Jamie Oliver reveals how to make roast potatoes

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver explains how to make perfect roast potatoes for those wanting up level up their Christmas cooking skills.

Actually, there’s more than one secret - and he’s spilling them all.

Jamie Oliver says that when it comes to the Christmas feast in England, it’s all down to the three pillars. In his own words, he says: “If you get these three things right, you’re all good to go.” But there’s one hero pillar – or dish – that really stands out.

So what are they? The turkey, the gravy, the roast potato. And the latter is the real hero of the Chrissy lunch. Especially as many people in Australia don’t really do the whole turkey and gravy thing. But everyone loves the roast potato thing.

The perfect roast potato

“For me one of the most gastronomic things in the world is the perfect – and I mean perfect – roast potato,” according to Jamie.

Over the past 26 years he’s shot quite a few Christmas shows – 26 to be (about) exact – and in that time, the roast potato has evolved to become a fairly perfect specimen.

Jamie Oliver’s perfect potato recipe

From the horse’s mouth, Jamie suggests, “par-boiling the tatties for 12 minutes, letting them steam some liquid off after they’re removed from the water, chuffing it (or smashing it up a bit) so you get them a bit crumbly, dressing them in blend of fat – so olive oil, butter, turkey fat, goose fat or a blend of those – add some squashed garlic, rosemary, then squash the potatoes down before roasting them for 180 degrees for about an hour.”

The importance of the final squashing (cause there’s a bit of squashing happening throughout – true to Jamie style) is that you create a larger surface area for the potato, so the edges get nice and crispy. While he suggests a fish slice, a spatula, the bottom of a pot, or anything that makes the potatoes nice and flat and jagged around the edges will work well. Even the bottom of a glass could work. All adding to that crispy fabulousness. And what is a roasted potato without a crispy, golden edge that crunches against your teeth as you bite down.

Well, the man has spoken. We now know how we’re doing our tatts this Chrissy.

Our favourite roast potato recipe of all time

Our foodies actually swear by duck fat for getting that perfect golden look and crunchy texture to their roast potatoes. It’s also readily available in most supermarkets now (you can usually find it in the oil aisle, but sometimes around Christmas it’s refrigerated near the meat. This recipe guarantees perfect roasties every time.

Check out the recipe HERE.

What other Christmas inspo can we serve up for you?

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Budget Christmas desserts

For more recipe ideas, go to taste.com.au or check out the Taste Test Kitchen now.

Originally published as Jamie Oliver reveals how to make roast potatoes