Fingerling potatoes with herbs, garlic and salt are brought to a boil,removed from the heat and covered until cool or warm.
This recipe couldn't be more simple. Or delicious. I'll never "boil" potatoes again. No. Not. Ever.
I had intended to make a simple batch of garlic potatoes that uses whole, unpeeled cloves of garlic and tiny fingerling potatoes. It's a fun and easy dish. But I did some surfing and came across a blog written by a girl, Alexandra, who once worked in a restaurant and who watched the chef make these amazing potatoes by adding a ton of salt to the water and some herbs.
Hmmmmm . . .
Just bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Cover until cool. Perfectly cooked and seasoned. Yea, right ..... Of course, I had to try it.
I was blown away.
These are wonderful! I kept eating them right from the pot! The salty, seasoned brine that drips from the skins is lip-smacking delicious. And then the creamy interior of the fingerlings. I thought I would serve them with a bit of sour cream, but that was total overkill and way too overpowering.
The liquor in the pot was too good to waste, though. Redolent from the herbs and salt, it was also imbued with the earthiness of the potato skins. I mixed equal parts of the pot-liquor, melted butter and sour cream to use as a "dipping sauce." Bliss.
I think these are best served "warm." And do use fingerlings or tiny Yukon Golds.
- 1.5 pounds fingerling potatoes, washed but not peeled
- 6 tablespoons KOSHER salt, not table salt (2 tablespoons per 1/2 pound of potatoes)
- 2 large sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 small bunch fresh thyme (about 1/2 dozen stems--see picture above)
- 2-3 cloves whole, unpeeled garlic, slightly smashed
Sauce (optional)
- 1 part pot liquor
- 1 part melted butter
- 1 part sour cream
Place potatoes in a pot. Fill with water until covered by an inch or so. Add the salt. Add the herbs and garlic.
Cover loosely and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Cover.
Allow to cool. To make the sauce, simple mix the equal parts of pot-liquor, melted butter and sour cream. Serve on the side or drizzle on top of potatoes.
Alexandra also suggests roasting or crisping the potatoes in a cast-iron skillet with a bit of olive oil and some freshened herbs.
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Jacob Sugarman
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J.P. Hart
Just An0ther 2 Cents
Erica K
l'Heure Bleue
Salon.com
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Ingredients
12 whole New Potatoes (or Other Small Round Potatoes)
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Kosher Salt To Taste
Black Pepper To Taste
Rosemary (or Other Herbs Of Choice) To Taste
Preparation Instructions
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.
On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.
With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.
Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)
Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
Can't wait to try Yours.
-R-
jmac: Yea, the sauce was great . . . it was all about that brine!
Walter!!! How goes it? This method would probably work for a lot of taters ..... experiment and post it!
Mark: Yes, "smashed" potatoes are quite popular. Yum.
Jack: FINALLY . . . we concur on a recipe. The trick is to eat these dripping from the pot with all the salty brininess . . . and tomatoes!!!
how genius is this??
HUGGGGGGGGGGG
.. to echo aka... the blue/purples are what, fingerlings?
Sounds and looks great either way (I don't care if salt is bad) but find myself liking Alexandra's suggestion of "crisping the potatoes in a cast-iron skillet with a bit of olive oil and some freshened herbs"
- afterwards assuming. . . of course, right
Caught me hungry damn you Gary
@AKA- Here's a link to answer your question about blue potatoes:
http://www.ehow.com/info_8642685_blue-potatoes.html?ref=Track2&utm_source=ask
R♥
Plain old boiled potatoes is one of the best things around.