Golden glory – the best roast potatoes in Perth

The season is upon us…. Cold days, hot roasts and red wine. And roast dinners means delicious roast potatoes. Don’t just reach for the old faithful Nadine variety for this star side dish. Royal Blues are favoured among chefs but Kipfler and Prince of Orange are good gourmet options and SpudLites, Mozarts and Rodeos are great choices too.

While roast potatoes wear the crown of the side dish menu, don’t overlook them as a snack plate to share instead of a bowl of chips. The kids will love them! From the four corners of Perth, here is our must try list of roast potato perfection:

Brown Street Grill

100 Brown Street, East Perth

https://www.brownstreetgrill.com.au/

Sitting among the industrial setting of Bright Tank Brewery is the fiery Brown Street Grill. Literally… there is fire. Chef/Owner Stuart Laws loves cooking on raw, hot flames. You might be mistaken in thinking this is a meat heavy restaurant but woodfired vegetables share the limelight here too. Expect to see chargrilled broccoli, roasted beets and of course the wagyu fat potatoes also get a lick of flame.

Do potatoes get any prettier than the Prince of Orange? With bright blushing skin and a creamy yellow flesh, this variety is a good choice for mashing and roasting.

Steamed before being cut into wedges, the Prince’s are then roasted in rendered wagyu fat. Towards the end of the cook, chopped speck is tossed through adding to the flavour. They’re then kept over fire to infuse them with smoke before being sprinkled with sea salt and fresh cut spring onion. Enjoy as a side or even better – a bar snack with a pint of Chalkface Killah Hazy IPA or pale ale. Brilliant.

Chapters Bistro

1244 Marmion Avenue, Currambine

https://www.chaptersbistro.com/

To find the best roast dinner in Perth, follow the British ex-pats. They’ll lead you to Chapters in Currumbine. The perfect must-haves are the yorkies and the roasties – it’s what will have diners thinking about ol blighty and the roast their mum would serve on chilly Sunday afternoon. Chef Neil Herbert plays to this with his duck fat roast potatoes.

These guys go through over 150kg of Royal Blues just on a Sunday – no one misses out on perfection.

Cooked on a bed of salt before being fried in duck fat, the golden nuggets of potato are served with confit garlic and chives. The whisper of garlic is an elegant touch that makes the potatoes really sing.

If you can’t make it for Sunday lunch, the good news is the roasties are available on the al-a-carte menu as a side. Order ahead and get the beef wellington – it’s a hefty dish for two and of course it comes with those beautiful duck fat spuds.

Young George

48 George Street, East Fremantle

https://www.younggeorge.com.au/

Share plates are the main game here. Whether you’re sitting down for a meal or pulling up a pew at the bar, make sure the fried potatoes are on your list to order.

Royal Blues are the spud of choice here. The flesh is scored in the centre, creating crunchy jagged edges when fried. Each bite is a crispy salty crunch giving way to soft fluffy flesh. It doesn’t get much better than that.

The Cafe de Paris aioli is a great dipper. The hint of curry powder reminds you that potatoes really do cozy up to just about everything.

Sandalford Winery

3210 West Swan Road, Caversham

https://www.sandalford.com/experience/the-restaurant-and-bar

One of the oldest wineries in Australia knows a thing or two about wine. The restaurant at Sandalford in the Swan Valley also knows how to make local produce the star. As a Buy West Eat Best member, they are committed to having at least 70 per cent of the dishes feature WA produce. This State is lucky to have dedicated potato growers supplying our restaurants all year round, meaning the Royal Blues Chef Alan Spagnolo uses are grown right here.

Steamed then roasted, the spuds are then cut into chunks before being deep fried twice. You read that right, these babies are cooked four times.

The result? Super crispy skin with a soft, fluffy flesh.

Tangy and bright, the caper and herb mayonnaise is just the ticket to compliment this crispy beauties. A hint of dill is reminiscent of flavours in a potato salad, but it works here too.

Get the potatoes as a side with the Dardanup lamb rump – it cuts like butter and the sweetness of the lamb marries well with the earthiness of the potatoes.