Fat For Roast Potatoes | Ask Nigella.com (2024)

Our answer

Nigella's Perfect Roast Potatoes (from NIGELLA CHRISTMAS) are cooked in goose fat. Goose fat is ideal for roast potatoes as it has a high smoke point, so the potatoes can be cooked at high temperature to make sure that the outsides are golden and crisp. Goose fat also gives the potatoes a good flavour. Goose fat is often sold in jars or cans can be bought in larger supermarkets and on-line.

If you can't use goose fat but can use other animal fats then duck fat, beef fat (dripping) or lard could be alternatives. If you prefer a plant-based option then we would suggest using sunflower or a similar unflavoured vegetable oil that has a high smoke point. We would avoid olive oil as this doesn't tolerate high heats as well.