What Can I Use Instead Of Goose Fat For Perfect Roast Potatoes? | Ask Nigella.com (2024)

FAQs

What is a substitute for goose fat in roast potatoes? ›

Roasted Potatoes Recipe Substitutes

Duck and goose fat can be expensive and sometimes hard to source. Both fats can easily be substituted for olive, sunflower, canola, and vegetable oils. The best substitute, in my opinion, is sunflower oil, as it's slightly better for you than vegetable oil.

The best fats and oils for roast potatoes are: Goose fat. Vegetable oil. Sesame oil.

Neutral, low-cost oil such as vegetable oil, canola oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, corn oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, etc., work well for roasting. These oils have a high smoke point, allowing the potatoes to get very hot to achieve maximum crispiness.

While many swear by duck or goose fat for the crispiest roast potatoes, olive oil is a fantastic plant-based alternative that offers a different but equally tempting flavour profile. Different olive oils have unique flavour profiles to experiment with.

If the recipe calls for cut-up goose meat, consider using the dark meat from a turkey or chicken. High-fat meats like goose should be cooked at a higher temperature and for a longer time than low-fat meats.

You want to use an oil with a mild flavour for your roasties. We prefer olive oil, but you can opt for vegetable, canola or grapeseed oils instead.

In a video online, Gordon explained: “For crispy roast potatoes, you can depend on them, my tip is to parboil them, leave them to steam dry, then sprinkle them with semolina or flour, and then give them a good roughing up.”

First things first, it's important to not overcrowd the tray, with Curtis saying: “you can't put too many potatoes in the tray because they will steam. You want them to be dry, and that's how you get them crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside.”

Oils with more monounsaturated fats, such as rapeseed and olive, are also less susceptible to heat. Rapeseed oil (often sold as generic vegetable oil) and inexpensive olive oil are therefore the best choices for cooking. All cooking fats add fat and calories to your diet.

Blumenthal says "trendy" duck or goose fat gives good results, but if you want your potatoes to go "really, really crispy" use beef dripping – his favourite.

Why won't my potatoes get crispy in oil? ›

A: This sure sounds a lot like potatoes that have been stored too long, in too cold of an environment before cooking. When potatoes are held below 41°F for too long a period, the starches convert to sugar and it changes the cooking chemistry.

Melt the lard in a deep flameproof roasting tray on a high heat and fry the potatoes on each side until they begin to brown. Sprinkle with salt and roast for 30 minutes, or until starting to colour. Turn the potatoes and return to the oven for a further 20-30 minutes, or until golden-brown and crisp.

If you can't use goose fat but can use other animal fats then duck fat, beef fat (dripping) or lard could be alternatives. If you prefer a plant-based option then we would suggest using sunflower or a similar unflavoured vegetable oil that has a high smoke point.

Specially Selected Goose Fat 200g | ALDI.

Olive oil

While animal fats are typically the best alternatives to goose fat when cooking crispy roasties, if you have to choose an oil, olive oil is your best bet. Neutral oils, like rapeseed or vegetable oil, impart very little flavour and can leave potatoes more greasy than crunchy if not roughed up prior to baking.

Fat – Goose fat is just as good as duck fat, just not as widely used. 4. Cutting – I cut large potatoes into 3 pieces and medium potatoes in half.