These New Potato Recipes Remind Us That Good Things Come in Small Packages
These young members of the potato family are among the most adaptable. Try them in our recipes for roasted, smashed, or boiled new potatoes, or use them to prepare potato salads, main course salads, soups, gratins, and more.
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Are you familiar with new potatoes yet? If not, it's time to pick up a bag: These young members of the potato family are among the most adaptable. Unlike fully grown potatoes, they're freshly dug and brought to market without having been stored for weeks. That means they have a moist texture and a sweeter taste, since the sugar in them has not yet converted to starch. Aside from flavor, they have thin, delicate skins and a crisp, waxy texture.
You'll see new potatoes in a beautiful array of colors, ranging from gold to red to purple. Whichever you choose, look for one that are firm, smooth, and free of cracks or soft brown spots. If you can, it's also a good idea to select potatoes of similar size so they cook evenly. When you get them home, don't refrigerate them. New or not, potatoes should never go in the refrigerator; instead, store them in a cool, dark place, and be sure to cook your new potatoes within a week or so of bringing them home. They don't have the same extended storage powers as regular potatoes.
When it comes time to use them, you can leave the skins on new potatoes. Just rinse them under cool water, scrub with a vegetable brush, and cut away any greenish parts (caused by overexposure to light) or any eyes. As for how to use these wonderful root vegetables? The sky's the limit. Although they really shine in salads (potato or otherwise) because they hold their shape well and are delicious no matter the temperature you serve them, they're also excellent roasted, mashed, or boiled.
Here, you'll find our 16 favorite ways to cook with new potatoes. Add these recipes to your repertoire and we promise you won't be disappointed.
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Butter-Lettuce Salad with Egg and Potatoes
Although all of the ingredients in this salad are available year-round, the tenderness of the butter lettuce leaves and the new potatoes give it a spring-like feel. Serve it with an egg cooked however you like, whether fried, poached, or soft-boiled.
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Roasted Potatoes with Ricotta
It's hard to go wrong when a recipe contains ricotta, Parmesan, and lemon zest, and this lovely potato dish is no exception. You roast new potatoes until they're cooked through, then top with a mixture of the aforementioned trio.
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Scandinavian Shrimp Salad
This entrée salad transports you to Stockholm, combining shrimp with hard-boiled eggs, cornichons, fennel, soft buttery lettuce, and boiled baby potatoes.
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Roast Chicken with Meyer Lemons and Potatoes
While a chicken roasts on one rack of the oven, you can use the other rack to cook bright-tasting Meyer lemons with new potatoes and thyme. Tender and golden brown, they're fantastic with the chicken and pan juices.
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Dairy-Free Smashed Potatoes
Instead of relying on butter, cream, or milk, these smashed potatoes call on chicken broth for rich and savory flavor.
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Buttered New Potatoes
Good butter and fresh chives are all it takes to turn boiled baby Yukon Golds into an indulgent and goes-with-anything side.
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Quick-Brined Corned Beef and Vegetables
This St. Patrick's Day standby wouldn't be the same without potatoes. The tender spuds are a terrific complement to corned beef and cabbage.
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Bacon, Potato, and Swiss Chard Scramble
You can cook everything in this one-pan dish in batches: the bacon first, then the herbed potatoes, garlicky greens, and scrambled eggs. It's also a great option when you want to serve breakfast for dinner.
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Balsamic-Glazed Potatoes
Tiny taters are tossed with chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and thyme and baked until tender in this easy side dish.
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Summer Smoked-Salmon Chowder
Here's a rich, creamy chowder made with zucchini, fresh corn kernels, and baby potatoes. Hot smoked salmon adds intense flavor.
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Stove-Top Clambake
New potatoes not only make this classic New England dish more substantial, but they also soak up the delicious flavor from all the fresh seafood—in this case, it's clams, mussels, and shrimp.
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Za'atar Smashed Potatoes
The spice blend za'atar is treasured for its savory-thyme-oregano flavor and adds complexity to these crispy roasted potatoes.
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Spring Chicken Niçoise
Chicken breast, new potatoes, and sugar snap peas are all steamed in the same basket along with fresh oregano for this satisfying dinner salad. A lively lemon-Dijon dressing, salty feta, and, of course, Niçoise olives give it a lift.
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Buttermilk and Steamed-Potato Soup
One of Martha's favorite potato recipes, this company-worthy soup pairs ice-cold buttermilk with tender red new potatoes, caramelized fennel and shallot, and shredded kale.
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Sorrel and Potato Gratin
Use a mandoline to make thin, even potato slices to layer in between the sorrel and shallots in this delicious potato gratin.
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Braised Leg of Lamb with Potatoes and Olives
Get the brunt of the braising done for the lamb before you add the new potatoes—the pan juices will infuse them with tons of flavor.
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