Hi all,
Am sorry if this is too far OT.
There used to be a group about food and cooking, but I lost it in a computer
crash years ago, my server does not carry group descriptions so it is
difficult to find new suitable groups.

I am a male living alone who wants to improve my meals now that I am retired
and can spend more tome preparing and cooking meals.

My problem at the moment is getting roast potatoes nice and crispy!
I peel them and wash them then part boil them for 10 min, then roast in a
pre heated oven at 220 in my combination microwave oven.
I roast them in beef dripping for around 30 minuets turning them and they
come out ok but could do with being a bit crisper on the outside.

Can anyone help with a group or where I am going wrong please?
Mick.

"Mick Cant" wrote:
My problem at the moment is getting roast potatoes nice and crispy!
I peel them and wash them then part boil them for 10 min, then roast in a
pre heated oven at 220 in my combination microwave oven.
I roast them in beef dripping for around 30 minuets turning them and they
come out ok but could do with being a bit crisper on the outside.

1. Try bashing them around in the pan after parboiling them
2. Try basting the oil over the top of them several times
3. You may be using the wrong potatoes - some are "fluffier" than others

Can't help with a recommendation of a cookery group, unfortunately -
uk.food+drink.misc?

Mick Cant wrote:

My problem at the moment is getting roast potatoes nice and crispy!
I peel them and wash them then part boil them for 10 min, then roast in a

Buy them frozen and follow the instruction on the packet!

(I'm sure Delia Smith said this)

--
Adrian C

On Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:20:37 +0100, Mick Cant wrote:

Hi all,
Am sorry if this is too far OT.

Nah, s'prising what gets discussed here.

There used to be a group about food and cooking, but I lost it in a computer
crash years ago, my server does not carry group descriptions so it is
difficult to find new suitable groups.

I am a male living alone who wants to improve my meals now that I am retired
and can spend more tome preparing and cooking meals.

My problem at the moment is getting roast potatoes nice and crispy!
I peel them and wash them then part boil them for 10 min,

Are you using the right potatoes? King Edwards are good for roasting.
Several supermarkets label their different spuds as 'Good for......'

Hmm, don't normally parboil for more than 3-4 minutes, personally.

Drain fully then shake the saucepan for a couple minutes before adding the
potatoes to the fat. This makes the outside of the potatoes go a bit floury
and fluffy so they take up the fat better on the outside.

Preheat the fat and place the dish onto a hot hob so the fat is good and
hot as you add the spuds. Turn the spuds to coat them with fat before you
pop them in the oven.

then roast in a
pre heated oven at 220 in my combination microwave oven.

Again, I favour a longer time at a lower temperature - 45 minutes at 180 C
in a fan-assisted oven. I'm guessing your combi microwave will have fan
assist for baking.

I roast them in beef dripping

Goose fat is *the* roasting medium for spuds. Readily available at
supermarkets.


--
The Wanderer

Usenet is like a troupe of performing elephants with diarrhoea:
massive, difficult to redirect, awe-inspiring, entertaining perhaps,
but a source of mind-boggling amounts of excrement when you least expect
it.

The Wanderer wrote:
On Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:20:37 +0100, Mick Cant wrote:

Hi all,
Am sorry if this is too far OT.

Nah, s'prising what gets discussed here.

There used to be a group about food and cooking, but I lost it in a computer
crash years ago, my server does not carry group descriptions so it is
difficult to find new suitable groups.

I am a male living alone who wants to improve my meals now that I am retired
and can spend more tome preparing and cooking meals.

My problem at the moment is getting roast potatoes nice and crispy!
I peel them and wash them then part boil them for 10 min,

Are you using the right potatoes? King Edwards are good for roasting.
Several supermarkets label their different spuds as 'Good for......'

Hmm, don't normally parboil for more than 3-4 minutes, personally.

Drain fully then shake the saucepan for a couple minutes before adding the
potatoes to the fat. This makes the outside of the potatoes go a bit floury
and fluffy so they take up the fat better on the outside.

Preheat the fat and place the dish onto a hot hob so the fat is good and
hot as you add the spuds. Turn the spuds to coat them with fat before you
pop them in the oven.

then roast in a
pre heated oven at 220 in my combination microwave oven.

