How to make perfect roast potatoes every time

How to make incredible roast potatoes all starts with choosing a star spud. You want something with a fluffy texture inside, robust enough to stand up to roasting and with a skin that will go gloriously golden and crisp. Our pick? It has to be the Maris Piper. It has the right level of starchiness and is sturdy enough to withstand a high oven temperature, while remaining light and fluffy. At M&S, Maris Pipers are sourced from trusted British M&S Select Farms who only choose the cream of the crop for our Foodhalls.

Using a fat which will cook at a higher smoke point is key to getting your potatoes extra-golden and crisp. Goose fat and vegetable oil both work well, but you can take things up a notch with our Collection Wagyu Beef Dripping, in store from 4 December. Made from 100% traceable British wagyu beef, it will give your roasties the most incredible savoury flavour and shattering, crispy texture. Preheat your fat in a tray in the oven at 200°C fan for 10 minutes, then tumble the spuds into it – you want the contrast of heat and cold to create more golden deliciousness.

You’ve pre-heated your fat, cooled and par-boiled your potatoes, and your oven is set at a high enough temperature – so you’re already well on your way to crisp-edged potatoes. To seal the deal, make sure you don’t overcrowd your tray with too many potatoes – they should be spread out enough to have maximum contact with the hot tray. Resist the urge to fiddle with them too much – the more you open your oven and move them around, the less time they’ll have to develop the all-important golden-ness. Turn them once halfway through the cooking time (which is typically around 40 minutes) just to allow them to cook evenly.