway through the process and brush some more butter on. Towards the end turn the grill on.

You can season them however you like before going into the oven, I just use coarse rock salt.

 

[Grant]

Seems i have a few methods to try.

Colander makes sense, gotta get me sum duk fat tho !!

@blu your 3rd option with the bay leaf is how her maj has hers done in kensington palace.

 

[I.am.Sam]

go to nandos ...

order crispy wedges

add lots of chilli spice

go home

eat

 

[blunomore]

go to nandos ...

order crispy wedges

add lots of chilli spice

go home

eat

peri-peri wedges

 

[I.am.Sam]

peri-peri wedges

that not roasted potatoes ?

 

[maumau]

Seems i have a few methods to try.

Colander makes sense, gotta get me sum duk fat tho !!

@blu your 3rd option with the bay leaf is how her maj has hers done in kensington palace.

last time i offer you a recipe :-(

 

[Grant]

last time i offer you a recipe :-(

Oh, i will try it, especially being the most unorthodox having the water & oil mix.

 

[Nerfherder]

Just the other day my girlfriend showed me the quickest baked potatoes.

2 potatoes
wrap in cling wrap
stab the whole thing once with a knife
Microwave for 6 min (potato cooks in its own steam)

Thats baked not roasted.

The best way to bake is in the oven on a bed of rock salt.

 

[DJ...]

Rinse your potatoes under cold water in a colander for about 10 minutes to get rid of excess starch. Then forget what you know and what others have said - cook them until they are just about falling apart. Don't parboil them - you cook them until they are just about falling apart but you can still take them out without breaking them. Additionally, you do not cook them in boiling water! EVER! Potatoes should never be cooked in boiling water as the starch inside the potatoes literally explodes and they tend to be gloopy rather than crispy. Cook them in about 70C-80C water. Never boil potatoes! Got it? Cool.

Now put them in the fridge for a good hour. They will firm up at this point and will be easier to handle. If you handle them immediately they might break apart. This also dried out the potatoes to reduce the moisture content inside - this is important. Now coat the potatoes in hot oil - yes, hot, not cold. Cold oil has a thick viscosity and therefore won't get into the nooks and crannies of the outside of the potato. It also falls off the potato before the oil gets hot enough for its viscosity to change properly. So coat them in hot oil either directly in a pan, or pouring hot oil over them. Olive oil is fine for this, but I prefer seed oils.

Now chuck them in the oven for an hour at 190C. You need a convection oven for this for the best results.

That's it. Perfect roast potatoes...

 

[DJ...]

Thats baked not roasted.

The best way to bake is in the oven on a bed of rock salt.

I've never understood the tin-foil thing when people bake potatoes. Nor the pricking of the skin. They don't explode. I just chuck mine in the oven as is for 90 minutes at 180C and they're perfect every time. I then use this for mashed potato - best mashed potato you will ever taste...

 

[maumau]

Oh, i will try it, especially being the most unorthodox having the water & mix.

that's the way grantza )

 

[bwana]

I've never understood the tin-foil thing when people bake potatoes. Nor the pricking of the skin. They don't explode. I just chuck mine in the oven as is for 90 minutes at 180C and they're perfect every time. I then use this for mashed potato - best mashed potato you will ever taste...

Sure they do. I'll take a photo of the aftermath next time I visit my mother if you like - she's renowned for doing it.

As for foil wrapping - I only do that when I'm cooking them over the coals.

 

[I.am.Sam]

baked potatoes in foil is meant for a braai

 

[Nicci]

Heat the oven to 180C
Ligtly coat the roasting tray with oil, and place in oven so the oil can heat up
Par boil your peeled and chopped potatoes (about 8 minutes)
Drain in a colander and shake to get rough edges
Carefully place the potatoes in the hot oil, and stir around to try get all the sides coated.
Cook for 30 minutes, turn and cook for 20 to 30 minutes more depending on the size.
Take out of oven, drain on paper towel, sprinkle with salt and devour whilst still warm

This is how I make my roast potatoes, and this method works. They come out absolutely perfect.

 

[DJ...]

Sure they do. I'll take a photo of the aftermath next time I visit my mother if you like - she's renowned for doing it.

As for foil wrapping - I only do that when I'm cooking them over the coals.

I've never experienced an exploded potato. I've heard them pop and sizzle a bit but that's about it. I guess poking a few holes won't hurt though. Rather safe than sorry...

 

[bwana]

I've never experienced an exploded potato. I've heard them pop and sizzle a bit but that's about it. I guess poking a few holes won't hurt though. Rather safe than sorry...

It might not be as much of a problem with the thin skinned potatoes we mostly get here but with thicker skinned ones like Russets it's advisable.

 

[Nerfherder]

I've never understood the tin-foil thing when people bake potatoes. Nor the pricking of the skin. They don't explode. I just chuck mine in the oven as is for 90 minutes at 180C and they're perfect every time. I then use this for mashed potato - best mashed potato you will ever taste...

I prick the potatoes if I put them in the microwave, normally I wouldn't but when i'm in a hurry then its a quick way of cooking them.

Foil is only for the braai.

 

[Grant]

I've never experienced an exploded potato. I've heard them pop and sizzle a bit but that's about it. I guess poking a few holes won't hurt though. Rather safe than sorry...

A friend once put a couple of gem squash into to microwave oven. About 5 minutes later there was an almighty bang. I peered out of the window expecting to see a gunfight.
We then peered into the kitchen to discover the door of the microwave oven hanging by one hinge and a mist of yellow gem squash over counters, walls and ceiling.

 

[DJ...]

A friend once put a couple of gem squash into to microwave oven. About 5 minutes later there was an almighty bang. I peered out of the window expecting to see a gunfight.
We then peered into the kitchen to discover the door of the microwave oven hanging by one hinge and a mist of yellow gem squash over counters, walls and ceiling.

LOL. My sister similarly found out about the power of pressure with a few eggs in the microwave...once...