Wood-Fired Roast Potatoes

There's a reason roast potatoes taste better from a pizza oven - it's the same science as a good chip shop. The intense, dry heat of a wood-fired oven drives moisture out of the surface faster than a kitchen oven can manage, giving you a properly crisp, golden exterior with a fluffy interior. Add rosemary, garlic, and a touch of chilli and you've got a side dish that steals the show from whatever else you're cooking. These are brilliant alongside anything coming off the pizza oven - roast meats, fish, or just on their own with a squeeze of lemon.

Ingredients

• 4 large potatoes (Maris Piper or King Edward work best), peeled and cut into rough chunks
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Half a tsp chilli flakes
• Half a tsp flaky sea salt

Method

1. Preheat your pizza oven for about an hour. You want it at around 200°C with steady retained heat - perfect for roasting. If you've been making pizzas, this is the ideal use of the cooling oven.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut into rough, uneven chunks - about 4cm. The uneven surfaces create more crispy edges.
3. Parboil the potatoes in salted water for 8-10 minutes until the edges are just starting to soften. Drain well and shake in the colander to rough up the surfaces.
4. In a large bowl, toss the olive oil with the garlic, rosemary, basil, parsley, chilli flakes, and salt. Add the potatoes and toss until evenly coated.
5. Spread in a single layer on a roasting tray - don't overcrowd them or they'll steam instead of roast.
6. Slide into the oven and roast for at least 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes or so, until golden and crisp on all sides. Longer is better - the gentler the falling heat, the fluffier the interior.