Roast potatoes with rosemary (Patate al forno al rosmarino)

1. Preheat the oven to 220 °C; peel the potatoes and cut them into irregular 3-4 cm chunks.

2. Rinse the potato chunks in cold water to remove the surface starch, then pat thoroughly dry with a tea towel - this is what makes them really crisp.

3. In a large roasting tin, toss the potatoes with the olive oil, salt, pepper, the lightly crushed unpeeled garlic cloves and half the rosemary needles stripped from the sprigs.

4. Spread them out in a single layer so the pieces don't overlap and roast for 40-45 minutes; after 20 minutes, turn them with a spatula and scatter over the remaining rosemary.

5. They're ready when deep golden and crisp outside and soft inside; give them another 5-10 minutes if needed.

6. Serve at once, piping hot, with roast meat, chicken or fish.

Tip: Don't overcrowd the tin: if the potatoes lie on top of each other they'll steam instead of crisping - use two tins for a bigger batch.