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I'm English, so it's perhaps unsurprising that I love the potato so much. From the role of the potato as volunteer gardener, to the ease of growing potatoes with the minimum of space and time, the spud is hard to beat. (Check out Brian's instructions on building a potato tower if you don't believe me!)
But the potato comes into its own in the green kitchen too. True, it might not be the most nutritious vegetable in the world, but it is almost uniquely satisfying and filling7mdash;I am regularly content with a meal of homegrown potatoes with a few creative additions.
But culinarily, the roast potato has to be the pinnacle of spud-culture. Back home in the UK we used to have a roast dinner every week—chicken, beef, pork or whatever, but almost invariably it was accompanied by roast spuds. And when I became vegetarian, I found I hardly missed the meat, as long as I got a healthy portion of roasted potatoes to replace it. But you have to roast the potatoes right. So, my friends, having recently made some of the best roast potatoes I have ever eaten in my life, I thought I'd share the secret to the perfect roast potato... boil it.
Just what you'd expect from an Englishman, I know. But hold on. I'm not talking about boiling them to a mush, just a quick dip for a minute or two in boiling hot water, before draining. (I peel my potatoes first, but you could leave the skin on too - just make sure you use a floury, white potato!)
You then put the par-boiled spuds back in the saucepan, replace the lid, and shake the pan like crazy to bash the spuds against the sides. If done right, the potatoes will break up a little around the edges, creating a fluffy, absorbent surface that will suck up any pan juices - creating the perfect crispy coating.
Then you simply place the spuds in a single layer in some hot oil in a roasting dish—I use olive oil, but you could use the drippings from your meat, or some goose or duck fat if you happen to have it lying around. You move them around to coat them with oil. And then you put them back in the oven and wait. Avoid the temptation to mess with them too much - stir them only once or twice during the roasting so they have time to caramelize a little against the pan.
Typically I'd say you need 45 minutes to an hour, and you can roast them at the same temperature as your meat. If you are skipping the meat, I'd say 380F is a good bet, but experiment. Once you are done, all there is to it is to salt them and serve them (sneaking a few as you make your way to the table!). And voila, you have the perfect roasted spud to enjoy as you see fit.
Check out Emeril's episode on the perfect Sunday dinner!
Related Links
Grow 100lbs of potatoes in a 4ft potato tower
Start a no-dig garden
In praise of the potato
Organic gardening 101: Be OK with failures
Permaculture principles: Gardening with nature
Salivating over sustainable eats? Learn how to make your own with help from Emeril Lagasse in Planet Green TV's organic cooking show, Emeril Green.
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