Famous Last Meals / Modern companion recipe
Crisp Roast Potatoes
4 roast-potato side portions from 800 g prepared potatoes · Active 25 min · Total 1 hr 30 min
Print recipe · PDFParboiled floury potatoes are drained, steam-dried and gently roughened before roasting on a spacious tray. Oil is added to the cooled empty tray with the potatoes, avoiding a separate pan of preheated fat. The result aims for crisp golden surfaces and tender centers with a straightforward modern oven method.
A roast-potato offering, not its original technique
Roast potatoes are named alongside boiled potatoes on the preserved second-class dinner menu. It gives no potato variety, fat, tray or parboiling process. These quantities and the hot-oven method are our interpretation, without identifying a passenger’s choice or reconstructing the ship’s cooking equipment.
Use a floury potato for a roughened edge
Peel sound floury potatoes and cut generous similar chunks. A gentle parboil starts the centers and makes the outer layer soft enough to roughen. Drain, allow visible steam to escape and shake the colander lightly once or twice. The aim is a few feathery edges, not a bowl of broken mash. Waxy new potatoes keep a smoother shape and would give another finish. Taking the prepared weight after peeling keeps the oil and salt ratio useful even when potato sizes differ.
Give each piece a little bare tray
Spread on a large rimmed metal sheet so the potatoes do not press into a mound. The oil is tossed through the steam-dried pieces on the unheated tray, then everything enters the oven together. Turn with a wide spatula after the bottom has colored enough to release. Roasting until the center is tender matters as well as making a golden surface. Serve promptly while the crust is at its best, using four honest side portions rather than turning the full potato quantity into a dramatic single stack.
Ingredients
- 1 lb 12 oz sound floury potatoes, peeled and cut in roughly 1 1/2-in/4-cm chunks (800 g prepared)
- 8 cups drinking water (1.9 L), enough to cover for parboiling
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil suitable for roasting (30 ml)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt (3 g)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Set out
Oven, Large rimmed metal baking sheet about 13×18 in/33×46 cm, Saucepan, Colander, Wide spatula, Small knife, Food thermometer for reheating
Allergens
No major allergens inherent in the listed base; check oil labels and shared equipment. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Heat oven to 425°F (220°C). Put potato chunks in the saucepan with cold water to cover. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer 8–10 minutes until their outside softens but centers are not yet fully tender.
- Drain thoroughly in the colander and let steam escape 5 minutes. Shake gently once or twice to roughen the outside without breaking the pieces apart.
- Put potatoes on the unheated rimmed sheet and toss with oil, salt and pepper. Spread with gaps. Roast 40–50 minutes, turning after about 25 minutes with the wide spatula, until golden and crisp with centers tender to a knife. A crowded tray or particularly firm potatoes can need longer.
- Serve four side portions promptly. No extra butter, gravy or herb garnish is part of this base recipe.
Wait before the first turn
A potato can stick while its surface is still forming. Give the first side time to color, then use a wide spatula rather than repeatedly tearing at it with a fork.
Primary menu source
Royal Museums Greenwich, item LMQ/1/12/2: https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/archive/rmgc-object-484157 . The original printed dinner menu was inspected; it does not establish what any named diner ate.
A useful detail
The 90-minute total includes peeling and cutting, heating and parboiling, 5 minutes steam-drying, roughening, up to 50 minutes roasting and serving. A separate preheated-fat stage is not part of this method.
Another way
- Cut the same 800 g prepared potatoes into slightly smaller 1-in/2.5-cm chunks for more surface area. Check parboiling and roasting earlier; their timetable will shorten and must still end with tender centers.
Keep it well
Refrigerate shallow portions within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C), at 40°F (4°C) or below. Use within 3 days. Reheat leftovers to 165°F (74°C), allowing room on a tray if trying to restore some crust. Freeze promptly cooled portions for up to 1 month for quality and thaw in the refrigerator; the surface changes.