Hasselback potatoes | Potato recipes | Jamie Oliver recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why do you soak potatoes in water before roasting? ›

Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes. Cold water is used because hot water would react with the starch activating it, making it harder to separate from the potatoes.

I first came across this trick from a post on Serious Eats – baking soda creates an alkaline environment for the potatoes to boil in, which maximises the starch so our roast potatoes are extra crispy! Swish the potatoes around your colander after boiling.

An overcrowded pan will turn a sauna into a steam bath; Your potatoes will cook, but they'll be soft, moist, and bland like steamed potatoes. Even if you're tempted to save dishes by throwing a mound of potatoes onto one baking sheet, parsing them out over two will give them the space they need to crisp up.

In most potato recipes, I recommend starting potatoes in cold water and bringing them up to a boil. This helps ensure that the exteriors don't turn to mush before the insides have a chance to cook through.

If the potatoes are raw, when you use a high temperature, the outside of the potatoes will burn before the inside cooks. That's why the parboiling is really important! Now these potatoes are my "basic" ones with my usual go-to seasoning.

Yes! Soak the potatoes in cold water to remove the excess starch from the outside of the potato. There are a few reasons why you want to remove that starch (it makes the potatoes burn, it keeps them from crisping up, it turns to sugar) but all you really need to remember is to soak them at least one hour.

A: The main reasons to cut the potatoes and pre-soak in water are: To allow the excess starches and sugars to be removed from the outer surface of the fry strips AND to keep the potatoes from browning prematurely from exposure to air. Covering in water helps the potato from turning a dark color.

How long can peeled and cut potatoes sit in water before cooking, before they begin taking on too much water? A: We usually recommend no more than 24 hours. You can keep the potatoes from absorbing the water by making sure the water is not salted, and is chilled (you can even add ice to the water).

Vinegar is also a natural preservative and can help to keep the potatoes fresh for a longer period of time. Additionally, the acidity of the vinegar can help to break down the starch molecules in the potatoes, making them creamier and easier to mix with other ingredients.

The acid in the vinegar can also help to slightly break down the surface of the potatoes, aiding in the development of a crispier texture during frying. Additionally, the vinegar can contribute to a golden-brown color on the exterior of the fries.

What oil is best for cooking roast potatoes? ›

Neutral, low-cost oil such as vegetable oil, canola oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, corn oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, etc., work well for roasting. These oils have a high smoke point, allowing the potatoes to get very hot to achieve maximum crispiness.

To have a truly marvellous roast potato, one must simply let the potato dry completely after parboiling, before roasting in extremely hot fat. If you have two ovens you can cook them separately to your roast at a different temperature.

Roast for 1hr until golden and crisp, and don't forget to turn them occasionally to ensure they cook evenly. Here's a few tricks to try to make them even more delicious. Sprinkle your parboiled potatoes with flour. This gives potatoes extra crunch.

The key to the crispy, crunchy exterior is in the method for their recipe: shaking the boiled and drained potatoes roughly until the outsides break off and begin to form basically a “potato paste” on the outsides. For my recipe, I add potato flour and cornstarch to encourage an even crispier-crunchier crust.

This Hasselback Potato Rack will help you achieve perfectly spaced cuts without accidentally slicing through the entire spud. Place your potato on the wooden dish, pushing it onto the nails in the center so that your potato is held in place. Use your knife to make cuts through the stainless steel guide wires.

Parboil them in a pan of boiling salted water for 15 minutes – this will ensure that the insides become really fluffy. 2. Drain in a colander and leave to steam dry for 2 minutes – this will help the fat to stick to the potatoes.

Wash your potatoes and parboil until almost tender, then drain. Pick and bash the rosemary leaves. Drizzle with just a little touch of oil and roll in a teaspoon of sea salt, a little freshly ground black pepper and the rosemary. Put the potatoes in a roasting tray and cook in the oven for 25 minutes until golden.

In a video online, Gordon explained: “For crispy roast potatoes, you can depend on them, my tip is to parboil them, leave them to steam dry, then sprinkle them with semolina or flour, and then give them a good roughing up.”