Picnic Days Are Over....

It's the time of the year for comfort food - stews, casseroles, soups and roast chicken... and nothing goes better with roast chicken than roast potatoes! After years of experimenting with soggy, sodden potatoes, I think I may just have cracked the secret of making the perfect roast potato....

It helps to now have a working oven, as that is really the crux of the matter... a really, really hot oven.

So preheat your oven to 230C/220C with fan (450F, Gas Mark 8).

Select your potatoes... I recommend Maris Pipers or King Edwards.... peel them and chop into pieces.

Place the chopped potatoes into a pot, cover with salted water and just bring to the boil. We're told to par boil potatoes before roasting but I think I used to completely overdo this stage.

Drain immediately and allow to cool...

Place the potatoes in a roasting tray and coat with oil...  I recommend vegetable oil, such as sunflower oil rather than olive oil (I tend to cook everything in olive oil but here I make the exception).

Place in the hot oven and roast for approximately 45 minutes or until golden brown, tossing the potatoes in the oil every 15 minutes.

Drain with a slotted spoon and serve.