Golden and crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy in the middle—these are the potatoes I always hope there’ll be leftovers of. Roasted in duck fat with rosemary and garlic, they’re rich, savoury and made for piling onto your plate beside a Sunday roast or Christmas dinner.
Ingredients
- 1000 g Maris Piper potatoes, peeled, see notes
- Fine sea salt, to taste
- 50 g Duck fat, for the tray
- 50 g Neutral oil, for the tray
- 50 g Duck fat, for spooning over
- 50 g Neutral oil, for spooning over
- 1 Garlic bulbs, halved horizontally
- 5 sprigs Fresh thyme
- 5 sprigs Fresh rosemary
- For finishing
- 1 sprigs Fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped, to finish
Equipment
- Large saucepan
- Large oven tray
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan (220°C conventional, 425°F).
Peel the potatoes and cut any large ones into big chunks — bigger than looks right, as they lose some size when roughed up and shrink as they roast. Put them in a large saucepan of cold, well-salted water and bring to the boil over a high heat.
While the water comes to the boil, put the duck fat and neutral oil for the tray into a heavy roasting tin or oven dish. Put it in the oven to get smoking hot.
Once the water is boiling, cook until the outsides of the potatoes are soft and rough but the centres are still firm — about 10–15 minutes. They should hold together when tossed rather than falling apart.
Drain the potatoes into a colander and leave them to steam dry for 5–10 minutes, until the surfaces look white and floury in places.
While the potatoes dry, put the duck fat and neutral oil for spooning over in a small saucepan over a medium-high heat. Heat until shimmering and just beginning to smoke.
Gently toss the potatoes in the colander to rough up the surfaces further. Stop once they are coated in a fluffy, ragged layer, before they start to break apart.
Take the tray out of the oven and set it on a heatproof surface. Place the potatoes into the fat one by one, laying each one away from you — do not tip them in, as the fat will be very hot and will splash. Each potato should sizzle on contact.
Season the potatoes with salt, then spoon the hot fat from the saucepan over every potato until all are coated. Each should sizzle as the fat hits. Roast for about 30 minutes, until golden and crisp underneath.
Take the tray out and turn each potato so the paler sides face down in the fat. Return to the oven for about 15 minutes.
Tuck the garlic, cut-side down, and the thyme and rosemary sprigs into the hot fat between the potatoes. Return to the oven for a further 5–10 minutes, until the potatoes are deep golden and properly crisp and the herbs are crackling and fragrant.
Lift the potatoes straight into a bowl as soon as the tray comes out of the oven, leaving the fat behind. Toss with the chopped rosemary and season with salt, then serve.
Notes & Substitutions
Potatoes: Floury potatoes crisp far better than waxy ones, because their loose, starchy flesh roughs up into the craggy layer that becomes the crust. Maris Pipers are easy to find and reliably good. King Edwards work too.
The amount of fat: It looks like a lot of fat, and it is. Most of it stays in the tray — the same principle as deep frying — so far less ends up on the plate than goes in.
Leftover fat: Once cool, strain the fat through a fine sieve into a jar and keep it in the fridge. It has picked up the garlic and herbs and is ideal for the next batch of roast potatoes.
Make ahead: On a busy day, parboil, steam dry and rough up the potatoes earlier in the day, then refrigerate them uncovered until needed. The fridge dries the surfaces further, which only helps the crust.
Serving: Built for Christmas dinner, but just as good with a Sunday roast chicken, roast beef or pork.
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COOKED
PROPERLY
Ingredients
- 1000 g Maris Piper potatoes (peeled, see notes)
- Fine sea salt (to taste)
- 50 g Duck fat (for the tray)
- 50 g Neutral oil (for the tray)
- 50 g Duck fat (for spooning over)
- 50 g Neutral oil (for spooning over)
- 1 Garlic bulbs (halved horizontally)
- 5 sprigs Fresh thyme
- 5 sprigs Fresh rosemary
- 1 sprigs Fresh rosemary (leaves finely chopped, to finish)
Equipment
- Large saucepan
- Large oven tray
Method
Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan (220°C conventional, 425°F).
Start the potatoes
1000 g Maris Piper potatoes
Peel the potatoes and cut any large ones into big chunks — bigger than looks right, as they lose some size when roughed up and shrink as they roast. Put them in a large saucepan of cold, well-salted water and bring to the boil over a high heat.
Around 12g of fine sea salt per litre of water seasons the potatoes well.
Heat the fat in the tray
50 g Duck fat · 50 g Neutral oil
While the water comes to the boil, put the duck fat and neutral oil for the tray into a heavy roasting tin or oven dish. Put it in the oven to get smoking hot.
Use the heaviest tray you own. A thin tray loses its heat the moment cold potatoes go in.
Parboil until ragged
Once the water is boiling, cook until the outsides of the potatoes are soft and rough but the centres are still firm — about 10–15 minutes. They should hold together when tossed rather than falling apart.
Test with the tip of a knife. It should slide easily through the outer few millimetres, then meet clear resistance in the middle.
Steam dry
Drain the potatoes into a colander and leave them to steam dry for 5–10 minutes, until the surfaces look white and floury in places.
Heat the remaining fat
50 g Duck fat · 50 g Neutral oil
While the potatoes dry, put the duck fat and neutral oil for spooning over in a small saucepan over a medium-high heat. Heat until shimmering and just beginning to smoke.
Rough up the potatoes
Gently toss the potatoes in the colander to rough up the surfaces further. Stop once they are coated in a fluffy, ragged layer, before they start to break apart.
Add the potatoes to the fat
Take the tray out of the oven and set it on a heatproof surface. Place the potatoes into the fat one by one, laying each one away from you — do not tip them in, as the fat will be very hot and will splash. Each potato should sizzle on contact.
Leave a little space between each potato. Packed tightly, they trap steam between them and the sides that touch stay pale.
Baste and roast
Season the potatoes with salt, then spoon the hot fat from the saucepan over every potato until all are coated. Each should sizzle as the fat hits. Roast for about 30 minutes, until golden and crisp underneath.
Turn and roast again
Take the tray out and turn each potato so the paler sides face down in the fat. Return to the oven for about 15 minutes.
Add the garlic and herbs
1 Garlic bulbs · 5 sprigs Fresh thyme · 5 sprigs Fresh rosemary
Tuck the garlic, cut-side down, and the thyme and rosemary sprigs into the hot fat between the potatoes. Return to the oven for a further 5–10 minutes, until the potatoes are deep golden and properly crisp and the herbs are crackling and fragrant.
Season and serve
1 sprigs Fresh rosemary
Lift the potatoes straight into a bowl as soon as the tray comes out of the oven, leaving the fat behind. Toss with the chopped rosemary and season with salt, then serve.
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