Why roast potatoes are the perfect place to start
If you have never cooked with beef tallow before, roast potatoes are a brilliant first recipe. They are familiar, simple and they show very clearly what a good cooking fat can do. The aim is a deeply golden, crisp outside with a light, fluffy centre.
Choose the right potatoes
Floury potatoes are usually the best choice because their edges soften during parboiling and become rough enough to crisp well in the oven. Cut them into evenly sized pieces so they cook at roughly the same speed.
Parboil, but do not overcook
Place the potatoes in salted water and bring them to the boil. Cook until the outer surface has softened but the pieces still hold their shape. You want them tender enough to roughen around the edges without becoming so soft that they fall apart.
Drying is one of the secrets
Once drained, leave the potatoes for a few minutes so excess steam can escape. Water is the enemy of crisping. The drier the outside of the potato is before it meets the hot tallow, the better the chance of creating a crisp crust.
Rough up the edges
Gently shake the drained potatoes in the saucepan or colander. The goal is to create a slightly fluffy, uneven surface. Those rough edges give the hot tallow more surface area to work with and become some of the crispiest parts of the finished potato.
Heat the tallow before the potatoes go in
Add a generous spoonful or two of beef tallow to your roasting tray and place the tray in a hot oven. Once the tallow is properly heated, carefully add the potatoes. Turn them so each piece gets a light coating. This immediate contact with hot fat helps begin the roasting process straight away.
Give them space
Do not crowd the tray. Potatoes packed too closely together trap steam, which works against crispness. Leave enough room around each piece for hot air to circulate. Turn them once or twice during roasting so several sides develop colour.
Season and serve at their best
When the potatoes are deeply golden and crisp, remove them from the oven and season to taste. Serve them while they are hot and the crust is at its best. The result should be crunchy on the outside, soft inside and full of traditional savoury flavour.
Chef's tip
The three things that make the biggest difference are simple: dry potatoes, hot tallow and enough room on the tray. Get those right and you are already most of the way to excellent roast potatoes.
Why tallow works so naturally here
Beef tallow has long been associated with roast cooking because it brings both function and flavour. It is exactly the kind of simple ingredient that earns its place in the kitchen by making familiar food better.