Roasted Potatoes with Caramel & Prunes

You have to take notice when the recipe says: “we seriously urge you to give this a go, even if it sounds overtly over the top.” Nothing surprises me about any Ottolenghi’s recipe; I’m astonished he actually considers it to be one step too far? Or is it? The only way to find out is to make these roasted potatoes with caramel and prunes.

Consider that you often see salted caramel in desserts, pairing savory with sweet stuff is nothing new. But caramel with roasted potatoes and prunes, who would have thought they could be partners. Well, I’ll keep an open mind.

Start with russet, the starchy kind of potatoes. Peel and keep the cut potatoes in a bowl of cold water to prevent discoloration. Then rinse them to remove the starch. Afterwards, put them in a pan filled with cold water and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes.

The next step seems unusual: drain the potatoes in a colander and shake to roughen the edges. I did it with rigor and intention because, reportedly, by doing so a crunchy skin will develop. I thought I knew all the tricks about cooking potatoes. But here is a new one that would surely get a lot of mileage in my kitchen.

You can’t have roasted potatoes without fat. This is a holiday dish. So by all means, bring out the good fat as well as the fine china. Ottolenghi asks for goose fat, but all I have is duck fat that has arrived in a holiday gourmet package, just in time!

The last step involves drizzling over the potatoes and prunes with caramel. Unfortunately, that’s a technique which I have not yet perfected. I struggle with cooking a dry caramel using just sugar according to the instructions which include — no stirring. That’s impossible to do.

It’s taking me far too long to get the caramel into a deep golden brown. I try moving the liquid sugar by swirling while holding the pan, but that’s ineffective to get all the sugar evenly cooked. Eventually I got it done, although with far too many lumps in the caramel. I know there’s a better way to make a perfect caramel. I should stick with that method and repeat a few times to get better at doing it.

Clearly the promise of a wonderfully crispy, salty and gently sweet potatoes is fulfilled — together with the blessings of comfort and joy. However, for those who are technically challenged in making caramel, the recipe may well be a step too far.

Print Recipe

Roasted Potatoes with Caramel & Prunes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1kg floury potatoes, such as Maris Piper
• 8 tbsp goose fat
• ½ tsp salt
• 150g whole soft prunes, stones removed
• 90g caster sugar
• 50ml iced water

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 220C/450F/gas mark 8. Peel the potatoes. Leave the small ones whole and halve the larger ones, so you end up with pieces of around 60g each. Keep them in cold water to prevent discoloration.

2

Rinse the potatoes under cold water to remove the starch, then put in a large pan filled with cold water, bring to a boil and simmer for eight to 10 minutes. Drain into a colander and shake to roughen the edges - this will help achieve the desired crunchy skin.

3

Put the goose fat in a roasting tray and heat in the oven for about eight minutes, until smoking. Carefully lift the tray from the oven, tip in the potatoes and use metal tongs to roll them around in the hot fat. Return the tray to the highest shelf of the oven and cook for 50 to 65 minutes, until the potatoes are golden and crunchy on the outside, and soft in the middle. While they are cooking, turn them over from time to time to make sure they colour evenly. Once the potatoes are almost ready, take the tray out of the oven and carefully tip out most of the fat into a heatproof bowl. Add the salt and prunes, and stir gently. Return to the oven for five minutes.

4

During this time, make the caramel. Put the sugar in a heavy-based pan and place over a low heat. Without stirring, watch the sugar as it turns a rich, caramel colour. Keep your eyes on the sugar at all times because it can easily catch and burn. The moment it reaches the desired colour, remove from the heat. With your face at a safe distance, quickly pour the water into the caramel to stop it from cooking any more, then return to the heat and stir to eliminate any lumps.

5

Before serving, stir the caramel into the potatoes and prunes. Transfer to a bowl and eat at once.

Notes

https://ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/roasted-potatoes-with-caramel-agen-prunes