Viva Lewes Issue #135 December 2017

RECIPE
Roast potatoes
How to make the humble spud the star of the show at your
Christmas dinner. Darragh Whiting, chef at the Rights of
Man, tells us how to make the perfect roast potatoes…
It’s very simple. Choose the best
potato to start with; we use oversized
Maris Pipers. By using oversized
potatoes, you’ll maintain the shape of
the potatoes whilst cooking, as some
will crumble off during the cooking
process. They also won't dry out,
so you'll end up with a fluffier roast
potato.
Peel the potatoes and cut them in half.
Boil in some very well-seasoned water
until they’re almost at the point of
falling apart, then take them out of the
water and leave them on a wire rack for
about 20 minutes or so, until they start
to form a crust around the outside. The
crust is vital.
When it comes to roasting them, we
use a really high-quality rapeseed oil
from Yare Valley in Norfolk. Heat your
oil in a pan and add garlic, thyme and
a touch of rosemary. Take it off the
heat – as the oil cools down, it takes
on the flavours of the herbs. Then get
some trays out and put the potatoes
in. Pour the infused oil all over the
potatoes and cook them at 210°C until
they’re crispy. Don’t turn them, you
won't need to. When they are golden
and crispy, season them up with plenty
of salt and freshly ground black pepper
and they’re ready to serve. Shave some
truffle onto the potatoes for a real
show-stopping roast.
I’m quite traditional – that’s why I like
this place. We do things simply, but
well: Yorkshire puddings made by a
Yorkshireman, roast potatoes made by
an Irishman and gravy that takes 48
hours to make. On Sundays our roast
is as traditional as we can make it, but
for Christmas we want to do something
slightly different. We wanted to avoid
the prawn cocktail, the turkey, the
Christmas pudding... We will have a
traditional turkey, but with a surprising
twist. We’ll be doing slow-braised
blade of beef in a rich jus, fillet of
brill served with a lobster bisque and
sea vegetables, salted caramel crème
brulee… It’s slightly off what you’d
normally expect, so you still get that
Christmassy feeling, just not the same
as the last five Christmas dinners
you’ve had.
As told to Rebecca Cunningham
179 High Street, rightsofmanlewes.com
The Christmas menu will be available
Monday to Friday from the 4th to the
24th of December.
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