Delia Smith’s one ingredient to make irresistibly crunchy roast potatoes

Many of us have our own traditions and recipes when it comes to our Christmas dinners, which is great because it’s what makes each individual dinner special.

Some of those recipes have been passed down through generations, and though they have never failed us, there’s nothing wrong with trying something a little different.

Fortunately, in the UK, we aren’t short of brilliant chefs and cooks who have more than enough recipes.

Not only that, but also some easy tips and tricks to add to our already cherished recipes.

With that, Delia Smith has graced us with incredible Christmas recipes for decades, and this one ingredient she uses for her potatoes is one you should use too.

Roast potatoes have to be one of the best parts of a roast dinner, and the more crunchy they are, the better. This is why adding a bit of dripping or lard is crucial to serving up the best roasties this Christmas.

Delia Smith’s recipe is super easy. All you need is potatoes, salt and the special ingredient dripping or lard. Starting off with a pre-heating oven at 200C or gas mark 6, you’ll place your roasting tray with the fat in it on the highest self of the oven.

To prepare the potatoes, peel them thinly using a potato peeler and cut them in half. Then you pop them in a steamer fitted over a large pan of boiling hot water, sprinkle salt all over them and then place the lid on and let the potatoes steam on a low heat for around 10 minutes.

Once they’re good to go, drain the water out, pop the lid back on and making sure your hand is protected using an oven glove or cloth, you want to hold the lid firmly and give the saucepan a good shake. This part is essential to get the cooked edges of the potato nice and fluffy.

Keeping your hands protected, remove the hot tray from the oven and transfer it to direct medium heat on the hob, using a long-handled spoon, quickly lower the potatoes into the sizzling fat, turning them over a couple of times so they are coated.

Then you’ll want to place that tray back into the oven for around 50 minutes to one hour or just until they are golden brown.

Once they’re ready, sprinkle them with a bit of crushed salt and serve straight away to make sure the Christmas party enjoys its crunch.

However, cooking a Christmas dinner is never straightforward, so if the potatoes are ready before it’s time to eat luckily Delia Smith lets us know that you can just leave them inside the oven turned off.