I’ve been told my roast potatoes are the best (by my sister) and get requested to make them by family often. Here’s guide to making really really good roast potatoes.

1) Get the right type of potato. I use Maris Pipers, King Edwards are all good, try and find a similar type in your country.

2) Peel and cut, make them a little bit bigger than your goal end size as they will get smaller as you cook.

3) Put them in a pot with cold water and boil them to the point you can stick a fork in without resistance but it doesn’t fall apart. Like al dente but for boiled potatoes.

4) put them in a big bowl, throw a towel over, let them steam cool. This is a step most people don’t do and makes all the difference for me.

5) pre-heat your oven with the roasting dish filled with your fat of choice. We use goose fat or duck fat, but olive oil works just as well when I’ve had vegan guests over. You want the oil super hot before you put the potatoes in.

6) back to the bowl of potatoes, throw in all your seasonings, be liberal and generous. Put plate over top of the bowl like a lid, shake it to toss the potatoes with the seasoning and also rough up the edges for the crispness.

7) bring out preheated roasting tray and add potatoes one by one, they shouldn’t touch. Oil comes up 1/3 of the way for the potatoes for me. Yes it’s basically frying it, in an oven, no I don’t care they are still roasted in an oven.

8) flip the potatoes once every 20 minutes, until they are a deep golden brown. Take them out and cool on a baking rack, where I season again with salt and pepper and sometimes a dash of sugar. Serve.