Friday nights at my childhood home were something to behold. My mother (who despite working a long day) came into her culinary own. The menu, chopped liver, egg and onion, chicken soup, roast chicken and vegetables, apple pie and cream, was nothing short of a marvel. For me though (and my four siblings) the highlight was always the roast potatoes. These little gems, of which there were never enough, were the size of eggs, crisp and crunchy on the outside and yet always fluffy and light in the middle. Watching my mother prepare her spuds with effortless ease I wondered how it was that so many roast potatoes I had eaten elsewhere were either dry and brittle to the point of teeth-breaking, or sponge-soggy.

Now I know there are many routes to roast potato nirvana (Gary Rhodes and Simon Hopkinson both have fantastic recipes that could not be more different, each truly wonderful). Yes, it’s true that roasting your potatoes in beef dripping, goose fat or some other animal based product adds flavour and coating in flour and shallow frying guarantees crunch. And yes, you can travel the length of the country to find the perfect potato for roasting. But is all this truly necessary? I say emphatically no! I swear by mum’s rules and methods and it has served me (and my guests) exceedingly well over the years. Here it is in all its glorious simplicity for you.

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