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    Home » Christmas » Freeze-Ahead Roast Potatoes

    Freeze-Ahead Roast Potatoes

    Freeze ahead roast potatoes, cooked and ready to be eaten

    Freeze-ahead roast potatoes taste (and look) better than fresh ones. Please, hear me out you doubters - this really is a gamechanger ...

    There is a huge tradition for roast dinners in the UK. The Sunday Roast is an institution, but to be honest, it was never really a big thing in our family. And that's probably the reason why a roast is not something that I do very often. There's too much last-minute preparation for me - too much time in a hot and steamy kitchen, too much washing up afterwards.

    And in the same vein, the traditional Christmas turkey with all the trimmings is not what I want to be cooking on such a special day. I want to enjoy Christmas day, not be a slave to it. I make all the time-consuming stuff in advance (the gravy, the side dishes, the cranberry sauce) and then freeze it all ready for the big day

    The thought of making anything from scratch on Christmas Day is a big no-no, with a Santa hat on top, for me. And especially anything that creates extra mess and washing up like roast potatoes.

    Who knew that you can do all the messy preparation (peel, par-boil, shake in the pan, wash up) beforehand and freeze the potatoes all ready to roast? I bet you like the sound of that.

    So how do Freeze-Ahead Roast Potatoes fit into our Christmas dinner?

    Only in Dubai could you buy 'Christmas Dinner in a Box' - my grandmother would turn in her grave! It really is genius and good value too. The big hotels and restaurants with big ovens to match, prepare your turkey (and the trimmings too if you choose) and you collect at your chosen time and go home to enjoy. Maybe it isn't 'only in Dubai'? Perhaps hotels and restaurants do this the world over? Whatever - it's inspired.

    In order to avoid the inevitable debate about who will do the collection on Christmas day, we've developed a family tradition of going to the beach on Christmas morning, when EVERYBODY has to go into the sea. It's a bit on the chilly side of comfortable (if you are a wussy desert dweller like me), so charging into the water ... and charging straight out again, is the only way. And the 'Christmas Dinner in a Box' hotel is right next door so it's the perfect pit stop en route home.

    Family running into the sea on a deserted beach
    Snowman made out of sand on a beach

    The turkey is always sensational - the trimmings less so and in particular the roast potatoes. They're fine ... just not quite how you'd make them yourself. And I have a solution to that which doesn't load the kitchen with excessive mess and hassle when I least want it - and which is probably going to also be of help to you.

    Freeze-ahead Roast Potatoes are a really helpful tip, for Christmas and all through the year.

    But how can you be sure that Freeze-Ahead Roast Potatoes are really that good?

    I can imagine that there may be a few doubters amongst you, so I got all scientific with a 'Blind Taste Test' - I need no encouragement for such pastimes!  So let's get started.  There were 3 contenders -

    1. Freshly roasted
    2. Parboiled then frozen before roasting
    3. Roasted then frozen before reheating

    The tasting was a family affair and the outcome was unanimous  .... DRUM ROLL, DRUM ROLL ....

    • In 3rd place was the 'freshly roasted' - SHOCK HORROR!  The potato inside was less fluffy and tasted more like a baked potato. I would never have imagined it.
    • In 2nd place was the 'roasted then frozen before reheating' - these are the least hassle on Christmas day for sure. They tasted almost as good as the potatoes in 1st place but looked like they had been reheated.
    • But in 1st place was the 'parboiled then frozen before roasting'. Looked amazing, tasted amazing. RESULT! I'll never do them any other way now.

    And here's how you can make these Freeze-Ahead Roast Potatoes

    No tricks required - this is easy stuff. Just choose some nice potatoes - something like a Maris Piper that will give a gorgeous fluffy inside - and find yourself some time before the festive frenzy begins.

    Step 1 - Peel the potatoes and cut them into big pieces.

    Step 2 - Parboil for 7 minutes then drain well before returning to the pan. Sprinkle over some flour. Put the lid on the pan and shake them around a bit to rough up the edges and to spread the flour around.

    Step 3 - Cover a baking tray with baking parchment and lay the potatoes out on it making sure that they don't touch.

