Gordon Ramsay’s secret to perfect roast potatoes is not flour, baking soda or salt – it’s semolina. Semolina, also known as wheat middlings, is a coarse flour made mostly from the nutritious wheat grain germ, which is usually sifted out during the milling of white flour.
While it may seem similar to cornstarch, semolina actually gives a crunch rather than a crisp texture when cooked. The celebrity chef insists that good technique is key, and boils it down to three steps: “Shaking up the edges, coating in semolina and getting the fat really hot first all help ensure crispy, golden outsides while the middles remain fluffy.”
Ingredients
Method
For maximum flavour, Gordon recommends using coarse sea salt and freshly cracked black peppercorns instead of table salt and ground pepper.
Or, for a spicy twist, try his favourite combination of half a teaspoon of turmeric and a pinch of chilli flakes sprinkled onto the potatoes before roasting.
Start by preheating your oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6. Then, peel and chop your potatoes into large chunks.
Next, put the potatoes in a large saucepan filled with cold salted water. Bring the water to a boil and let it simmer for six minutes, reports the Express.
Finally, add goose fat (or oil) to a large roasting tray and place it in the oven to get “really hot”.
Once your spuds are done, give them a good drain and a pan shake to “chuff” those edges right up. Chuck in the semolina all over them and give the pan another jiggle so it sticks on all nice and even.
Let those tatties steam dry for a spell of five minutes. As for the garlic, leave the cloves as they are but give them a bit of a bash with your hand to just crush ’em slightly.
Then ease your potatoes into that hot tray with sizzling oil, throwing in the garlic and a bit of rosemary for good measure. Give everything a good toss to make sure your spuds are all dressed up in oil, then lay them out flat so they’ll cook evenly.
Pop the tray back in your oven for 40 to 45 minutes, giving them a turn every quarter of an hour, until they’re lovely, crisp, and looking like golden treasure.
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