This is one of those things my mother would say “I didn’t know there was a recipe for that!” in that voice she uses. Last time she said that, I mentioned that there were probably millions of people in the world who would come upon the U.S. obsession for posting and printing recipes for sesame noodles and say the same thing.
I want to share the boiled red or new potato though for a reason. I forget it as an option. Pasta and rice are common starches in the house. They are so easy! They go with so many things. They don’t take long. Oh wait.
Let’s start with the “recipe”
Wash up some red or new potatoes–1-2 per member of your family, the whole bag, it doesn’t matter. In fact, I recommend the whole bag. I will explain in a minute.
Quarter the potatoes or smaller chunks or even leave them whole. Don’t worry about peeling!
Cover with cold water. Add some salt if you cook with it. Set on the stove to boil. Boil for 10-20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender but not as my kids would say “almost mashed.” (Like other things I am prone to wander off and remember something on the stove an hour later–it doesn’t bother me but it does seem to annoy kids) The size you cut them or leaving them whole changes the length of cooking time. Drain the potatoes.
Now you have options:
Serve with a bit of butter and parsley (parsleyed potatoes)
Warm potato salad
PESTO! Yes, that pesto you are putting on your pasta–works just as well on potatoes and so does sun-dried tomato pesto
Throw them in your blender with some hot broth and cheese and make fast potato cheese soup.
Add a bit of Greek yogurt and dill
If you are smart and you made “too many” you have leftovers. All of the above still hold true but you also have the option of:
Potato Salad
Quick Home Fries: We had boiled potatoes with butter last night. Tonight I heated a tiny bit of oil in the skillet and threw some chopped onion, garlic, and the leftover potatoes in it. I heated them up. I sprinkled cheese on top! Fab, quick home fries without me errr burning the outside and leaving the inside raw. Yes, people really do enjoy eating here even if I sound inept in the kitchen.
Sliced and warmed for a sandwich topping — think thick slices of roast beef or portobello mushroom caps, horseradish and blue cheese swiped under the broiler for a moment.
Mixed vegetables (What’s about to die in your produce bin? What odds and ends of frozen vegetables do you have that aren’t enough for a full serving for your family? Be creative!) , sauce of your choice, leftover potatoes, perhaps some leftover meat or tempeh made into a casserole.
Throw them into a curry!
Some people in this house (me!) will eat them cold out of the refrigerator.
The possibilities are actually endless and having the potatoes boiled means no waiting for the potato to cook through when you use them for leftovers or they are ready to toss into your dish if you cook them while creating that perfect sauce.
