whine & dine

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I love potatoes. In fact, I’ve been known to start singing when I have a plate of hot, freshly cooked potatoes sitting in front of me! And I love them done in almost all possible ways – pommes dauphinois, pommes frites, pommes purée, pommes sarladaise (ooh, especially pommes sarladaise), all of it. My favourite, however, is probably a toss up between good, simple, buttery mashed potatoes, and simply roasted potatoes.

One of my recent acquisitions (in the kitchen) is a nice cast iron pan. I’ve been hankering after one of these for the longest time, but having read online that they’re generally pretty cheap, I couldn’t bring myself to pay so much for the branded versions. On a recent trip back to Singapore, I stopped by Razorsharp and picked up a 10 1/2 inch Lodge pre-seasoned cast iron pan. Of course, being as itchy fingered as I am (and not really know what “pre-seasoned” entails…), I decided to scrub the pan out once I got home and re-season it on my own. This cast iron pan is now officially my favourite pan to use. So many things that I cook in it, like bacon, roast meats which I brown on the stove before popping the entire thing into the oven, all taste so much better it’s really quite unbelievable.

So I’m sure you can guess where I’m going with this. Potatoes roasted in my cast iron pan have brought the pleasure that is eating potatoes to a whole new level. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should run straight out to buy a cast iron pan – many of the steps that are involved in the preparation beforehand contribute just as much to the final dish as the pan does (in my opinion anyway).

And you know what? The best part about this dish is that not just does it go really well with almost any meaty maincourse I can think of, but if you have any leftovers (and I normally do), just pack it into the fridge, and the next day you can turn it into a beautiful breakfast hash.

The Best Roast Spuds

20-25 new potatoes (each about 2-3 inches in diameter)
sea salt
8 rashers of streaky bacon or pancetta
2 tbsp goose fat, duck fat, extra bacon fat, or olive oil (listed in order of preference)
1 head of garlic, broken into individual cloves and smashed
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and roughly chopped
freshly ground black pepper
*freshly minced flat-leaf Italian parsley for garnishing (optional)

Preheat the oven to 200C, with the rack set in the middle of the oven.

Scrub the new potatoes, halve the smaller ones and cut the bigger ones into thirds or quarters to make sure that they are roughly the same size. I prefer to leave the skin on, but whether to leave them on or remove them is up to your discretion. Fill a pot with cold water, salt it generously (it should taste like the sea) and add the potatoes. Bring it to the boil over high heat and let it bubble away for 15-20 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the centre of the largest piece meets no resistance. Drain off the water, then return the potatoes in the same pan to the stove, over low heat, and gently cook to evaporate the excess water, about 5 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, gently turn them over occasionally to ensure that the bottom pieces don’t burn. This gentle turning also scuffs up the exterior of the potato bits, which will absorb the oil and make for a very crispy, delicious crust.

While the potatoes are boiling, cut the bacon into slices about 1cm thick. Heat a 10-12 inch cast iron (or any other heavy-based, oven-safe pan) over medium heat and add the bacon (with a scant splash of oil, if necessary) and cook gently, allowing the fat to render out, and lightly browning the bacon pieces. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon pieces to a bowl and set aside. Reserve the bacon fat in the pan.

Once the potatoes are dried out, remove them from the heat, add the goose fat, rosemary, a big pinch of salt and plenty of ground black pepper. Gently turn the pieces all over, allowing the goose fat and seasonings to be evenly distributed. Heat the cast iron pan with the bacon fat over medium heat, then turn the potatoes into the prepared pan and evenly distribute them. They should be in a more or less single layer. Stud the garlic cloves in and around the potatoes, then transfer the pan to the preheated oven once the potatoes start to sizzle in the pan. Roast for 45 minutes, or until deep golden brown and very crusty. If your pan is small and the potatoes are not in an even layer, you might also need to turn the potatoes halfway through so they are crisp all over.

To serve, scatter the reserved bacon bits over the potatoes and garnish with some fresh parsley. Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6