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Browned Potatoes
Pare the desired number of medium-sized potatoes; parboil ten minutes in boiling salted water. Drain, dry and place in pan around roast beef, veal or pork, fifty minutes before meat is done. Baste with the liquor in pan and turn often to brown evenly.
A straightforward roast-side method that still works, with two details worth pinning down: the parboil and the amount of fat in the pan.
- Size the potatoes"Medium-sized" is left undefined; by modern reckoning that is a potato of roughly 5-6 oz, pared. If yours are larger, halve or quarter them so all pieces finish together; a floury variety such as russet or Maris Piper roughs up at the edges and browns best.
- The parboil is the hingeTen minutes in salted water gelatinises the outer layer so it crisps in the fat rather than drying out. Drain well and let the surface steam dry for a minute or two before the potatoes go near the pan — wet potatoes will not brown.
- Fifty minutes at roasting heatNo temperature is given. At a typical roasting heat of around 350-375F, fifty minutes suits parboiled potatoes; if your roast finishes at a lower temperature, expect to give them longer or transfer them to a hotter oven while the meat rests.
- "Liquor in pan"This means the rendered fat and meat juices, not stock. There must be enough of it to coat the potatoes — a beef or pork roast usually yields plenty, but a lean veal roast may need a few spoonfuls of added fat.
- Room around the roastThe potatoes need to sit in a single layer with space between them. Crowded around a large joint in a small pan they steam instead of browning; use a second pan with a ladle of the drippings if the roasting tin is full.
- Turning"Turn often" is sound but limit it to two or three times. Each turn breaks the crust that is forming, so let a face colour fully before moving it.
- YieldReckon on one to two potatoes a person, or about 8 oz of raw potato each as a side dish.
Roasting potatoes in the drippings under or around a joint is older than the domestic oven as we know it — the same thing was done in a dripping pan set beneath a spit, where the potatoes caught the fat as it fell. With the coal or gas range, it became a matter of simply arranging them in the roasting tin. Potatoes stored from the autumn harvest kept well in a cellar through winter, which made them a reliable vegetable of the cold months.