Chef Jenny Woodberry shares tips and tricks designed to make preparing healthy meals as easy as possible. Here she explains how to perfect your potatoes, whether you’re roasting, baking or making chips.
For the ultimate crunchy roast potatoes, peel, chop and cook your spuds for about 8 minutes in the microwave with a little oil or butter. Transfer to a roasting dish and slightly squash the potatoes with a masher (just to rough them up a bit). Roast in a hot 190°C-220°C for about 20 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.
For perfect oven chips, using either sweet or regular potatoes, you don’t really need to bother par-boiling them. Simply slice into chips, pay dry with a kitchen towel and drizzle with olive oil or cooking spray. Then roast in the oven at 190°C-200°C for 20-25 minutes, giving them a toss halfway through to ensure even cooking.
Don’t forget to season! Salt draws out moisture during the cooking process, so make sure to season at the end.
Short on time? Don’t bother peeling your spuds. Simply dice into small cubes and dress with a little oil before roasting. All the vitamins lie just underneath the skin anyway!
Really short on time? Simply pop a few whole potatoes into the oven while you cook everything else for crispy jackets!
Why not try…
Simple patatas bravas: cook ½ onion, 1 clove minced garlic and ½ tsp paprika in a little olive oil, then add 3 chopped tomatoes, 100g of tomato passata and ½ tsp of chilli flakes. Simmer until thickened, season and pour over diced roast potatoes.
Simple saag aloo: par-boil new potatoes, then halve and drizzle with olive oil on a baking tray. Sprinkle with cumin and turmeric and roast for 20 minutes until golden brown. Once cooked, toss in a bowl with 1 tbsp melted butter, 1 garlic clove (minced) and 2 handfuls of raw spinach.
For more from Chef Jenny see:
www.healthyfood.com