Again, I favour a longer time at a lower temperature - 45 minutes at 180 C
in a fan-assisted oven. I'm guessing your combi microwave will have fan
assist for baking.

I roast them in beef dripping

Goose fat is *the* roasting medium for spuds. Readily available at
supermarkets.


I don't like this thread. Just lost 3 stone and got my blood pressure
and bad clorestrol within reasonable limits. Roast spuds are now a rare
delicacy here.

Mick Cant wrote:
Hi all,
Am sorry if this is too far OT.
There used to be a group about food and cooking, but I lost it in a
computer crash years ago, my server does not carry group descriptions
so it is difficult to find new suitable groups.

I am a male living alone who wants to improve my meals now that I am
retired and can spend more tome preparing and cooking meals.

My problem at the moment is getting roast potatoes nice and crispy!
I peel them and wash them then part boil them for 10 min, then roast
in a pre heated oven at 220 in my combination microwave oven.
I roast them in beef dripping for around 30 minuets turning them and
they come out ok but could do with being a bit crisper on the outside.

Aunt Bessies roast potatoes are the business! Give them a try.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

Mick Cant wrote:
Hi all,
Am sorry if this is too far OT.
There used to be a group about food and cooking, but I lost it in a computer
crash years ago, my server does not carry group descriptions so it is
difficult to find new suitable groups.

I am a male living alone who wants to improve my meals now that I am retired
and can spend more tome preparing and cooking meals.

My problem at the moment is getting roast potatoes nice and crispy!
I peel them and wash them then part boil them for 10 min, then roast in a
pre heated oven at 220 in my combination microwave oven.
I roast them in beef dripping for around 30 minuets turning them and they
come out ok but could do with being a bit crisper on the outside.

Can anyone help with a group or where I am going wrong please?
Mick.


At this time of year, getting good roasting potatoes is at the least
difficult, and quite probably impossible. They will get better. But far
too many potatoes today seem to be very un-floury, even in winter. Also,
so many varieties blacken once boiled and become very unattractive.

In addition to par-boiling until they are nearly falling apart, you
might find a sprinkling of flour or fine semolina helps. Also best if
you can let them dry off a bit after the boiling.

Your oven temperature sounds a bit high to me - you need the time to
allow the surface to dry out and crisp up. I find a setting of around
170 in our fan oven works pretty well.

Yesterday I did what I usually do around now when hankering after
roasties - get some Charlottes, par-boil in their skins and lightly
roast with just a hint of olive oil. Not quite what you asked about -
they are not as crispy as the real thing - but pretty damn nice. (No
other variety I have tried works as well as Charlottes.)

Our other effective satisfier of the hankering is what we call square
potatoes. Cut potatoes (old or new) into approximate cubes - something
like 7 to 12 mm each side. Par-boil for 5. Drain and allow to dry off
thoroughly. Spread on a pre-heated baking/roasting tray of some sort
with some olive oil and cook turning several times. Halfway through, add
bay leaves (love them fresh), rosemary, thyme, pepper and some mild
chilli powder - or anything else you fancy. (Salt as desired.)

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

In article ,
Owain writes:
On 27 July, 17:23, Jim wrote:
Can't help with a recommendation of a cookery group, unfortunately -
uk.food+drink.misc?

Oscillates between spammy and bitchy most of the time.

Here's a Heston Blumenthal recipe
http://www.potatolovers.co.uk/conten...es/info/?id=70

I don't believe it is. There's not a single mention of
liquid nitrogen in the recipe...

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

"Mick Cant" wrote in message
om...
Hi all,
Am sorry if this is too far OT.
There used to be a group about food and cooking, but I lost it in a
computer crash years ago, my server does not carry group descriptions so
it is difficult to find new suitable groups.

I am a male living alone who wants to improve my meals now that I am
retired and can spend more tome preparing and cooking meals.

My problem at the moment is getting roast potatoes nice and crispy!
I peel them and wash them then part boil them for 10 min, then roast in a
pre heated oven at 220 in my combination microwave oven.
I roast them in beef dripping for around 30 minuets turning them and they
come out ok but could do with being a bit crisper on the outside.

