When it comes to crispy roast potatoes, most people swear by duck or goose fat as the ultimate secret. However, this is not always the best option for taste, price, and a crunchy result. To put the debate at rest, I decided to ask a celebrity chef what ingredient really delivers the perfect crunchy potato.
To my surprise, their answer didn’t involve duck fat at all. When speaking to MasterChef judge Monica Galetti, she pointed to a less obvious choice that promises golden, crisp potatoes every time. Here’s why this unexpected ingredient deserves a place in your roasting tray.
The celebrity chef explained that the simplest way to achieve crispy roast potatoes is to simply bash them and drizzle them with oil before putting them in the oven. This will create crispy ends that provide a satisfying crunch.
When asking Monica Galetti how she likes to season her roast potatoes, she suggested that: “Smoked paprika takes it up another notch. I also love using cumin and curry powder as a seasoning.”
Here’s how to make Monica Galetti’s crispy roast potatoes
Ingredients
Potatoes OilSalt to tastePaprika to tasteCumin to taste Curry to taste
Method
The Masterchef judge explained: “I think the simplest one is to boil your potatoes and then drain them, and then what you do is you put them in the colander or the strainer, and then you shake it, and it bashes them.
“What it does is it bashes the potatoes up so that when you then toss them in some oil and put them in a really hot oven, what happens is those bits that you bash tend to cook faster, and then you get those crunchy bites into it.
“Season it, whack them in the oven about 190.”
