Tip: if you have the oven space (not essential if you don’t), follow this method using two trays so that the roasties can have enough space to crispy up.

Preheat the oven to 200°C FAN/ 220°C Conventional/ 390°F

• Begin the roastie journey by peeling all of the potatoes. As long as you have a glass of wine and some tunes, this process won’t be too painful. If you’re peeling these ahead of time, place in a bowl with cold water.
• Once you’ve peeled the tates, roughly chop them into quarters and for smaller potatoes, into halves. Pop into a large saucepan with heavily salted cold water. When it starts to simmer, set a timer for 8-10 minutes, until fork tender.
• Meanwhile, add a generous amount of rapeseed oil to a baking tray (it’s Christmas) so that the base of the tray is filled to a depth of 1cm. Pop in the oven with the chicken for 10 minutes while the potatoes are simmering.
• Drain the potatoes and place them back into the saucepan. Season generously with salt and add 2 tbsp of cornflour. Close the lid and give them a good shake to rough up the exterior.
• Remove the oil from the oven. To make sure the oil is hot enough, you can add one potato and see if it sizzle and pops (careful to not splash yourself).
• Transfer the tates into the hot oil, pour them away from you and move your body back so that you don’t splash yourself with the hot oil. Pls don’t get splashed, it will not be fun. When they stop spitting, use a spoon so that the oil coats the potatoes. Pop in the oven for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, rotate the potatoes and add a few sprigs of thyme into the tray to infuse into the potatoes. Cook for 20-30 minutes more, or until golden and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove from the oil and season with more salt and pepp.