Can anyone help with a group or where I am going wrong please?

Google "Niall Harbison" - he probably does it on video


--
FERGUS O'ROURKE
www.twitter.com/ubfid
www.irish-lawyer.com
(Not just law stuff)

Mick Cant wrote:
Hi all,
Am sorry if this is too far OT.
There used to be a group about food and cooking, but I lost it in a computer
crash years ago, my server does not carry group descriptions so it is
difficult to find new suitable groups.

I am a male living alone who wants to improve my meals now that I am retired
and can spend more tome preparing and cooking meals.

My problem at the moment is getting roast potatoes nice and crispy!
I peel them and wash them then part boil them for 10 min, then roast in a
pre heated oven at 220 in my combination microwave oven.

crap. You need an aga or fan blown. and a bit more heat.


I roast them in beef dripping for around 30 minuets turning them and they
come out ok but could do with being a bit crisper on the outside.

Can anyone help with a group or where I am going wrong please?
Mick.

Probably encase them in car body filler, use a blowlamp, and then split
with an angle grinder :-)

The Wanderer wrote:
On Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:20:37 +0100, Mick Cant wrote:

Hi all,
Am sorry if this is too far OT.

Nah, s'prising what gets discussed here.

There used to be a group about food and cooking, but I lost it in a computer
crash years ago, my server does not carry group descriptions so it is
difficult to find new suitable groups.

I am a male living alone who wants to improve my meals now that I am retired
and can spend more tome preparing and cooking meals.

My problem at the moment is getting roast potatoes nice and crispy!
I peel them and wash them then part boil them for 10 min,

Are you using the right potatoes? King Edwards are good for roasting.
Several supermarkets label their different spuds as 'Good for......'


Kind Edwards are good for wallpaper paste, but not much sles IMHO.

On Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:43:48 +0100, The Natural Philosopher
had this to say:

Mick Cant wrote:
Hi all,
Am sorry if this is too far OT.
There used to be a group about food and cooking, but I lost it in a computer
crash years ago, my server does not carry group descriptions so it is
difficult to find new suitable groups.

I am a male living alone who wants to improve my meals now that I am retired
and can spend more tome preparing and cooking meals.

My problem at the moment is getting roast potatoes nice and crispy!
I peel them and wash them then part boil them for 10 min, then roast in a
pre heated oven at 220 in my combination microwave oven.

crap. You need an aga or fan blown. and a bit more heat.


I roast them in beef dripping for around 30 minuets turning them and they
come out ok but could do with being a bit crisper on the outside.

Can anyone help with a group or where I am going wrong please?
Mick.

Probably encase them in car body filler, use a blowlamp, and then split
with an angle grinder :-)

And spray with WD-40.

--
Frank Erskine

Frank Erskine wrote:
On Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:43:48 +0100, The Natural Philosopher
had this to say:

Mick Cant wrote:
Hi all,
Am sorry if this is too far OT.
There used to be a group about food and cooking, but I lost it in a computer
crash years ago, my server does not carry group descriptions so it is
difficult to find new suitable groups.

I am a male living alone who wants to improve my meals now that I am retired
and can spend more tome preparing and cooking meals.

My problem at the moment is getting roast potatoes nice and crispy!
I peel them and wash them then part boil them for 10 min, then roast in a
pre heated oven at 220 in my combination microwave oven.
crap. You need an aga or fan blown. and a bit more heat.


I roast them in beef dripping for around 30 minuets turning them and they
come out ok but could do with being a bit crisper on the outside.

Can anyone help with a group or where I am going wrong please?
Mick.

Probably encase them in car body filler, use a blowlamp, and then split
with an angle grinder :-)

And spray with WD-40.

To taste, only.

In message , The Wanderer
writes
On Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:20:37 +0100, Mick Cant wrote:

Hi all,
Am sorry if this is too far OT.

Nah, s'prising what gets discussed here.

There used to be a group about food and cooking, but I lost it in a computer
crash years ago, my server does not carry group descriptions so it is
difficult to find new suitable groups.

