Christmas is finally here which means the traditional roast dinner will be gracing the dining tables of Britons up and down the country. A highlight for many people are the roast potatoes – especially if done well. Luckily there are only three steps chefs need to follow to make the perfect roasties. The ideal type of spud is widely considered to be Maris Piper potatoes. This is what you need to do to whip up the perfect roast potatoes.
Size
While large roast potatoes may look generous on the plate, they are more difficult to cook and get the desired result.
Too much middle could result in overcooked skin and an underdone centre.
Cut the potatoes relatively small to ensure optimal cooking of the skin and white middle.
Dredging
After boiling the potatoes for two minutes, they should be drained in a colander.
Add a sprinkling of flour – or semolina as Nigella Lawson suggests – season, and shake the colander.
This will roughen the edges of the potatoes to ensure delicious crispy skin.
Fat
Goose fat has become one of the most popular choices for cooking roast potatoes in over the last few years. Obviously this is not suitable if you have non-meat eating guests.
Whatever fat you choose, it should be very hot before the potatoes are added to it. Choose a fat with a high smoking point to achieve this – goose fat being one example.
Separate the potatoes evenly across the tray and cook for one hour or until golden.
One element of the seasonal dinner table which is divisive is Brussels sprouts.
Regardless of whether you love the green nuggets or you hate the veggies with a passion, the average number a Briton eats in a lifetime will astound you.
It’s said the average Brit consumes 1,008 over the course of a lifetime, according to Amazon research.
Similarly we pull 252 crackers around the table and, in preparation for Christmas, each Brit spends 882 hours (more than 36 days) purchasing 1,386 presents across a lifetime.
What’s just as divisive as the nationwide sprout debate? Everyone’s favourite Christmas song.
No Christmas is complete without the soundtrack to the season and as a nation, we’ll each listen to more than 1,008 hours of Christmas music. Worryingly, that’s the equivalent of listening to Mariah Carey’s Christmas classic All I Want For Christmas Is You more than 16,000 times.