Crisp on the outside and soft inside, this potato side dish is herby, garlicky and buttery with just the right amount of tang.

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: International

Cook’s notes

What does it feel like eating these baby potatoes? Well, the best way I can describe it is like eating mashed potatoes and potato chips with every bite.

And the flavor is anything but bland. The potatoes are initially cooked in boiling salted water to soften them and to give them a first layer of flavor. Then, they are fried in butter and olive oil infused with garlic and rosemary. They soak up more flavor during the frying as a crust forms on the surface. Can you imagine?

What are baby potatoes?

Baby potato is not a special cultivar. It’s just new potato harvested early before it grows to full size. So, depending on what cultivar it falls under, it can be floury or waxy just like full-size regular potatoes (floury is recommended for this recipe). Depending on where you are in the world, baby potatoes also go by fingerling potatoes or pearl potatoes.

Can you eat the skin of baby potatoes?

Yes, oh yes! The skin of baby potato is so thin! Just remember to scrub the potatoes well to remove any remnants of soil. It is, after all, a root crop.

Baby potatoes with garlic butter sauce

Prep: 10

Cook: 20

Cooling: 30

Total: 1

Servings: 4 people

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Ingredients

500 grams baby potatoes (1.1 pounds), rinsed and scrubbed well
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil (not extra virgin)
6 cloves garlic peeled and thinly sliced
2 sprigs rosemary
¼ cup salted butter
2 tablespoons calamansi juice or lemon juice

Instructions

Boil the potatoes

Cut each baby potato into half.
Pour about eight cups of water into a pan and stir in the salt.
Drop in the potato halves, bring the water to a rolling boil, and cook the potato halves over high heat for ten minutes (five minutes longer if your baby potatoes are larger than and inch and a half in diameter).
Drain the potatoes, spread on a rack and cool for 30 minutes.

Fry the potatoes

Pour olive oil in a frying pan, and add the garlic slices and a sprig of rosemary.
Over low heat, fry the garlic until lightly browned, flipping them over occasionally.
Scoop out the garlic and rosemary.
Add the butter to the olive oil and allow to melt and heat up.
Spread the potato halves (in a single layer) in the hot olive oil and butter. Over medium heat, fry on both sides until a deep golden crust forms.
Strip the remaining sprig of rosemary, chop the leaves and sprinkle on the hot potatoes.
Scoop out the potatoes and set aside.
To the remaining olive oil and butter in the pan, stir in calamansi juice to make the sauce.