I am a male living alone who wants to improve my meals now that I am retired
and can spend more tome preparing and cooking meals.

My problem at the moment is getting roast potatoes nice and crispy!
I peel them and wash them then part boil them for 10 min,

Are you using the right potatoes? King Edwards are good for roasting.
Several supermarkets label their different spuds as 'Good for......'

Hmm, don't normally parboil for more than 3-4 minutes, personally.


Yup, I usually aim for 5, 10 mins sounds too long, they breakup too
much.

Drain fully then shake the saucepan for a couple minutes before adding the
potatoes to the fat. This makes the outside of the potatoes go a bit floury
and fluffy so they take up the fat better on the outside.

Yup.

Preheat the fat and place the dish onto a hot hob so the fat is good and
hot as you add the spuds. Turn the spuds to coat them with fat before you
pop them in the oven.

then roast in a
pre heated oven at 220 in my combination microwave oven.

Again, I favour a longer time at a lower temperature - 45 minutes at 180 C
in a fan-assisted oven. I'm guessing your combi microwave will have fan
assist for baking.

I do ours for at least 45 minutes - probably more like an hour at about
Mark 6 (200C?).


--
Chris French

Invisible Man wrote:
The Wanderer wrote:
On Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:20:37 +0100, Mick Cant wrote:

Hi all,
Am sorry if this is too far OT.

Nah, s'prising what gets discussed here.

There used to be a group about food and cooking, but I lost it in a computer
crash years ago, my server does not carry group descriptions so it is
difficult to find new suitable groups.

I am a male living alone who wants to improve my meals now that I am retired
and can spend more tome preparing and cooking meals.

My problem at the moment is getting roast potatoes nice and crispy!
I peel them and wash them then part boil them for 10 min,

Are you using the right potatoes? King Edwards are good for roasting.
Several supermarkets label their different spuds as 'Good for......'

Hmm, don't normally parboil for more than 3-4 minutes, personally.

Drain fully then shake the saucepan for a couple minutes before adding the
potatoes to the fat. This makes the outside of the potatoes go a bit floury
and fluffy so they take up the fat better on the outside.

Preheat the fat and place the dish onto a hot hob so the fat is good and
hot as you add the spuds. Turn the spuds to coat them with fat before you
pop them in the oven.

then roast in a
pre heated oven at 220 in my combination microwave oven.

Again, I favour a longer time at a lower temperature - 45 minutes at 180 C
in a fan-assisted oven. I'm guessing your combi microwave will have fan
assist for baking.

I roast them in beef dripping

Goose fat is *the* roasting medium for spuds. Readily available at
supermarkets.


I don't like this thread. Just lost 3 stone and got my blood pressure
and bad clorestrol within reasonable limits. Roast spuds are now a rare
delicacy here.

What on *earth* have roast potatoes got to do with your cholestorol level?
I'm not even sure they have any effect on blood pressure either.

--
Chris Green

"Mick Cant" wrote in message
om...
Hi all,
Am sorry if this is too far OT.
There used to be a group about food and cooking, but I lost it in a
computer crash years ago, my server does not carry group descriptions so
it is difficult to find new suitable groups.

I am a male living alone who wants to improve my meals now that I am
retired and can spend more tome preparing and cooking meals.

My problem at the moment is getting roast potatoes nice and crispy!
I peel them and wash them then part boil them for 10 min, then roast in a
pre heated oven at 220 in my combination microwave oven.
I roast them in beef dripping for around 30 minuets turning them and they
come out ok but could do with being a bit crisper on the outside.

Can anyone help with a group or where I am going wrong please?
Mick.

My local carvery swears that all they do is deep fry 'em, absolutely
gorgeous.
Knocks Aunt Bessies (which we use at home) into a cocked-hat.

On Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:20:37 +0100, "Mick Cant"
wrote:


Can anyone help with a group or where I am going wrong please?

Firstly choose your potato. This time of the year Red Rooster are
acceptable, later Cara or King Edward.

Secondly. when you par boil them use lots of salt, for two persons
worth of potatoes use at least a tablespoon of salt. The salt is
only absorbed into the outer skin but helps create a very crisp
finish.

