Mary Berry Roast Potatoes With Semolina​ Recipe

The ultimate Mary Berry Roast Potatoes with Semolina recipe is made with floury potatoes, rich goose fat, and a clever coating of fine semolina. This recipe creates spectacularly crispy and crunchy roast potatoes with fluffy, tender insides. It’s the perfect side dish for a traditional Sunday roast or a festive Christmas dinner, making enough to generously serve 6 to 8 people.

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Mary Berry Roast Potatoes With Semolina Ingredients

• 1.5kg (3lb 5oz) floury potatoes (such as Maris Piper or King Edward), peeled
• 100g (4oz) goose fat or lard (or vegetable oil for a vegetarian option)
• 2 tbsp fine semolina
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

How To Make Mary Berry Roast Potatoes With Semolina

1. Prepare the potatoes: Peel the potatoes and cut any larger ones so they are all of a similar, even size. Rinse them under cold running water to remove excess starch.
2. Parboil the potatoes: Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover them with cold, salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for exactly 7 minutes. This step is crucial for achieving a fluffy interior.
3. Preheat the fat: While the potatoes are boiling, place the goose fat or lard into a large, sturdy roasting tin. Put the tin in the oven and preheat to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. The fat needs to be sizzling hot.
4. Drain and shake: Once the 7 minutes are up, drain the potatoes well in a colander. Let them sit for a couple of minutes to steam dry. Then, give the colander a good shake to rough up the edges of the potatoes. This creates a fluffy, broken surface for the fat to cling to.
5. Coat with semolina: Sprinkle the semolina and a generous amount of salt and pepper over the shaken potatoes. Toss them gently in the colander to ensure they are evenly coated.
6. Roast the potatoes: Carefully remove the hot roasting tin from the oven. Place the potatoes one by one into the sizzling hot fat, turning them over to coat completely.
7. Cook until golden: Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, turning the potatoes every 20 minutes, until they are golden brown, crisp, and crunchy on all sides.
8. Serve immediately: Once cooked to perfection, remove the potatoes from the tin, drain them on kitchen paper if desired, and serve immediately.

Recipe Tips

• Choose the right potato: Always use a floury potato variety like Maris Piper or King Edward. These potatoes have a high starch content, which is essential for creating a light and fluffy inside.
• Don’t skip the shaking step: Shaking the parboiled potatoes to rough up the edges is the secret to a super crunchy exterior. These roughed-up surfaces absorb the fat and become incredibly crisp during roasting.
• Ensure the fat is sizzling hot: Adding the potatoes to very hot fat instantly starts the crisping process and prevents them from absorbing too much oil and becoming greasy. Be extremely careful when placing the potatoes in the hot tin.
• Semolina is the key to crunch: The fine semolina coating acts like a light batter, creating an extra layer of crunch that is simply unbeatable. It’s the special touch that makes these potatoes stand out.

What To Serve With Roast Potatoes

These classic roast potatoes are the star side dish for any traditional roast dinner. They are perfect alongside roasted chicken, turkey for a Christmas feast, succulent roast beef with Yorkshire puddings, or a crispy-skinned roast pork with apple sauce. They also pair wonderfully with roasted lamb and mint sauce. For a vegetarian meal, serve them with a nut roast, vegetable wellington, or simply with steamed green vegetables and a rich gravy.

How To Store Roast Potatoes Leftovers

• Refrigerate: If you have any leftovers (which is rare!), allow them to cool completely. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• To Reheat: For the best results and to regain their crispiness, reheat the potatoes in a hot oven (around 200°C/400°F) for 10-15 minutes. You can also reheat them in an air fryer for about 5-8 minutes. Microwaving is not recommended as it will make them soft and soggy. You cannot freeze roast potatoes successfully as they will become watery upon thawing.

Mary Berry Roast Potatoes With Semolina Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 350 kcal
• Total Fat: 15g
• Saturated Fat: 6g
• Cholesterol: 20mg
• Sodium: 300mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 50g
• Dietary Fiber: 5g
• Sugars: 2g
• Protein: 6g

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I use oil instead of goose fat? Yes, while goose fat provides a rich, traditional flavour, you can substitute it with lard, dripping, or a good quality vegetable oil like sunflower or rapeseed oil for a vegetarian version.
• What is semolina and can I use something else? Semolina is a coarse flour made from durum wheat. It creates an exceptionally crunchy coating. If you don’t have semolina, you can use a tablespoon of plain flour, though the result won’t be quite as crispy.
• Why are my roast potatoes not crispy? There are a few common reasons: the fat wasn’t hot enough when you added the potatoes, you didn’t rough up the edges enough after parboiling, or the potatoes were overcrowded in the roasting tin, causing them to steam rather than roast.

Try More Recipes:

• Mary Berry Mince Pies​ Recipe
• Mary Berry Lemon Meringue Pie​ Recipe
• Mary Berry Ginger Flapjacks​ Recipe