Appetizing Muse

Roast potatoes from actor Michael Caine?

The secret of a perfect roast potato? Not a lot of people know that but Michael Caine does. (PDF reprint; 171 KB).

A consensus, it seems, has yet to be reached on how to make the ultimate roast potato. But stand aside, celebrity chefs. For not a lot of people know that the person who serves the best roast potatoes is Michael Caine. The actor proudly boasted that his Christmas versions are the finest of all. And after testing his method yesterday, I have to agree. So what's his secret? Caine swears by soaking parboiled potatoes in cold extra virgin olive oil before cooking, allowing the fat to be absorbed deep into the spuds' flesh. He then pops them onto a baking tray and into a hot oven for an hour and, low and behold, they emerge with a honeycomb coating that is deep, crisp and even. But if you think that cooking up the perfect roasties is just a matter of following these few, brief guidelines, think again. There's much more to potato perfection than that. Read More >

Go figure.