When they come out of par-boiling put them on a tray to dry for a
minute or so and then distress them slightly by putting them back in
the dry empty pan and shaking them a bit.

Personally I find beef dripping a bit strong. Duck fat is good or
Rapeseed oil. Olive oil on roast potatoes is foul.

Mick Cant wrote:

My problem at the moment is getting roast potatoes nice and crispy!

Personally I tend to stick with Saint Delia for stuff like this.

http://www.deliaonline.com/how-to-co...-potatoes.html

Pete

In article ,
"brass monkey" writes:

My local carvery swears that all they do is deep fry 'em, absolutely
gorgeous.

Most low grade commercial kitchens produce
their "roast" potatoes by deep frying them.
What you're really eating are giant chips.

Knocks Aunt Bessies (which we use at home) into a cocked-hat.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

Pete Verdon wrote:
Mick Cant wrote:

My problem at the moment is getting roast potatoes nice and crispy!

Personally I tend to stick with Saint Delia for stuff like this.

http://www.deliaonline.com/how-to-co...-potatoes.html


Pete
Yup. she's spot on. except I think King Edwards are rubbish. Desiree,
Romano or Vanessa if you can find em.

I HATE cheap floury fluffy potatoes..

MOST of the pink skinned ones are better.

Potatoes need 45 mins in the oven to cook from 'almost raw' and 25
minutes to reliably cook when boiling.

Time and temperature..the MOST important things.

Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
"brass monkey" writes:
My local carvery swears that all they do is deep fry 'em, absolutely
gorgeous.

Most low grade commercial kitchens produce
their "roast" potatoes by deep frying them.
What you're really eating are giant chips.

Nothing wrong with that as long as you realise what you are getting.

But not restaurant really ever produces a good roast and three veg
dinner - you have to cook to a time, and its a 45 minute cook minimum.

Knocks Aunt Bessies (which we use at home) into a cocked-hat.

Jim wibbled:

"Mick Cant" wrote:
My problem at the moment is getting roast potatoes nice and crispy!
I peel them and wash them then part boil them for 10 min, then roast in a
pre heated oven at 220 in my combination microwave oven.
I roast them in beef dripping for around 30 minuets turning them and they
come out ok but could do with being a bit crisper on the outside.

1. Try bashing them around in the pan after parboiling them

And dust very lightly with flour at this stage if you don't get the result
wanted. I seldom do this, but when I did, the results were very good.

2. Try basting the oil over the top of them several times

Definately

3. You may be using the wrong potatoes - some are "fluffier" than others

Yep - different potatoes do have quite different properties.

brass monkey wrote:

My local carvery swears that all they do is deep fry 'em, absolutely
gorgeous.
Knocks Aunt Bessies (which we use at home) into a cocked-hat.

My local pub roasts them the normal way and then stores them. When a
food order comes in that needs roast spuds, they warm them up in the
deep fryer.

Dave

Peter Parry wrote:
On Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:20:37 +0100, "Mick Cant"
wrote:

Can anyone help with a group or where I am going wrong please?

Firstly choose your potato. This time of the year Red Rooster are
acceptable, later Cara or King Edward.

Secondly. when you par boil them use lots of salt, for two persons
worth of potatoes use at least a tablespoon of salt. The salt is
only absorbed into the outer skin but helps create a very crisp
finish.

When they come out of par-boiling put them on a tray to dry for a
minute or so and then distress them slightly by putting them back in
the dry empty pan and shaking them a bit.

Personally I find beef dripping a bit strong. Duck fat is good or
Rapeseed oil. Olive oil on roast potatoes is foul.

Apart from which, olive oil has too low a smoke point, so you can't get
the oven hot enough.

Dave

On Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:24:56 +0100, Peter Parry had
this to say:

Personally I find beef dripping a bit strong. Duck fat is good or
Rapeseed oil.

Being a vegetarian I deplore the idea of beef dripping or duck fat
being used for a vegetable part of a meal...

YMMV.

--
Frank Erskine

Frank Erskine wrote:
On Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:24:56 +0100, Peter Parry had
this to say:

Personally I find beef dripping a bit strong. Duck fat is good or
Rapeseed oil.

