Still buying frozen mashed potato meals from the freezer aisle like you’re still in college? No judgment there, but your mom might not be too happy about that… And while we support you and your newfound independence, we thought sharing a few facts about baby potatoes (our new favorite) could possibly help you gain insight on how to get out of your frozen habits and create that new “adult” lifestyle you’re working on. You know that 9 to 5 lunch isn’t going to make itself!
Now obviously, if you just look at the name, you can infer baby potatoes are a lot smaller than other sibling potatoes like the Russet potato. This means they have a unique cooking time that separates them from the rest of their potato head family. Not only can you plop them whole into the oven, but you can even put them in the microwave (yes, you can still use your beloved microwave)! However, despite the ease and quickness that comes with cooking baby potatoes, they taste like they’ve been cooking with flavor for HOURS. Hopefully, by now you’re sold, but if not, let us show you what exactly you can do with these tiny spuds!
DISCOVER THE EASY BREEZY BEAUTY OF COOKING WITH BABY POTATOES
Cooking with baby potatoes gives you endless dish options, and when we say endless we mean END-LESS. Name it, baby potatoes got it! We literally just found out you can make a nice Baby Potato German Chocolate cake, like who would’ve thought?! Now imagine what more you can do with these mighty spuds. When people ask us what we can do with baby potatoes, our response is always anything because with these potatoes anything is possible.
Here are some tips to give you immunity to being called an “idiot sandwich” while cooking baby potatoes (queue Hell’s Kitchen theme song):
BOIL: Start with room temperature water, this will ensure the potato cooks completely from inside out. In a pot, cover potatoes by 1 inch with room temperature water. Leave the skin on for better nutrition or leave it on because you’re too lazy to skin a bunch of tiny potatoes, no judgment.
PRO TIP: If you’re looking to retain nutrients in your potatoes, steaming them is a better alternative to boiling because the nutrients are leached out when boiled.
ROAST: (No, we do not want you to insult the potatoes.) Cut them in half, making sure potatoes are all similar in size, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, as if you’re THE salt bae. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast at 425 F degrees for about 15 minutes or until fork tender.
Fun fact: With baby potatoes, roasting the potato whole is okay due to their small size!
GRILL: Because of the thickness of potatoes, pre-cooking them before grilling is suggested, but not mandatory with baby potatoes due to the small size. Whether you want to bake or steam, either is fine. With a light brush of oil and seasoning before placing on grill, you can get crispy potatoes with a nice grill char. Add any seasonings with sugar towards the last five minutes or after cooking, as the sugar will burn and make the dish bitter (unless you’re into that).
Fun idea: Skewer your potatoes to create a nice veggie kabob for easy eating!
SLOW COOK: Poke a hole in the center of your potatoes and place inside the slow cooker, along with liquids (stew, soup) for 2-4 hours.
Fun idea: Create “vegan grape jelly meatballs” with your potatoes. Since potatoes have neutral flavors it will taste similar to bread and jelly-add peanut butter and it’s PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME!
PAN FRY: Slice potatoes very thin or dice them small (make sure to cut potatoes so they are all similar in size). Cook in olive oil for 6-8 minutes or until tender (not tinder-FOCUS).
Fun fact: If you want to fasten the heating process (because you’re probably running late) and yield a softer, less-crisp potato, add a tablespoon or so of liquid-water or broth- and cover tightly to steam potatoes a bit.
If you’re looking for actual recipes on baby potatoes, check out our blog post on Hassleback DYPs and other recipes to help you start your career in “adult” cooking.
