New potatoes
Solanum tuberosum
New potatoes have loose, delicate young skins that provide lots of flavour, so don’t peel them – just scrub gently in cold water. Boil to waxy tenderness, anoint with butter, salt and shredded mint – a salute to spring.
In the kitchen
How to store New potatoes
Most potatoes like to be kept dirty, dark and cool, with the exception of loose-skinned new potatoes. Their un-fixed skins mean that they are best kept in the fridge and used within a week.
Prep & Cooking tips
New potatoes’ loose, young skins provide much of the potato’s flavour and nutrition, so we wouldn’t peel these. Just give them a gentle scrub in cold water – their flaky little skins may look tatty, but better taste over appearance. Most recipes require keeping new potatoes whole, only halving or quartering them if they’re particularly big.
Cooking tips
They should only take 10-15 mins to boil in a pan of salted water; some bay and split garlic cloves would be a welcome addition to the pan. You can roast them well from raw, but they will be all the more fluffy and crisp for being parboiled first. If the weather permits, try wrapping a handful of washed and seasoned potatoes in foil and cooking in the glowing embers of a BBQ or campfire for 20 mins or so.
Easy ideas
1. Crushed
Beloved by restaurants the world over, it will hide the sins of an over cooked spud. Warm your potatoes in a pan with some olive oil. Press them against the side of the pan with a spoon to break them apart. You are not trying to fry them but a little colour won’t hurt. When warm they will welcome some butter or cream and plenty of freshly chopped herbs. A good alternative to mash as a pie topping, the rough texture and inclusion of the skins gives you plenty of nice edges to brown and crisp.
2. Potato cakes
Simply grate some spuds, season well and press into flat hockey-puck-sized discs. Fry in oil or butter until crispy and brown on both sides. You can call this a rosti or hashbrown; serve it as part of a fry-up or with a poached egg and some smoked salmon. A small amount of grated onion in the mix will make it all the more savoury.
3. Fried
Chop into cubes or flat slices and sauté on a medium heat until hot and crispy. Try throwing with some sea salt, dried chilli, chopped rosemary and a little lemon zest at the end. Perfect with cold cuts, a light omelette or partnered with a strong aioli and a glass of something ice cold.
New potatoes recipes
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Baked chicken with fennel, olives, new potatoes & caramelised lemon
Serves: 2 Total time: 1h
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New potatoes baked in a bag
Serves: 4 Total time: 50 min
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Chicken, broad beans and new potatoes with mustard and tarragon
Serves: 4 Total time: 1h 15 min
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New potato & samphire frittata with basil & chives
Serves: 2 Total time: 10 min
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Roast artichokes and new potatoes
Serves: 8 Total time: 1h 10 min
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Roast new potatoes and artichokes with rosemary and lemon
Serves: 2 Total time: 55 min
In the field
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Meet the grower: Andy Hayllor , Ashburton, Devon
As a founder member of the South Devon Organic Producers co-operative, Andy Hayllor supplies Riverford with brilliant organic vegetables.
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Meet the grower: Matthew and Phil Le Maistre , Les Pres Manor, Jersey
The Le Maistres have been growing vegetables in the south-east corner of Jersey since 1841. Their farm, Master Farm, consists of around 900 vergées (that’s just over 160 hectares), growing a wide range of crops – but their real speciality is potatoes.