Being a vegetarian I deplore the idea of beef dripping or duck fat
being used for a vegetable part of a meal...

I believe WD40 is suitable for vegetarians...

:-)

--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On Tue, 28 Jul 2009 07:05:36 GMT, "The Medway Handyman"
had this to say:

Frank Erskine wrote:
On Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:24:56 +0100, Peter Parry had
this to say:

Personally I find beef dripping a bit strong. Duck fat is good or
Rapeseed oil.

Being a vegetarian I deplore the idea of beef dripping or duck fat
being used for a vegetable part of a meal...

I believe WD40 is suitable for vegetarians...

It has to be suitable for _something_, I suppose.

--
Frank Erskine

In message , The Wanderer
writes
I roast them in beef dripping

Goose fat is *the* roasting medium for spuds. Readily available at
supermarkets.
Oh yes... excellent stuff for roast spuds. I never par boil potatoes
before roasting but would second the longer at lower temperatures
comment, 45 mins to an hour at gas 6 or 7, choice of potato makes a
*huge* difference, I find Maris Pipers are good but YMMV, it's personal
taste.

As an aside, check out the budget bags of spuds at places like Asda,
quite often in small letters you'll find that they are a very good
variety, the only difference is that they haven't been washed and you
need to buy 5 kilo at a time (but they keep well covered in mud inside a
dark paper sack)


--
Clint Sharp

In message , Frank Erskine
writes
Being a vegetarian I deplore the idea of beef dripping or duck fat
being used for a vegetable part of a meal...
Makes it taste better (although cooked properly they taste pretty good
anyway). I suppose you'd argue that 'proper' gravy made from the juices
of the meat (yeah, blood) is deplorable too and it shouldn't be let near
the vegetables either?

YMMV.


--
Clint Sharp

On Mon, 27 Jul 2009 23:03:59 +0100, Tim S wrote:

Jim wibbled:

"Mick Cant" wrote:
My problem at the moment is getting roast potatoes nice and crispy!
I peel them and wash them then part boil them for 10 min, then roast in a
pre heated oven at 220 in my combination microwave oven.
I roast them in beef dripping for around 30 minuets turning them and they
come out ok but could do with being a bit crisper on the outside.

1. Try bashing them around in the pan after parboiling them

And dust very lightly with flour at this stage if you don't get the result
wanted. I seldom do this, but when I did, the results were very good.

2. Try basting the oil over the top of them several times

Definately

3. You may be using the wrong potatoes - some are "fluffier" than others

Yep - different potatoes do have quite different properties.

They also vary according to how long they have been stored. So as the
seasons change different varieties appear in the shops and as the
weeks and months go by their chipping and roasting qualities change.

The current new crop of maris piper makes very good chips to my taste,
The previous variety i had (Saxon) turned dark brown straight away
before the insides were anything like cooked. Something similar would
presumably apply to roasts.

Derek

On Jul 28, 12:16*am, Frank Erskine
wrote:
On Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:24:56 +0100, Peter Parry had
this to say:

Personally I find beef dripping a bit strong. *Duck fat is good or
Rapeseed oil. *

Being a vegetarian I deplore the idea of beef dripping or duck fat
being used for a vegetable part of a meal...

What would you recommend?

Man at B&Q wrote:
On Jul 28, 12:16 am, Frank Erskine
wrote:
On Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:24:56 +0100, Peter Parry had
this to say:

Personally I find beef dripping a bit strong. Duck fat is good or
Rapeseed oil.
Being a vegetarian I deplore the idea of beef dripping or duck fat
being used for a vegetable part of a meal...

What would you recommend?


sunflower or peanut for dense taste.

rape if you like them to taste of metal, but its cheap.

Olive for poncey piotatoes.

Sesame for REAL flavour BUT..gasp at the price.

On Tue, 28 Jul 2009 03:53:11 -0700 (PDT), "Man at B&Q"
had this to say:

On Jul 28, 12:16*am, Frank Erskine
wrote:
On Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:24:56 +0100, Peter Parry had
this to say:

Personally I find beef dripping a bit strong. *Duck fat is good or
Rapeseed oil. *

Being a vegetarian I deplore the idea of beef dripping or duck fat
being used for a vegetable part of a meal...

