the secret to crispy roast potatoes
hint: it's not animal fat!
I (wrongly) used to believe that my roast potatoes would never achieve the same level of crispiness that I experienced before going vegan. This is because common sentiment seems to be that in order to crisp up your tatties, you need duck or goose fat! That sentiment proved to be wrong recently.
Until last week, I didn’t make roast potatoes very often, so never really bothered to look into it. It was only when I was looking through one of my 40-year old cookbooks (thanks, Mum) where I discovered the recipe for “roast potatoes on a budget”. They substituted the fat for baking soda to draw the starch to the surface, resulting in the crispiest potatoes ever.
I now love a roast, and feel very old fashioned when making it on a winter Sunday. Everything is delicious but the star of the show is undoubtedly the humble potato.
the glazed roasted carrots are showstoppers, but look at those roasties…
ingredients.
5 medium potatoes, washed but not peeled, in quarters or eighths
2 tsp baking soda
1 sprig thyme, 3 sprigs rosemary (dried herbs are ok)
2 cloves garlic
Equal parts butter and olive oil (I’d say about 1/4 cup each)
Salt and pepper
how to.
Preheat oven to 220c. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
Place chopped potatoes in a large pot, cover with baking soda and then cold water.
Parboil the potatoes. So you want to heat on high until bubbles show up, then turn the heat down to medium low and let bubble gently for 10-15 minutes. Do not fully boil them.
Meanwhile, in a small pan, heat butter and olive oil and herbs and fry until fragrant. Add garlic, salt and pepper.
Drain potatoes and shake them in the pan gently. They’ll be really starchy. Place onto baking tray, skin side down.
Cover with butter mixture, making sure to coat evenly. Add some extra salt and bake for 30 mins.
After 30 mins, turn over and bake for another 30. Serve hot with a vegan roast or on their own!
What are your must-haves for a vegan roast? As well as everything in the picture above, I love cauliflower cheese, Yorkshire puddings and stuffing. The options are endless!
Ooooo very intrigued to know what the vegan butter(s) are like in your part of the world!
yet another recipe I need to try! In the end, you mention "cauliflower cheese", and this makes me curious. My only previous experience of using cauliflower in such way was when I followed a recipe of cauliflower alfredo, and the result was great (great enough so that everybody liked it at home).