Roast Potatolike

Roast any potatolike veg, mostly root veg. without roasting a duck or the like,

Not the real thing, but a useful substitute. Served in big slices, you can call it ‘wedges’, which it is. Fast cooking, only 1/2 hr, which is near pre‐cooked frozen speed. As bonus, can be vegan.

Ingredients

• Potatolike i.e. root veg (hint: three potato‐size per person)

• Olive oil (or other flavoured cooking oil/fat)

• Half teaspoon cornflour, per portion

• Teaspoon of smoked paprika, per portion

• Grindable pepper (don’t use preground pepper)

Tools

• Microwave

• Oven

• Baking tray

Oven

Three quarters

Make

1. Start the oven. Grease a baking tray with the oil and some kitchen roll

2. Can you cut the root raw? Scrub the root, then jump the next step to the cutting

3. Can you not cut the root? Or do you want to peel the root? Put in the microwave for ten minutes, leave to cool, then you can peel and/or cut easily

4. Cut how you like into straws, chunks etc.

5. Put the chunks in a bowl and loose cover. Microwave for ten minutes. Leave to cool, covered, for two minutes

6. Stick a fork into one of the chunks. It should go in, but not easily ie. half‐cooked. If too hard, microwave more

7. After standing, the veg should be damp (not wet, not dry—damp). Sprinkle in the paprika and grind in pepper, then flip the roots up and down in the bowl. This is like tossing a pancake, you need the veg to turn. It should only take two or three flips to spread the spice evenly

8. Now sprinkle cornflour, then flip again

9. Tip onto the baking tray, then put in oven

10. Cook for two songs

11. Out of oven. By now, the outsides will be dry, especially with the flour. Now tip on the oil, Stir all round with a wooden spoon or similar stick

12. Bake for three songs

13. If you have time, a turn of the roots will cook them more evenly

Cover, in the microwave, is important. The cover will trap steam, which speeds the cooking, helps to fluff the root, and stops stains in the microwave.

Variations

• Fine flour (cornflour) helps. Get it if you can

• You can change the type of cut. Slices are ok, quarters etc. A microwave con only cook about an inch deep, so do not make the chunks bigger than two inches i.e. bigger than your thumb. An example: don’t use this method to cook whole sweet potaoes

• Any potatolike veg. This approach above is usually used on sweet potato, but works for floury and waxy potatoes, parsnips, and so forth

• Smoked paprika is a speciallity, I admit. Paprika and Wochester sauce may go ok too (untried)

• You can change the effect hugely using other oils and spices. Try olive oil and thyme/mixed veg, sunflower oil and cumin, and so forth

Discussion

These are not proper roast roots, and it’s easy to know that. But they are fast—I can sometimes get them done in twenty minutes. The part‐steaming to go fluffy is a likeable alternative.

I suapect this cook is close to the one used for a microwavable, frozen bag of ‘Cajun Sweet Potato Wedges’. It is slower because you need ten minutes to chop the veg. It is better because you get true fluffy insides and crisp outsides.

Feedback

No complaints, spicing is the measure of your win.