Lemon zest roast potatoes
My desert-island roast potato. Crisp and golden, with a brightening kick of lemon and coriander seed: a welcome burst of freshness on your Christmas plate.
Anna Jones' lemon zest roast potatoes. Photograph: Matt Russell for the Guardian
- Prep 10 min
- Cook 1 hr
- Serves
- 2kg maris piper or other floury potatoes, peeled
- Salt and black pepper
- 3 lemons
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds, bashed in a mortar
- 2 heads garlic
- Olive oil
Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5. Peel the potatoes and cut the smaller ones in half and bigger ones in quarters. Wash in cold water to get rid of any extra starch, tip into a large pot, cover with cold water and season well with salt. Bring to a boil, cook for about eight minutes, drain in a colander and leave to steam dry for a couple of minutes.
Give the colander a vigorous shake to rough up the potatoes a little – this will help the edges to crisp up later on. Put in a roasting tray, add the zest of three lemons, then cut the zested lemons in half and add to the roasting tray. Add the bashed coriander seeds, garlic bulbs, a good pinch of salt and pepper and a generous drizzle of oil. Roast for 40-50 minutes, turning from time to time, until golden brown, then remove from the oven.
Once cool enough to handle, slice the top off the garlic and squeeze out the soft flesh over the potatoes. Squeeze over the juice of the roasted lemons, toss everything to mix the flavours, then serve piping hot.