SIDES & SALADS, BRITISH
SAGE BROWN BUTTER ROAST POTATOES
- Timescale In A Hurry
- Serves 4-6
- Difficulty Simple
In full disclosure, we have something of an obsession with roast potatoes here at Our Modern Kitchen. Brown butter and sage is a classic example of a flavour being more than the sum of its parts – the nutty richness you get from this time-honoured pairing is simply exquisite. We’ve used it to great effect here with these golden beauties and offset the opulence with some orange zest. Truly the perfect potato.
Ingredients
2kg Maris Piper Potatoes
100g Salted Butter
5 Garlic Cloves, bruised
Zest of half an Orange
1 Large Bunch of Sage
Generous Pinch of Salt and Pepper
Generous lug of Vegetable oil
METHOD
1. Peel all of the potatoes, keeping them whole.
2. Find the smallest potato, this is going to be your control potato. In order to ensure your potatoes roast evenly, you want them to be similar in size. Once you have established your control potato, go through the rest and cut in half, third or quarter to as close a size to the control as possible until all of the potatoes are roughly the same size.
3. If all of your potatoes are fairly large, cut down your control to a more manageable size. In my mind, the perfect control potato is about 5cm in diameter with 3cm depth.
4. Place the potatoes in a large bowl under running water for a minute or so to wash off the starch.
5. Transfer the potatoes to a large pan and cover with water and bring to the boil. Cook the potatoes for about 20-25 minutes. You want the potatoes to be very soft but not falling apart, be careful in the last 5 minutes as they can quickly turn from par boiled potatoes to watery mash – so watch them closely!
6. Carefully drain the potatoes so as not to break them, and leave them to cool.
7. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
8. Pour a thin film of vegetable oil into a roasting tray large enough to hold the potatoes in one layer and place the tray in the oven to heat the oil.
9. Meanwhile, place a pan over a medium-high heat and melt the butter in the pan. Once melted add in the garlic cloves and the sage leaves. Leave the butter to infuse for a minute or two until the sage leaves begin to crisp and the butter has turned golden-brown and nutty. Remove the sage and garlic and set aside for later.
10. Remove the tray from the oven and carefully add the potatoes to the hot oil, turning them over as you go, before pouring over the brown butter – ensuring the potatoes are evenly basted in the butter. Try not to overcrowd the tray, the potatoes will cook better if evenly spaced.
11. Return the tray to the oven and roast for 1 hour and 20 mins, turning the potatoes every 20 minutes, until the potatoes are golden brown and perfectly crisp. Set the potatoes on kitchen roll to absorb any remains fat before transferring to a serving dish with the crisp sage and top with orange zest.
12. Serve immediately with your favourite roasted meat.
Comment