Masterchef’s Matt Preston shares his tips for festive spread – and how to cook great roast potatoes

Matt Preston has shared his top tips for the perfect festive food spread, and the secret to getting crispy, delicious roast potatoes every time.

The veteran food critic and Masterchef Australia judge said many people are keen to achieve the perfect roast potato, but many try and fail by doing one of the several key steps wrong.

‘The secret is (very carefully!) putting par-boiled, steamed-off and lightly shaken floury potatoes into a tray of really hot oil,’ Matt told Delicious. 

‘The secret is (very carefully!) putting par-boiled, steamed-off and lightly shaken floury potatoes into a tray of really hot oil,’ Matt said (stock image)

You then need to roast them at 180 degrees Celsius or higher for 15-20 minutes, before turning them and roasting them on the other side.

When it comes to vegetables, Matt said the key with Christmas is picking foods that don’t suffer if they have to come out of the oven and get a little cool while items like the meat and roast potatoes are cooking.

Veggies like roast carrots are therefore a good option.

Alternatively, the food critic is a fan of barbecuing Brussels sprouts on a flat grill pan with some bacon, or doing fat field mushrooms with thyme or cauliflower with cumin and yoghurt.

Any way that you can take the stress from the kitchen, Matt said, is key to Christmas Day success. 

The food critic is a fan of barbecuing Brussels sprouts on a flat grill pan with some bacon, in order to free up space in your oven (stock image)

With regards to meat, Matt said that this year instead of ham or turkey, he is making a standing beef rib roast.

The reason why he is doing this is because it’s a ‘far more forgiving cut’ and less time sensitive.

‘Pick the best roast rib you can afford. Ideally, it should be dry-aged, still on the bone and nicely marbled. Grass-fed and grain-finished would be ideal,’ he told the publication.

Matt also explained he is going to dry-brine his meat, which helps with juiciness and seasoning. 

‘This means patting the roast all over with salt and keeping it in the fridge until you are ready to cook,’ he said.

Finally, if you want to make things easier on Christmas Day and are set to host a crowd, he recommends setting the table the night before. 

Previously, Matt revealed why you should always’ avoid mini quiche canapés at Christmas parties (pictured)

Previously, Matt revealed why you should always’ avoid mini quiche canapés (unless you hear they are ‘any good’), and you should also steer clear of ‘anything that may drip on you or anything that takes two hands to eat’.

When it comes to what you should enjoy, the foodie explained he is a fan of ‘reliable’ canapés. 

Typically, sausage rolls, chicken skewers, Peking duck pancakes and smoked salmon blinis fall into this category.