Gordon Ramsay's head chef shares crucial steam tip for perfect roast potatoes

08 February 2023 , 14:50

496     0

Rob Cottam is Head of Culinary at The Gordon Ramsay Academy (Image: Handout)

Roast potatoes are the crowning glory of many people's Sunday dinner, although some people are such big fans they will eat them any day of the week.

There are many different ways to make roasties. Many people have their own techniques, or love the way their mum makes them.

But if you're still struggling to perfect your roast potato recipe, who better to look to for help than a professional chef who works at TV chef Gordon Ramsay's cooking academy, where all his best-kept industry secrets are taught.

Rob Cottam, Head of Culinary at The Gordon Ramsay Academy, has shared four mistakes you may be making when making roast potatoes.

Crispy roast potatoes are the best (stock image) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

First, Rob said that one of the most important things is to not cut them too small because then they will break apart when cooked.

Dr Michael Mosley shares exercise that can cut cholesterol and blood pressure

Rob told The Mirror it's crucial to be "careful not to break up the potatoes along the way so that you have proper chunky, soft in the middle roasties at the end".

Many people choose to parboil the potatoes before putting them in the oven, but Rob actually recommends to "ensure they are properly cooked through before roasting".

You should "Put the peeled and chopped potatoes into a pan of cold salted water, not straight into hot water" and then "bring to the boil and let simmer gently until they are cooked all the way through, not just parboiled".

Another crucial step is to let the potatoes "steam dry and come to room temperature before hitting the hot fat". You'll want to "strain the potatoes gently" because they "will be soft so you don't want to risk breaking them up in the colander".

You need to make sure they have enough room (stock image) (Getty Images/EyeEm)

Rob recommends spreading the potatoes out on a tray to allow them to steam dry.

Everyone knows that the crunchy bits is the best thing with a roast potato, and if still think they look very smooth on the outside, Rob says to "use a fork to rough up the edges to give you crispy crunchy bits".

They should all be placed in a baking tray with a 'good layer of oil or fat" which has been in the oven for 10-15 minutes first.

Rob said another common mistake is not giving the roasties enough room. He said: "Use the biggest roasting tray you have, or two-three smaller ones. You need to give the potatoes room to roast. If they are piled up, they will steam rather than roast and won't become as crispy on the outside."

He added: "Carefully add the room temperature potatoes and turn them all over in the fat so that they are completely covered and spread out with space between them all.

"Only turn the potatoes over when the undersides are deep golden – otherwise they might stick."

Supermarket expert shares little-known box trick that makes veg look 'fresher'

Once they are cooked, you can drain on a kitchen paper to remove the excess oil, and then you can "season well with salt so it sticks and flavours the potatoes".

How do you make roast potatoes? Let us know in the comment section below.

Ariane Sohrabi-Shiraz