You made your roast dinner all wrong! Expert reveals top tips to take your cooking to the next level – including seasoning lamb with marmite and why you shouldn’t bother peeling potatoes

There’s nothing like spring weather to bring the whole family together for a seasonal roast.

Longer days and sunnier skies also mean it’s time to enjoy current flavors, like lamb and fragrant fresh herbs.

But food and flavor expert Matt Webster, from Seasoned Pioneers, warned it’s easy to undercook your roast by ignoring simple rules along the way.

He’s shared six top tips for small steps you can make along the way that will move your plate higher – and that everyone at the table will be asking for.

Some may seem counterintuitive – such as skipping rosemary seasoning for lamb or not peeling your potatoes – while others offer insights into using ingredients you may not have thought of, such as marmite.

Here, FEMAIL looks at how to ensure your roast is a hit with the whole family…

Do not peel your potatoes

“To save a lot of prep time in the kitchen, don’t peel the potatoes before cooking,” Matt explained.

‘Just make a small cut around the potato and then cook it as usual.

‘Once cooked, the skin slides off the potato, ready for roasting.

‘For an extra hack, let your whipped spuds cool before dropping them into hot oil for the crispiest finish.’

Get away from the rosemary

The nutritionist says that because lamb is the traditional choice in spring, ‘people tend to opt for fairly obvious seasonings such as rosemary’.

However, he emphasized that there are more fun ways to take your cut to the next level.

“While there’s nothing wrong with keeping it classic, the best trick to impress your guests is to go all out with your lamb flavor to create a real showstopper,” he explained.

‘Marmite is a bold flavor that goes very well with lamb, but Moroccan spices such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg can also bring the dish to life.

‘Try marinating a leg of lamb in an African Ras-el-Hanout spice blend before slow-cooking it on Easter Sunday for a perfect roast every time.’

Toss your spices at the meat

It’s not just about the ingredients you use, but also what you do with them.

‘When seasoning food, most people will use their fingers to sprinkle the seasoning over the food, but this leads to some parts being seasoned more heavily and other parts very little,’ said Matt.

“Instead, you want to rub the seasoning all over your meat, or use your wrist to ‘throw’ the seasoning all the way along so that it glides evenly over the food.”

Grate your garlic

“For anyone choosing garlic as their main ingredient, use a cheese grater to mince the garlic,” the foodie revealed.

‘As we all know, chopping a lot of garlic can be quite time-consuming.

‘So instead you just mince the garlic with a grater and it comes out as a perfect paste, ideal for rubbing over meat or vegetables.’

One pot wonder

Matt said timing is one of the most difficult elements when it comes to putting together a roast.

But he suggested a simple hack: just put everything on baking sheets and roast it all together.

“The only ‘work’ you have to do is think about the ingredients ahead of time so everything cooks at the same pace,” he said.

‘But you can also change the timing by the way you chop everything, so cut things that take a shorter cooking time into larger pieces, with foods that take longer to cook into smaller pieces.

‘It saves hours in the kitchen, saves on washing up and tastes just as good.’

It’s all gravy

“For the gravy, use the water from boiled vegetables or potatoes and use it for the gravy,” the expert said.

‘The starchy water acts as a quick vegetable stock and is the perfect base for a delicious thick gravy.’