It’s a British staple that anyone can easily cook at home.
But according to Ben Newman, better known as Spudman, many people make mistakes when preparing this popular dish.
Ben, 39, who became a TikTok sensation thanks to his delicious loaded roast potatoes, told Ninja Kitchen about common mistakes people make.
The Tamworth chef revealed that in fact you should use two potatoes and never wrap them in foil.
Newman pictured outside his trailer in Tamworth, where he sells hundreds of meals a day.
Ben, also known as @spudarmy on TikTok, has amassed a massive following of 1.9 million by sharing his cooking tips and often handing out free jackets to some lucky customers.
Make sure you use the right type of potato.
‘The important thing is the variety of the potato and not how it is cooked.
‘When buying roast potatoes, avoid ‘Nadine potatoes’ – these are a variety of potato found in many supermarkets. While they look great and are very likely to give a high yielding crop, they cook absolutely awful.’
Use two small potatoes instead of one large one.
‘The cooking time will depend on the size of the potato. If the potato fits in the palm of your hand, cook it for about an hour and a half.
‘We all make the mistake of grabbing the biggest potato we can find, but it’s better to buy a couple of smaller potatoes and have two.
“They will cook more evenly and won’t have tough bits.”
Don’t wrap your potato in aluminum foil
While many may think you have to wrap a potato in foil, Spudman says not to do it. “I never wrap my potatoes in foil at home. They are less likely to burn in your home oven than in an industrial potato oven that reaches 300 to 350 degrees.”
Mr Newman has already revealed the candid reason behind his rock star appearance after suffering his own health problems.
The roast potato king got the punk hairstyle to raise money for kidney research and it’s been something he’s kept up ever since.
His business has soared since he started uploading videos to TikTok last year just to “keep an eye on my kids” and the son of a potato trader is regularly harassed when fans see him walking around town.
It’s something beyond his wildest dreams and that seemed unimaginable when he started the business under a different name two decades ago, when he was just 18 years old.
He now sells up to 1,000 meals a day for between £4 and £5 from inside his compact cream-coloured trailer.
He suffered three failed kidney transplants (in 2014, 2016 and 2019) and will be on dialysis for the rest of his life.
People have flocked from as far away as the US, Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia to his humble potato van after his videos took the internet by storm, racking up 2.6 million followers and 41.6 million likes. like on TikTok.
“This has all been beyond my wildest dreams,” he said.
‘I’m just trying to have fun with the videos. People seem to enjoy the live streams, but I like to film people’s reactions when I give them a free chip.
‘I’ve seen the Binley Mega Chippy comparison but I like to feel like we’ve worked a little harder than that.
‘They were a meme and it happened by chance. We know it will slow down but we want to continue for as long as we can and put Tamworth firmly back on the map.
“If we do well, the town will do well too. It’s about promoting local businesses and also all the baked potato sellers out there.
‘There’s one in your own town, go and support them.
‘My grandfather was a farmer and my father was a roast potato merchant. I think they would be proud.’
