Butter Potatoes are simply potatoes cooked in butter. They make an elegant side dish and I generally reserve them for making at holidays or on special occasions. The potatoes are steam-cooked in a little water along with melted butter on slow, low heat until the potatoes are cooked through. A shower of finely minced parsley adds colour and a delicate herb flavour.
Glossy and glistening from the butter, these potatoes are always a crowd pleaser.
New potatoes – the small baby potatoes – are the traditional potatoes used to make this dish. Gold or white, either works. However, Butter Potatoes can be made with larger potatoes, cut into large chunks that mimic the size of new potatoes. New potatoes are sometimes called baby potatoes. These potatoes have thin skins and are waxy, keeping their shape when cooked. It is for these reasons that they are ideal for this dish – the potatoes should remain whole when cooked.
If you only have access to large potatoes, avoid using a russet (Idaho) as these are floury potatoes and will disintegrate easily when cooked in this recipe.
Special equipment: a pot with a tight lid.
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds new or waxy potatoes
4 ounces salted butter (see note below)
¼ cup tap water
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Salt to taste
Finely minced parsley
DIRECTIONS
Wash and scrub the potatoes. Using a vegetable/potato peel remove a band of the skin so that the butter gets to make direct contact with the flesh of the potatoes.
Add the butter, water, black pepper and salt to a pot and place on medium heat and let the butter melt completely. When the butter has melted, add the potatoes to the pot and toss to coat. Let the pot come to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and cook for 25 – 30 minutes.
Shake and swirl the pot every 7 – 8 minutes (without opening it) to distribute the cooking liquid and coat the potatoes.
At the end of the cooking time, check the doneness of the potatoes – a knife should insert easily.
When the potatoes are done cooking, sprinkle in parsley and toss to mix. Transfer the potatoes to a serving platter or bowl, spoon over the butter remaining in the pot from cooking, and serve.
NOTES
Remember that some butters are saltier than others so keep this in mind when salting the potatoes. You can use unsalted butter in place of salted butter.
Use good quality butter, as that will be the dominant flavour in the dish.
If you prefer, fully peel the potatoes.
