Woman’s cooking trick saves time on Christmas Day and makes roast potatoes crispier

The chef delighted roast lovers are revealing the clever trick she uses to enjoy a stress-free Christmas day – and it cuts down on the time spent in the kitchen prepping vegetables

Nobody wants to spend their Christmas running around the kitchen – but most don’t want to forgo a lovely roast dinner either. From prepping the turkey to perfecting the roasties, there’s lots to be done. Thankfully, there’s a simple tip families can follow to ensure a stress-free day – and save time on cooking. You’ll just need to remember to prepare your potatoes a little in advance.

Thankfully, the extra effort will be worth it on the big day. Not only does the genius hack cut down on the time spent waiting around for perfectly crisp potatoes – the golden spuds will likely turn out even tastier than if you cooked them in one go.

The genius hack was shared to TikTok by @deliciousandreal. ‘Planning expert’ Claire regularly delights viewers by sharing clever tips and tricks in her videos, and this clip was no different. Her video explaining how to enjoy a “stress-free Christmas dinner ” racked up 500,000 views and hundreds of comments.

In the popular clip, she recommended families “par boil your Christmas roasties and freeze them. “Peel, chop, pat boil, roughen up, add flour and oil, cool, freeze. Heat your oil and cook from frozen – 20 minutes on high; turn, reduce heat and cook for another 40 minutes,” she instructed.

What’s more, you can use a similar method to prep your other veggies. In a follow-up video demonstrating how to cook different vegetables, the meal planner revealed: “I also do parsnips and carrots! Par boil, roughen, cool and freeze. Heat some oil in the oven (you can add some honey); add the frozen veggies and cook.”

Stunned by the clips, some viewers thought the hack sounded too good to be true. But commenters who have tried the trick were quick to set the record straight. One reply read: “Just sent my afternoon doing this and my carrots and parsnips, saves so much time Christmas day out the freezer and in the oven.”

Meanwhile, a second TikToker said: “Always better when they’re cooler, dries them out so they’re crispier!”

Another person asked: “How long do they take to defrost? surly it’s the same time,” Claire replied: “I cook them from frozen. And for me, it’s about not having to peel etc on Xmas day.”

Other commenters praised: “Brilliant idea thank you,” and someone said: “It works great, lovely crispy potatoes.”

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