Tom Kerridge's Crunchy Christmas Roasties
These are crispy, crunchy, soft-in-the-middle, perfect roasties – a must for every Christmas dinner. The polenta helps achieve the crispy outer layer and the parmesan makes them next-level savoury and incredibly moreish. Try these and you’ll never cook your roasties any other way again – perfect results every time.
Ingredients
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees fan.
Step 2
Peel the potatoes and cut them into large chunks. Put them in a large saucepan and cover with water. Season liberally with salt and add the saffron and rosemary to the pan. Place over a high heat and bring up to the boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook the potatoes for around 15-20 minutes or until they are just cooked through.
Step 3
With a slotted spoon, gently transfer the potatoes one at a time onto a wire rack to drain and air dry for a few minutes. Sprinkle the polenta out onto a tray or large plate then roll each potato lightly in the polenta until they are all evenly coated.
Step 4
When you are ready to cook, heat the oil in the base of a large roasting tin on top of the stove. Carefully place the potatoes into the hot oil in a single layer. Sprinkle with a little salt then transfer the tray to the oven and cook the potatoes on a high shelf. After 25 minutes, remove from the oven, turn all the potatoes over and return to the oven for a further 20-30 minutes.
Step 5
Take the potatoes out of the oven, sprinkle with half of the parmesan and give them a bit of a shake. Sprinkle on the remaining parmesan and return the tin to the oven for a final 5 minutes. Take out of the oven and transfer to a serving bowl.
Tom's Tip
Hot oil is key for the golden, crispy coating. Par boiling is vital for texture. If you prefer, you get ahead by parboiling the potatoes and dusting them with polenta on Christmas Eve. Then roast them off on Christmas Day.