What would you recommend?

Sunflower oil.
--
Frank Erskine

Huge wrote:
On 2009-07-28, Frank Erskine wrote:
On Tue, 28 Jul 2009 03:53:11 -0700 (PDT), "Man at B&Q"
had this to say:

On Jul 28, 12:16 am, Frank Erskine
wrote:
On Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:24:56 +0100, Peter Parry had
this to say:

Personally I find beef dripping a bit strong. Duck fat is good or
Rapeseed oil.
Being a vegetarian I deplore the idea of beef dripping or duck fat
being used for a vegetable part of a meal...
What would you recommend?

Sunflower oil.

My wife uses olive oil for her roasties, and they are superb!

Olive and rosemary is nice for lamb.
It all depends on what you want tho.

I xcant conceive of roast potatoes with a nut roast.

"Mick Cant" wrote in message
om...
Hi all,
Am sorry if this is too far OT.
There used to be a group about food and cooking, but I lost it in a
computer crash years ago, my server does not carry group descriptions so
it is difficult to find new suitable groups.

I am a male living alone who wants to improve my meals now that I am
retired and can spend more tome preparing and cooking meals.

My problem at the moment is getting roast potatoes nice and crispy!
I peel them and wash them then part boil them for 10 min, then roast in a
pre heated oven at 220 in my combination microwave oven.
I roast them in beef dripping for around 30 minuets turning them and they
come out ok but could do with being a bit crisper on the outside.

Can anyone help with a group or where I am going wrong please?

I rarely ever do roast potatoes, but variety and giving them a shake to
rough the edges up helps.

However, I do find that the waitrose website recipe section is excellent.
Every recipe I've ever had off there (and I've had a few) has been foolproof
and tasty.

The Natural Philosopher wrote:
Huge wrote:
On 2009-07-28, Frank Erskine wrote:
On Tue, 28 Jul 2009 03:53:11 -0700 (PDT), "Man at B&Q"
had this to say:

On Jul 28, 12:16 am, Frank Erskine
wrote:
On Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:24:56 +0100, Peter Parry had
this to say:

Personally I find beef dripping a bit strong. Duck fat is good or
Rapeseed oil.
Being a vegetarian I deplore the idea of beef dripping or duck fat
being used for a vegetable part of a meal...
What would you recommend?

Sunflower oil.

My wife uses olive oil for her roasties, and they are superb!

Olive and rosemary is nice for lamb.
It all depends on what you want tho.

I xcant conceive of roast potatoes with a nut roast.

In my earlier post I mentioned using olive oil. And, at too high a
temperature, that does smoke and become unpleasant. At the temperature I
actually use it is just fine and the roasties themselves are fine.

I have used goose fat and very much enjoyed the results. But the olive
oil results are also very acceptable.

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

On Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:42:53 -0700 (PDT), Owain
wrote:

[culinary bulletin from Scotland] You can do that with steak pies and
frozen pizzas too!

I came across that a few years ago. The locals were buying frozen
pizzas and taking them to the chippy to be dipped in batter and deep
fried!

Owain wrote:
On 27 July, 23:25, Dave wrote:
My local pub roasts them the normal way and then stores them. When a
food order comes in that needs roast spuds, they warm them up in the
deep fryer.

[culinary bulletin from Scotland] You can do that with steak pies and
frozen pizzas too!

In my early 20's I visited relatives in New Cumnock and ordered steak
pie and chips. The chippy dropped the pie in the fat before I could say
anything. Now I like my pastry, but not fried :-(

Dave

Frank Erskine wrote:

Being a vegetarian I deplore the idea of beef dripping or duck fat
being used for a vegetable part of a meal...

Last time I cooked roast potatoes with a veggie present, I did a
separate little tin with groundnut oil for her. Wasn't going to give up
lard on the main batch, no way.

Pete

On Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:19:19 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Sesame for REAL flavour BUT..gasp at the price.

B-) Use a sunflower oil mainly and a teaspon of sesame for the
flavour. Olive oil won't go hot enough for decent roasties.

--
Cheers
Dave.