    Step 4 - Put the tray into the freezer until the potatoes are frozen solid then put them into a large plastic bag in the freezer until you are ready to use them.

    Step 5 - Roast them whenever you are ready ... goose fat is my preference but olive oil is surprisingly good. Straight from the freezer is fine.

    Freeze ahead roast potatoes, cooked and ready to be eaten

    But perhaps the most important part of this tip is to advise you that you should ALWAYS make loads of roast potatoes. Loads and loads and loads.

    You can never have too many roast potatoes. Not ever.

    ... especially when they're as little fuss as these.

    Print

    Freeze-Ahead Roast Potatoes

    Freeze ahead roast potatoes, cooked and ready to be eaten
    Print Recipe

    Freeze-ahead roast potatoes taste (and look) better than fresh ones. Prepare to be converted ...

    Tweaked from BBC Good Food

    • Author: Rachel Page
    • Prep Time: 15 mins
    • Cook Time: 1 hour
    • Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
    • Yield: 6 1x
    • Category: Sides
    • Method: Oven roasted
    • Cuisine: Christmas

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 2.5kg (5 lbs) Maris Piper potatoes, or similar
    • a pinch of salt
    • 2 tbsp plain flour
    • 5 tbsp goose fat, olive oil or sunflower oil

    Instructions

    1. Peel the potatoes then cut into large pieces.
    2. Bring a large pan of slightly salted water to the boil and tip the prepared potatoes into it. Bring back to the boil and cook for 7 minutes.
    3. Drain really well and then return to the pan, sprinkling over the flour.
    4. Place a lid on the pan and give it a couple of really good shakes to distribute the flour and to rough up the edges a bit.
    5. At this stage the potatoes can be frozen on a couple of baking trays lined with baking parchment. Place the trays in the freezer and when the potatoes are solid, tip them into a large plastic bag to store in the freezer until you need them. I wouldn't freeze them beyond 1 month.
    6. When you are ready to roast the potatoes, heat the oven to 190ºC/170ºC Fan/375ºF (gas mark 5).
    7. Spoon the goose fat onto a large roasting tray and leave to heat on the top shelf of the oven for 5 minutes. Now carefully tip the frozen potatoes into the hot fat. There is no need to toss them around in the fat at this stage.
    8. Roast for 20 minutes, then turn up the oven to 220ºC/200ºC Fan/425ºF (gas mark 7). At this stage, carefully turn the potatoes around in the hot fat to ensure that they are all covered in oil and are evenly browning.
    9. Now roast for another 30 minutes, turning once. The potatoes should be golden and crisp when they are ready.

    Keywords: festive, family, make ahead

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag us on Instagram (@marmaladeandme) — we can't wait to see what you've made!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nathalie

      December 05, 2014 at 11:19 am

      Must say would have never thought but trust your blind test so this Christmas my roast potatoes will be frozen!

      • Rachel

        December 05, 2014 at 4:50 pm

        Sure you'll love them - and your boys will too!

        • Tim Barker

          November 14, 2017 at 7:29 pm

          I do this but also add a little mustard powder to the flour. Taste even better.

          • Rachel

            November 16, 2017 at 7:32 am

            Oooooh - I'm going to steal that!

    2. Linda

      December 05, 2014 at 2:33 pm

      What a great idea!

      • Rachel

        December 05, 2014 at 4:52 pm

        I'm loving it!

    3. Anna

      December 20, 2014 at 9:42 pm

      So we did our own raostie taste challenge and your freeze ahead variety won a commanding majority. Delicious. "I like the ones which are crunchy on the outside and fluffy in the middle" was the verdict from my daughter. Done.

      • Rachel

        December 21, 2014 at 2:33 pm

        Hooray for a roastie taste challenge!

    4. Alison

      January 03, 2016 at 6:54 pm

      Love these potatoes, was just wondering if the same can be done with roast parsnips. If so what temperature and how long should they be cooked.

      • Rachel

        January 03, 2016 at 7:54 pm

        Awesome question - and I've absolutely no idea on the answer! I will try it this week and let you (and everyone else) know. I love an excuse to cook roast parsnips and my family are always up for a taste test! Will be in touch, Rachel

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