James Martin says ‘do 1 thing to Christmas dinner roast potatoes now’

Celebrity chef James Martin has revealed his foolproof method for achieving perfectly roasted potatoes on Christmas Day that can be prepared well in advance.

For countless families, Christmas dinner represents the pinnacle of festive dining – a meal eagerly anticipated for months beforehand.

Given such high expectations, the pressure mounts for everything to proceed flawlessly during the cooking process. However, spending endless hours slaving away in the kitchen on Christmas Day often isn’t how people want to spend the day.

To address this dilemma, culinary expert James Martin has disclosed his straightforward technique for ensuring impeccably cooked roast potatoes for your Christmas feast, with preparation starting right now to minimise last-minute stress.

During a recent interview, James explained how advance potato preparation means simply placing them in the oven come Christmas morning.

He went on to outline his step-by-step instructions for achieving that coveted crispy exterior, all by doing all the prep work ahead of time.

“What you don’t want with potatoes is you need to make sure the starch is taken off it,” he began. “So, don’t cram the pan full [with potatoes].”

James then recommended adding generous amounts of water alongside a pinch of salt to a saucepan containing the potatoes before bringing the mixture to a rolling boil.

Allow them to cook for approximately three to four minutes before transferring them to a colander, then shake vigorously to create roughened edges. He then disclosed that many chefs would next place them in an oven tray with lard, dripping, or duck fat drizzled on top.

Instead of roasting it immediately, he suggests freezing it until Christmas, reducing your kitchen time on the big day.

“And then, when you want them for Christmas, take them out, one hour in the oven,” he advised, specifying a temperature of 200C.

James further suggested placing the potatoes in the oven as you remove your meat, as the oven would be too hot for the meat. Given that most people have a standard conventional oven, it often isn’t spacious enough to cook both the turkey and all the trimmings simultaneously.

The problem with this, according to James, is that the large piece of meat generates steam in the oven, which is something you want to avoid when making your roast potatoes. He explained that by cooking the meat beforehand, it eliminates the steam, allowing the potatoes to roast and achieve a crispy crust.

“Let [the meat] rest for an hour, which it should do anyway,” James stated. “Do not put your potatoes in at the same time as the meat.”

He went on to explain that cooking everything simultaneously will extend the cooking time, and the potatoes won’t crisp up due to the steam.