Learn how to boil baby potatoes in simple steps for a delicious side dish and more. This tutorial will teach you how long to boil potatoes, and more.
This cooking method is perfect with large potatoes as well, you just need to adjust the cooking and you will achieve the same tender and fluffy spud you will love.
Boiled baby potatoes
I love potatoes, especially because of the versatility, it can be boiled, sauteed, fried, air fried, baked or roasted. Today, I will be teaching you how to make the perfect boiled potatoes in simple steps.
Boiling new or baby potatoes is undoubtedly one of the quickest and simplest methods for cooking this vegetable. It is easy and only requires a handful of ingredients and minimal prep.
Being a blank canvass, potatoes are easily customizable, it would easily adhere to any seasoning used on them. That said, today I will be keeping things simple by seasoning the boiled baby potatoes with butter and fresh herbs. There is no need to cut the spuds as well, what is not to love.
While this boiling method is for fingerling potatoes, you can use large potatoes by cutting them into smaller sizes so that it cooks at the same time.
This simple recipe is the potato side dish you will want to serve at all times. Boil your potatoes in the microwave if you are cooking for one or two.
Tools needed
Large saucepan
Vegetable peeler or a sharp knife to peel and cut the potatoes if need be
Ingredients you will need for boiled baby potatoes
Baby potatoes
Unsalted butter, melted
Fresh parsley leaves
Fresh dill weed
Chives
Salt and black pepper
How to boil baby potatoes
Rinse and scrub the potatoes clean under cold running water.
Add the potatoes to a large pot and cover with water by about 1 inch, add salt and bring to a rapid boil for 5 minutes on medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium heat then continue to boil for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender. It is good to start checking on the potatoes from 12 minutes depending on the size.
Drain the potatoes in a colander (cut them into halves if desired) and return them to the pot, add butter and chopped herbs. place it back on low heat and stir until the butter melts and the herbs are fragrant. Serve and enjoy.
How long to boil potatoes
This will be dependent on the size of your potatoes, larger potatoes will take longer to cook, and smaller spuds cook at a shorter time.
For smaller potatoes, the boiling time is between 10-15 minutes while larger potatoes can cook between 20 to 30 minutes. No, peeling the potatoes will not reduce the boiling time.
Tips
- Don't boil potatoes on high heat as it can result in false cooking, ie, the interior will be hard and raw and the outside cooked.
- The best potatoes for boiling are waxy potatoes because they are able to hold their shapes and won't fall apart provided it is not overcooked.
- Boil similar sized potatoes for even cooking, if using chopped spuds, make sure to cut in similar sizes.
- Cook the potatoes for a shorter time if you will be using it for other recipes other than mashed potatoes. If you are roasting or frying the potatoes then it is best to parboil say between 8 to 12 minutes depending on the size.
FAQs
How to boil potatoes for potato salad
Scrub and clean the potatoes clean under running water and cut into cubes about 1-2 inches in size. Make sure that the potatoes are cut to equal sizes so that they cook evenly.
Add it to a pot and cover with water about 1 inch higher than the spud and bring to a boil on medium-high heat for 8-12 minutes or until fork-tender.
Drain the water and set it aside to cool, then make the creamy sauce for the salad.
How to boil potatoes without them falling apart
When boiling baby potatoes, the trick is not to overcook them. If you overcook them, the texture of the potato will become very soft that it would fall apart when boiled for too long so make sure to set a timer.
If cooking smaller size or chopped potatoes then 10 minutes is a good time to start checking. 25 minutes is a good time to start checking on larger potatoes peeled or unpeeled.
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How to boil baby potatoes (Boiled Potatoes)
Ingredients
- 2 lb baby potatoes
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 1 Tablespoon fresh dill weed chopped
- 1 Tablespoon fresh chives chopped
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse and scrub the potatoes clean under cold running water.
- Add the potatoes to a large pot and cover with water by about 1 inch, add salt and bring to a rapid boil for 5 minutes on medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium heat then continue to boil for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender. It is good to start checking on the potatoes from 12 minutes depending on the size.
- Drain the potatoes in a colander (cut them into halves if desired) and return them to the pot, add butter and chopped herbs. place it back on low heat and stir until the butter melted and the herbs are fragrant. Serve and enjoy!
Yaya says
I like the fact that it doesn't just give you the recipe that you've searched but also several others. Very easy to follow 👍👍🙏
Sam says
Thanks for the feedback, glad you found it useful.