Reheating Roast Potatoes?

November 23, 2006 11:19 AM

Travelling with roast potatoes - reheat or part-cook?

I am eating thanksgiving at a friend's house this afternoon, and we decided to split the cooking between three of us. I am taking roast potatoes, roast parsnips, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. Roast potatoes/parsnips are best straight out of the oven, IMO, while crispy. What would yield the best results - completely cooking them at my house, then reheating them in the oven at her house, or part-cooking them at my house, then finishing them off at her house? I am wondering if reheated roasties will be too crispy, or if something weird will happen if I part-cook, cool, then finish cooking them.

Any experience mefites? Thanks!

posted by Joh to food & drink (10 comments total)

i'd vote for reheat. do most of the work at home.
posted by lester's sock puppet at 11:31 AM on November 23, 2006

Yeah, I think you'd be fine par-boiling them, letting them cool then roasting at your friend's house. At the pub where I work we par-boil them, freeze them, and then roast them once they've thawed, and they turn out just fine!
posted by schmoo at 11:33 AM on November 23, 2006

Oh that's with potatoes and parsnips btw!
posted by schmoo at 11:33 AM on November 23, 2006

Par boil. In the food service indusrty you can buy 'em like that, they call it "value added."
posted by fixedgear at 11:34 AM on November 23, 2006

Finish them off at your friend's house. Reheated roasted potatoes, while good, are never as good as straight out of the oven. Parboil at home, roast at friend's house.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 11:35 AM on November 23, 2006

If you choose to parboil, make sure you get them very, very dry. If they're at all waterlogged, they'll never crisp up. I'd probably roast (at a lower temp; maybe 375) them until they were about halfway cooked, then finish them in a hot oven (425-ish) so they finish roasting and crisp up.
posted by mostlymartha at 11:58 AM on November 23, 2006

You also may want to verify that there will be available oven real estate.
posted by utsutsu at 12:02 PM on November 23, 2006

Forget boiling. Microwave them -- much faster and doesn't get them all wet. Then roast them briefly to get them crispy.
posted by randomstriker at 12:25 PM on November 23, 2006

Whatever you decide, first call ahead to your friend's home and check for oven space availability.
posted by jamaro at 12:28 PM on November 23, 2006

Thanks guys! Oven space is guaranteed, she has a second oven in the guest house that is all mine. I have parboiled them, roasted them part way at 375 until pale, and I will finish them off there at a higher temp. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
posted by Joh at 1:48 PM on November 23, 2006