Tips on roasting potatoes

Misippi Egger

I bought some small Yukon golds for a big dinner tomorrow. I am cooking 2 legs of lamb on my LBGE, so Jana wants to roast the Yukons in the oven, using the same herbs going on the lamb. The last time she did that, she says there were too hard, rather than being crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

Any suggestions are welcome - she would like to cook them whole, not halved. (These are 'new' potato size).

Would parboiling them for 10 minutes of so help, before coating in EVOO and herbs and then roasting?

Thanks for any help !

thirdeye

I do them exactly like that.

Misippi Egger

Thanks. I tried searching the forum because I have read ways to cook them on here, but unless it is in a title, it is hard to find with a search.

This forum is so great, because with 90 - 120 or so members online at almost any time, a response is not far away.

Thanks again!

SunDiegoEgger

I do them often, but I cut them into quarters, toss with olive oil, garlic, and herbs and then roast them in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes. I shake the pan frequently and they come out crisp and done.

Misippi Egger

Thanks, Russ.

Not sure what she'll do, but I will give her all the options!

Of course, if they come out not perfect, somehow it will be my fault ! :ohmy:

Grandpas Grub

Do them in the egg, either way, but the egg just adds a new dimension in flavor.

GG

Little Steven

Misippi Egger,

It's the same as frying. Give them some time at 275* until they are tender crisp and finish at 375* until done.

Steve

irishrog

The recognised expert on crispy roast potatoes is an english chef called Gary Rhodes.
Gary boils his potatoes, whole, for about 3 minutes. He then strains off the water, and covers them with absorbant paper for 5 minutes so the dry completely.
He them shakes the potatoes very roughly in the saucepan to roughen the edges, and sprinkles them with some plain flour, salt, and freshly ground pepper. The potatoes are then put into a very hot roasting tin with some high temperature fat, ideally goose or duck fat. Olive oil, and especially extra virgin do not get hot enough before it starts to burn. Turn the potatoes in the fat so they are coated on all sides.
The potatoes are then cooked at a high temperature until crisp and golden on the outside, and soft in the centre. This should be about 40/45 minutes depending on the size.

The alternative is lyonnaise potatoes, a classic french accompanyment for roast lamb.
The peeled potatoes are sliced and put into a rosting tin with some finely sliced onions, thyme, salt and pepper. A little lamb stock is added. A rack is then placed over the potatoes and the lamb is placed on the rack for cooking. The juices from the lamb drip down onto the potatoes and are absorbed by the potato giving a lovely lamb flavoured, creamy textured potato dish.
You can add other herbs to the potatoes, depending on what you are using with the lamb, for example, rosemary and mint also work very well.
If you wish, when your lamb is cooked and resting put some real butter on top of the potatoes and return to the egg for a few minutes for a nice crispy finish to your potatoes.
Greetings from Ireland, Roger

Misippi Egger

Who can argue with an Irishman? Potato expert!

Thanks Roger! My, the Internet sure makes the 'big pond' seem smaller and smaller.

irishrog

There are very few things I would defer to an Englishman on but these roast potatoes are special.
Try some roast vegetables also with your lamb.
Peel carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, celeriac, squash, turnip, or whatever root vegetables you have available. I like to add also some peeled red onions, cut into quarters, and some shallots.
Peel the vegetables, cut into large chunks, and roast in the egg or oven with some EVOO, S & P, a few cloves of garlic peeled, and some thyme. Cook for about 45 minutes, or until caramelized around the edges.
This really works well with lamb from the EGG, I hope you enjoy the party tonight, Roger

crghc98

foil them for the first part of the cook...if whole maybe 2 hours. I usually cut my ukons into 8ths, use EVOO, Rosemary, salt and pepper...foil for 55 minutes at 350 and then roast at 425 uncovered until crispy on the outside...that works really well.

Again if keeping whole you will probably need to increase foil time.

BobS

As an alternative (not on the Egg), try boiling them with their skins until done. Drain and allow them to cool until you can handle them comfortably.

Hold them in a circle formed between your thumb and index finger and push down crushing the whole potato into a round disk about 3/4" thick. It is important to restrain the outside of the potato, so that you are crushing them flat rather than breaking them into a few large pieces with rough outside edges. Go slow until you get the feel of it. I do this over the corner of a cutting board.

Fry these until crisp on both sides and sprinkle with salt and fresh herbs (chives, thyme) and serve with some sour cream.

I like the red skinned potatoes best, but as you can see, the white ones are not bad.

I learned this in Australia, where they call them Smashed Potatoes.

Misippi Egger

Thanks everybody for the tips.

Jana decided to boil them whole for 3 minutes, then season with EVOO and some "Veggie" spices given to us for Christmas, and roast in the oven. They turned out great!

We will definitely try the other things recommended on future cooks.