Crispy roast potatoes.

• 500g/1 lb floury potatoes for preference
• Goose fat/lard/dripping.  Olive oil if none of these avail.
• Salt.

Serves 3 – 4.

1. Boil the potatoes in salty water until just cooked through.
2. Drain in a colander and then throw them about the colander until the outside of the spuds gets broken up.
3. Heat the fat in a roasting tray in the oven heated to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.  Heat for a few minutes.
4. Add the potatoes to the fat, turning them about in it to coat them.
5. Salt them.
6. Put the tray into the oven and leave for 20 – 30 mins.  Take it out, turn the potatoes over.
7. Roast again for a further 20 – 30 mins or until they are as crispy as you like.

For new potatoes:

1. Boil in their skins until done.
2. Drain and douse in cold water.
3. Take off the skins. Drag a fork over the potatoes.
4. Continue as above.

Why the lard/goose fat/dripping?

These dreaded saturated fats are stable at temperature.  Olive oil is just about stable.  All other liquid fats go rancid at this temperature.  Rancid fat is extremely bad for us, blocking our fat cells so that nutrients can’t get in, waste products can’t get out and neither can stored fat.  Also saturated fats are made of many different fats, both lard and goose fat being full of the same fat as olive oil. We really are most dreadfully misled on the subject of fat, with many being led to think that margarines and spreadable oils healthier than butter.  Utterly,utterly bonkers.