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Crispy Pan-Seared Fingerling Potatoes

4.6(7)

The key to perfectly cooked fingerlings? Boil first; then crisp them up over high heat. I learned to cook potatoes this way while working at Fork in Philadelphia. The chef at the time cooked fingerlings as directed below, the keys being: Use a ton of salt. Bring the water to a boil, then shut it off. As the potatoes cool, they continue to cook, and they take on the seasonings of the herbs and salt. They are irresistible. Note: Best to use a pot with a narrow opening to ensure the cooking liquid does not cool down too quickly.

by Alexandra Stafford·published 2010-06-20

Open original recipe

AmericanSide Dish

Servings

['4', '4 servings']

Total time

prep 5 min

Calories / serving

—

Ingredients (7)

serves

1 1/2 lbs. fingerling potatoes or other small potatoespotato
1/3 cup kosher saltsalt
several sprigs of rosemary and thymethyme
2 cloves garlic, smashedgarlic
olive oilolive-oil
kosher salt or flaky sea salt, such as Maldonsalt
a few more sprigs rosemary and thyme, leaves removed and mincedthyme

Instructions (4 steps)

01Place fingerlings in a pot. Cover with approximately one inch of water. Add the salt, herbs and garlic. Bring the pot of water to a boil, then turn off the heat. Let the potatoes cool completely in their liquid before proceeding.
02Once cool, you can eat the potatoes as they are or you can brown them. These potatoes are wonderful to have on hand — they are truly delicious cooked as they are, sliced and tossed into salads or just eaten straight out of the refrigerator.
03If you want to crisp them up a bit, slice the potatoes in half on a bias (or leave them whole if they are really small). Then, heat a pan (preferably cast iron or carbon steel or stainless steel) over high heat. Add a thin layer of olive oil and swirl the pan to coat the bottom — the pan and oil should be very hot before adding the potatoes. Add the potatoes, shake the pan once and then let them be. Do not disturb them for a minute or two. Check one before trying to shake the pan or stir them with a spoon — you want that edge to get crispy and it won’t get crispy if you try to move them too quickly.