Easy Boiled Potatoes Recipe

Want Delicious Boiled Potatoes? Make This Easy Boiled Potatoes Recipe

Boiled Potatoes RecipeLooking for a healthy side dish? Look no further than boiled potatoes. Boiled potatoes, especially ones with parsley, is among the easiest healthy side dish to make. Making this boiled potatoes recipe requires nothing more than 5 ingredients and 5 minutes to prepare. Amazing, isn’t it?

Potatoes can be cooked in various ways. Boiling is one and among the easiest. With our recipe here, you will be able to make a delicious side dish that everyone can enjoy. And yes, it is healthy too as it has low-calorie content per serving.

Things to Know about Boiling Potatoes

  • Not all potatoes are suitable for boiling

There are various types of potatoes out there. Some types of potatoes are good for certain cooking styles but not others. For example, russet potatoes are commonly used for steaming and baking, gold potatoes are for sautéing or roasting, and so on.

So, what types of potatoes are good for boiling? For the recipe here, you can use either red or yellow potatoes or both. As for the size, it doesn’t matter how small or large it is. That being said, keep in mind that the size of potatoes affects the cooking time.

  • Types of potatoes based on their starch content

It is true that you can boil just about any potato. However, not all potatoes are the same. The starch content in potatoes varies differently. Because of the starch content, some potatoes are better for boiling, while some others are not.

A potato’s starch content affects its texture. So if you want the best result, you will need to choose the right potato for this boiled potato recipe. There are three types of potato based on starch content: low-starch, medium-starch, and high-starch.

Low-starch potatoes, such as New Potatoes, Round White, and Round Red varieties, are well-known for their waxy texture. These types of potatoes can hold their shape much better than any other potatoes. Low-starch potatoes are perfect for boiling.

Yukon Gold and Yellow Finn varieties are among the medium-starch potatoes. These potatoes contain more moisture, which is why they don’t fall apart as easily as their high-starch counterparts. Medium-starch potatoes are versatile and good for boiling.

High-starch potatoes like the Russet variety have a mealy and light texture. These high-starch potatoes are less ideal for boiling but perfect for mashing once boiled. These potatoes will fall apart when boiled so if you want to use them, boil them whole and cut them later.

In short, the lower starch content, the better. That’s not to say you can’t use high-starch potatoes for this boiled potatoes recipe. You can. Just keep in mind that the higher the starch content, the more likely the potatoes to fall apart. Keep your eye on the potatoes and you should be fine, regardless of which potatoes you use.

  • Why salting is important

Our boiled potatoes recipe here includes boiling the potatoes in salted water. Why is salting the water important? First and foremost, it seasons the potatoes and gives it flavor. Secondly, salted water allows potatoes to boil to a higher temperature. As a result, the starch is cooked more thoroughly.

Boiling potatoes in unsalted water, on the other hand, prevent the starch to be cooked thoroughly. This results in bland and dense potatoes. Of course, you don’t want that for your boiled potatoes. You want tasty and tender ones

  • How long will it take?

If you use smaller new potatoes or baby potatoes, it will take about 15 minutes for the potatoes to boil. If you use regular-sized potatoes or big ones and cut them into smaller slices, the boiling time is longer: between 20 and 25 minutes. Whole potatoes take even longer, 30 to 35 minutes at the least.

Cooking Tips

  • Preparing the potatoes

Before you start cooking, it is a good idea to prepare the potatoes properly. The first step to prepare potatoes is to clean them. Use a brush to brush each potato. Remove any dirt on the surface then rinse thoroughly.

For this boiled potatoes recipe, we don’t recommend to peel the potatoes’ skin. Why? Because the potatoes will absorb less water if they still have their skin intact. As less water is absorbed, the starch is preserved.

In case you don’t want to eat the skin, just peel it after the potatoes are done boiled. Just be sure to cool them down before doing so.

  • Cutting (optional)

Want to shorten the cooking time? You can do so by cutting the potatoes into smaller pieces. If you use small new potatoes or baby potatoes, don’t cut them. Just leave them whole. As for larger potatoes, cut them into halves.

  • Draining and cooling

After the potatoes are boiled, remove them from the stockpot and place them inside a colander. Our boiled potatoes recipe here uses cooled potatoes, so you will need to cool them fast. To do so, run cool water through the boiled potatoes and drain. This will cool the potatoes faster, allowing you to serve them immediately.

  • Checking when the potatoes are done

To check if the potatoes are done, just take a fork and insert it into a potato’s middle part. If the potato is done, the inside should feel tender. It should be firm and not mushy.

Boiled Potatoes Recipe

Boiled Potatoes RecipeCourse: Side dish

Cuisine: Boiled potatoes with parsley

Keyword: Boiled potatoes recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 165

Ingredients

  • Water
  • Ground black pepper, about 3 dashes
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 lb. baby potatoes (we use both yellow and red potatoes)
  • 1 tablespoon of salt (for boiling)
  • 2 tablespoons of Italian parsley, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter

Instructions

  1. Prepare a stockpot. Fill it halfway with salt and water. Bring salted water to a rolling boil.
  2. While waiting for the water and salt to boil, clean the potatoes. Scrub and rinse them thoroughly.
  3. When the water and salt is boil, put the potatoes inside. Let them boil for 15 minutes.
  4. After 15 minutes, remove the potatoes from the stockpot and drain them.
  5. Cool the potatoes by running cold water through them. Drain again.
  6. Cut the potatoes into wedges. Then, combine these wedges with pepper, salt, butter, and parsley. Stir the potatoes and the seasonings gently so they mix well.
  7. Serve immediately.
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